Best and worst dishwasher tablets.

Lidl ones are great and about 10p each when on offer

Another vote for the Lidl ones here, think they're excellent value for money.

Worth watching these two videos

TL;DR: Don't use Eco mode (same rule applies to washing machines), put some "prewash" powder in your machine before you start the programme.

I always found dishwasher powder + rinse aid + salt (every few weeks) produced the best results. I also use dishwasher cleaner but there's a few MSE threads about cheaper at-home options. (edited)

The reason cheap dishwasher detergent has become rubbish is that manufacturers have reformulated it to phase out phosphates, which were far more important for the performance of a dishwasher than they were in washing machines.

Phosphates chelate calcium, helping to detach food and grease and stop it from reattaching during the wash, as well as providing additional softening of the water.

Really effective alternatives to phosphates are expensive, so only crop up in premium products.

Here an article from the US, where phosphates were effectively banned before they were in the UK:- npr.org/201…rty (edited)

deleted12678307/04/2022 07:18

Lidl ones are great and about 10p each when on offer

timely thread OP. Might have to swap from my usual Aldi to Lidl. Ive noticed the same of the Aldi ones so we started to run a quick rinse wash before doing the full cycle.

We use the Lidl ones which seem to do the job. One of your problems may actually be too much detergent. If your water is soft try halving the tablets and see if it makes a difference. (edited)

I bought these in B&M for £9 initially and then they were on offer for £8 the next time I was in there…really good value.

My dishwasher has a filter that gets clogged up with grime every now and again and causes the issues u are having, once I take it out and clean it everything goes back to normal. (edited)

ding07/04/2022 07:30

I keep meaning to try costco ones but keep forgetting to get some

I actually find the Aldi ones better than the Costco ones, the Costco ones don’t always dissolve properly.

I find the finish ones don't dissolve properly in my dishwasher. Fairy platinum would be my go to it money were no object, but mostly I use lidl, which are almost as good and a fraction of the cost. If you have the app, they're £2.95 for 50 this week

The absolute worst I've used were the cheap Finish Classic tablets after the formulation change.

They didn't get stuff clean and far worse, left grey deposits over stainless steel items in my dishwasher and the whole load needed rewashing. I had initially suspected the machine's softener unit had failed because grey deposits still occurred when I switched back to my previous tablets and was looking at buying a new dishwasher, then I tried two finish to see if it washed any better and the mess was appalling and I realised the finish classic tablets were to blame and leaving deposits inside the pipework which were coming out on subsequent washes.

The second worse stuff I've come across was a liquid dishwasher my late mother used when she took part in a trial. Since it was on a timer, it sat in the dispenser attacking the seal on the flap and also the seal around the detergent dispenser as it leaked out, getting into the door and attacking the insulation on the wiring. I discovered the issue when it tripped the RCD and had to completely rewire the dishwasher.

One of the Best dishwasher detergents I've used was the original SUN powder (apart from making glasses cloudy), but that was decades ago when they still made decent powder, before manufacturers started pushing tablets for their "convenience" even though they don't work as well because tablets take longer to dissolve than powder and you can't adjust the dosage for the state of the washing up. (edited)

I keep meaning to try costco ones but keep forgetting to get some

I have no problems with the Aldi ones

I found Finish tablets quite good, get them when on offer in Lidl. Fairy (platinum) tablets make everything smell and taste soapy.. Very off putting when eating (edited)

louiselouise07/04/2022 19:08

Worth watching these two videosTL;DR: Don't use Eco mode (same rule …Worth watching these two videosTL;DR: Don't use Eco mode (same rule applies to washing machines), put some "prewash" powder in your machine before you start the programme. I always found dishwasher powder + rinse aid + salt (every few weeks) produced the best results. I also use dishwasher cleaner but there's a few MSE threads about cheaper at-home options.Read lessRead more

This 👆🏻

I use only the quick wash, (10 minute wash, 10 minute rinse) and I'll find something not quite clean about once a year, using Fairy Platinum. I can't use the tablet types as these don't even dissolve in 10 minutes, but I've been lucky in finding FP in 100 packs for around £11-£12.