Best Dishwasher Detergent

Best dishwasher powders, gels and pre-measured packs

Cascade dishwasher detergents receive the best reviews overall. Cascade says it completely rids users of the need for pre-rinsing because Cascade Complete uses more enzymes and can dissolve food particles. Almost all reviewers agree. However, note that dishwasher manufacturers and experts, including those at ConsumerReports.org, say that modern dishwashers are completely capable of cleaning dishes without pre-rinsing.

Cascade Complete All-in-1 ActionPacs (*Est. 39 cents per load) are a favorite of consumers and receive top marks in comparison testing. Consumer reviews on sites such as Amazon.com and CascadeClean.com consistently give this detergent a high rating; some say this product makes their older machine more efficient, and others say don't need to pre-rinse dishes. The two other products in the ActionPac line, Cascade ActionPacs with Dawn (*Est. 39 cents per load) and Cascade ActionPacs with Extra Bleach Action (*Est. 39 cents per load) get similarly high ratings. A reviewer at MomsTakeOnThings.com was so impressed with the manufacturer's test sample of Cascade ActionPacs with Dawn that she now says she uses nothing else. Each of these products comes in gel and powder formulations.

Cascade Complete All-in-1 Gel (*Est. 20 cents per load) also receives high marks. On the Cascade website, dozens of reviewers rave about this detergent, stating that it gets most dishes clean no matter how dirty they are going into the dishwasher and leaves behind no spots or residue. Cascade Complete All-in-1 Gel is available in three scents, but there's no unscented version.

The powdered formula of Cascade Complete All-in-1 receives similarly strong reviews. At HowToCleanAnything.com, editors give four families Cascade Complete powder to try during the course of a month. The families "were trying to make this product fail," by putting very dirty dishes into the dishwasher without pre-rinsing. After 100 loads, only 1 percent of items needed additional cleaning. (We do note that the detergent was supplied by the manufacturer, but the results of the test seem genuine.)

Palmolive Eco (*Est. 24 cents per load) is Palmolive's entry into the environmentally friendly arena. This detergent is free of phosphates (like most dishwasher detergents), but it contains bleach -- an ingredient that many environmentalists say disqualifies this formula from being truly green. Chlorine is emitted in the steam that's released from dishwashers, and some users find it irritates their lungs when they breathe it in; many reviewers comment on the strong smell of bleach that emanates from the dishwasher when Palmolive Eco is used. In addition, this detergent frequently leaves behind a white, powdery residue, as attested to by the majority of reviewers on Amazon.com and Epinions.com.  Many reviewers say they have to rewash their dishes after using Palmolive Eco.

Several low-cost dishwasher detergents receive good reviews. Great Value Dishwasher Detergent from Walmart (*Est. 10 cents per load) compares favorably with more expensive brands in professional tests. Several user reviewers at GardenWeb.com say that Great Value detergent works well for them, and that the price makes it a real value. Contributors to BlissTree.com also find that Great Value cleans well, even when dishes are not pre-rinsed. Keep in mind, however, that these reviews were written before the phosphate-free version of this detergent was available. More recently, several users at ThriftyFun.com report that Great Value detergent doesn't work as well since it was reformulated.