The 5 Best Eco-Friendly Dishwasher Detergents

Ready to upgrade your dishwashing game? We’ve got five customer-loved and eco-friendly dishwasher detergents you may want to add to your cart.

There comes a time in everyone’s life when they establish their arsenal, their Holy Grail of household products. It’s those cleaners, brushes, and scrubbers you repurchase and reach for over and over again because they just work. They’re high-performance, affordable, reliable, and don’t give you a reason to go hunting for a better option.

If you haven’t found your Holy Grail of eco dishwasher detergents, we’ve got some ideas for you. These options are made with mostly plant-based ingredients, don’t have all the no-no’s you want to avoid, and tend to be available in environmentally sound packaging. If your current dishwasher detergent isn’t getting the job done, take a look at these top contenders for your next suds session.

The Best Eco Dishwasher Detergent Pods – Public Goods

Minimalists will love Public Goods products. Their dishwasher detergent pods are made with very few ingredients that are all natural and plant-derived. One shining ingredient this detergent includes is enzymes that are great for quickly breaking down stains. The best thing is that, unlike many other plant-based detergents, these pods actually do the trick. Dirt, grease, and grime don’t stand a chance. This detergent cuts tough stains, sanitizes silverware, emulsifies grease and oil, minimizes water spots, and protects metal from corrosion — all without harming humans or aquatic life. There are no phosphates, dyes, parabens, phthalates, aluminum, chlorine, petroleum, animal byproducts, or anything derived from formaldehyde. Plus, it’s super convenient, arriving in ready-to-use pouches so you never have to measure or make a mess. It’s also graywater-friendly, biodegradable, and safe for all types of dishwashers. Last thing we’ll mention — this option is super affordable, averaging at just 29 cents a load.

What’s in it: sodium carbonate, lemon essential oil, sodium silicate, enzymes

The Go-To Dishwashing Gel – Better Life

Better Life’s Naturally Crumb-Crushing Dishwasher Gel is a popular eco dishwasher detergent on the market today. Its liquid formula is mild, gentle, plant-derived, and effective. This detergent’s 100% plant and mineral makeup has no phosphates, bleach, fragrance, dye, or preservatives, and a little goes a long way. According to its directions, you only need to use one tablespoon for a full dishwasher load. Plus, this gel is made to cut through stubborn stains and stuck-on food, leaving behind zero cloudiness on your dishes.

What’s in it: purified water, potassium cocoate, sodium citrate, coco glucoside, sodium silicate, decyl glucoside, quillaja saponaria bark extract, glycerin, sodium carbonate, xanthan gum, sorbitan oleate, enzymes, citric acid

The Most Powerful Powder – Nellie’s

Nellie’s dishwasher powder is not only styled as a fun, 1950s throwback, it’s also sustainable. This detergent comes in a reusable tin container, full of roughly 80 scoops of product. It’s biodegradable, synthetic fragrance and phosphate-free, and safe for septic systems. According to users, it works great in hard water and powers through tough stains and baked-on food. The brand also claims that it’s more concentrated than other detergents because you only need one tablespoon per load and because it’s a powder. To Nellie’s, liquid detergents are largely water, which isn’t a good use of your money.

What’s in it: sodium chloride, sodium carbonate, citric acid, sodium sulfate, sodium percarbonate, sodium metasilicate, cocamidopropyl betaine, sodium silicate, protease

The Best Fragrance-Free Option – Grab Green

Grab Green says its detergent pods have four layers of security to protect you, your family, and your pets. To avoid their pods looking like enticing candy, Grab Green intentionally designs its pods to be white with a bitter outer film to ward off kids and animals. They’re also filled with non-toxic ingredients and are pre-measured for convenience. The contents of these detergent pods don’t include chlorine, dyes, phthalates, phosphates, or masking agents. It’s a detergent that promises powerful grease removal and a brilliant shine every time.

What’s in it: sodium citrate, sodium carbonate peroxide, sodium sulfate, sodium carbonate, sodium silicate, linear alcohol ethoxylate, tetrasodium iminodisuccinate, hydrated silica, sodium polyaspartate, amylase enzyme blend, subtilisin enzyme blend, polyvinyl alcohol

The Most Reusable Packaging – Blueland

Users of Blueland can say goodbye to single-use plastic containers. Blueland’s dishwasher starter set includes 40 dishwasher tablets and one steel “forever tin” to store them. All refills come in compostable paper pouches. This sustainable (and pretty cute) packaging ranks it high for many users. According to their site, the average home will use one forever tin and 300 plastic-free dishwasher tablets per year with Blueland, as compared to at least five plastic containers and 300 tablets wrapped in single-use plastic with many other brands. Their detergent tablet formula uses sodium carbonate as its main ingredient for tough cleaning jobs and is free of any petroleum, artificial dyes, artificial fragrances, parabens, ammonia, phthalates, and polyvinyl alcohol.

What’s in it: sodium carbonate, sodium citrate, citric acid, sodium silicate, microcrystalline cellulose, sorbitan caprylate, sodium carboxymethyl Inulin, subtilisin, lauryl/myristyl glucoside, amylase, hydrated silica

Why Switch to an Eco-Friendly Dishwasher Detergent?

What goes on your dishes is likely to end up in your mouth, and we’re not just talking about food. Despite your dishwasher’s rinse cycle, it’s not impossible for traces of your detergent to end up on your freshly cleaned dishes. For that reason, you want to make sure the dish detergent you choose is not only effective but non-toxic. An eco dishwasher detergent is made with safe, natural ingredients, packed in sustainable containers, and produced under ethical manufacturing practices.

Thankfully, there are many great eco-friendly dishwasher detergents out there to choose from, many of them made to be affordable and convenient to purchase and use. When deciding on the best eco-friendly dishwasher detergent for you and your household, just be sure to read ingredient lists, as well as customer reviews. Evaluate the formula, packaging, and how well users say it works. You may want to try a few different options before finding your Holy Grail of cleaners.

At Public Goods, we’ve got you covered when you need an eco dishwasher detergent you can feel good about. We also have a range of other household products made to give you your best clean without all the harmful chemicals and additives. Look no further for sustainable, natural, attractive household go-to’s you’ll use again and again.