The ‘best’ dishwashing product of 2023 – and it only costs $1.90!
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The cost-of-living crisis has hit us all hard – and that means we’re looking for ways to save money in any way we can. This includes trying to cut down cleaning costs by finding the products that give us the most bang for our buck.
Luckily, there’s a cheap solution for one of the most versatile and effective cleaning products around. We’re talking, of course, about dishwashing liquid. One product is so effective that it even topped CHOICE’s 2023 review of dishwashing liquids, beating its expensive competitors.
Many of us are familiar with the frustration of spending too much on cleaning tools and products without getting the results we want. But you’ll be pleased to hear that there’s one cleaning product that won’t break the bank and is top of its class.
Leading consumer advocacy group CHOICE revealed that Coles’ brand of dishwashing liquid, aka Coles’ Ultra Advanced Liquid Power Soak is the best of the best – it even received a 90 per cent score in CHOICE’s scrub test.
‘Our experts lab tested dishwashing liquids from ALDI, Coles, Fairy, Morning Fresh, Palmolive and more to find the products that remove the most dirt when scrubbing away in the sink,’ CHOICE said.
At just $1.90 for a 450 ml bottle (or $0.42 per 100 ml), it’s a real bargain. And since it’s a concentrated product, you don’t need to add as much product when cleaning to get the best results.
According to the product description, Coles’ dishwashing liquid concentrate is ‘specially formulated with powerful enzymes to remove tough food stains in reduced soaking time’.
It also stated that there are no added phosphates and that the biodegradable surfactants included in the solution comply with the requirements needed for biodegradability.
In second place, CHOICE lists Fairy Kitchen’s Antibacterial Dish and Surface Spray – which gained an expert rating of 75 per cent.
On the list, it was reported that this product costs $6 for a 450ml bottle. As of publishing this article, however, Fairy Kitchen’s spray costs $12 at Woolworths. No other retailer or supermarket has been found to sell the cleaning agent online.
Nine different dishwashing liquids took the equal third spot on the list, all of which scored 70 per cent in CHOICE’s scrub test.
These products included ALDI Tandil Ultra Antibacterial - lemon, priced at $1.79 for a 450 ml bottle, Earth Choice Green Tea and Lime which costs $4.99 for a 900 mL bottle, and a handful of Morning Fresh detergents which ranged from $6 to $9.50
You can find CHOICE’s full list of dishwashing liquid reviews, including their thoughts on Woolworths’ home brand and Palmolive here.
According to CHOICE, they determine which dishwashing liquids to test by gathering products from major brands available in supermarkets and smaller companies available online. They said that their aim is to test the most popular brands on the market because that’s what consumers will likely see in stores.
‘We conduct a preliminary check to find what we can buy in-store and survey manufacturers to find out about their range of products before putting together a final list that goes to our buyers,’ the consumer advocate wrote.
They added that their team heads out to retailers to purchase each product from the list (or order them online) just as a ‘normal consumer’ would.
‘We do this so we can be sure the products are the same as any consumer would find them and not “tweaked” in any way,’ they claimed.
To determine which products are effective, CHOICE conducts a scrub test. ‘The plates we use in our test are pre-soiled with blends of different types of stains you'll typically have to deal with at home – rice starch, Bolognese and egg yolk,’ they shared.
They continued that the stained plates are soaked in a 1% solution of test detergent for 10 minutes before they are placed in their ‘scrubbing device’. The plates are then scrubbed a set number of times with a wet sponge.
‘Reflectance readings are taken before and after the cleaning process to determine the percentage of soil removed. Each product is tested four times, and the scores are averaged for consistency,’ CHOICE explained.
The performance score is based on how clean each plate is after reading the result using a spectrophotometer, an instrument that measures the intensity of light absorbed after it passes through a sample solution.
According to CHOICE, they started testing dishwashing liquids based on the industry standard, which originally looked at how long the foam lasts. However, they realised that manufacturers were using cleaning agents (or surfactants) that were better at creating foam instead of good at removing grease.
‘Rather than counting the bubbles in your washing up water, our current testing emphasises the scrub test scores, as this will actually show you how well the detergent removes grime from your dishes,’ they shared.
‘The bubbles might look nice, but they really don't do much to get your plates clean.’
Have you tried Coles’ dishwashing liquid? Do you agree with CHOICE? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Luckily, there’s a cheap solution for one of the most versatile and effective cleaning products around. We’re talking, of course, about dishwashing liquid. One product is so effective that it even topped CHOICE’s 2023 review of dishwashing liquids, beating its expensive competitors.
Many of us are familiar with the frustration of spending too much on cleaning tools and products without getting the results we want. But you’ll be pleased to hear that there’s one cleaning product that won’t break the bank and is top of its class.
Leading consumer advocacy group CHOICE revealed that Coles’ brand of dishwashing liquid, aka Coles’ Ultra Advanced Liquid Power Soak is the best of the best – it even received a 90 per cent score in CHOICE’s scrub test.
Coles’ own brand of dishwashing liquid topped CHOICE’s list of best dishwashing liquids for 2023. Credit: Coles
‘Our experts lab tested dishwashing liquids from ALDI, Coles, Fairy, Morning Fresh, Palmolive and more to find the products that remove the most dirt when scrubbing away in the sink,’ CHOICE said.
At just $1.90 for a 450 ml bottle (or $0.42 per 100 ml), it’s a real bargain. And since it’s a concentrated product, you don’t need to add as much product when cleaning to get the best results.
According to the product description, Coles’ dishwashing liquid concentrate is ‘specially formulated with powerful enzymes to remove tough food stains in reduced soaking time’.
It also stated that there are no added phosphates and that the biodegradable surfactants included in the solution comply with the requirements needed for biodegradability.
In second place, CHOICE lists Fairy Kitchen’s Antibacterial Dish and Surface Spray – which gained an expert rating of 75 per cent.
Fairy Kitchen takes the second spot on CHOICE’s list. Credit: Woolworths
On the list, it was reported that this product costs $6 for a 450ml bottle. As of publishing this article, however, Fairy Kitchen’s spray costs $12 at Woolworths. No other retailer or supermarket has been found to sell the cleaning agent online.
Nine different dishwashing liquids took the equal third spot on the list, all of which scored 70 per cent in CHOICE’s scrub test.
These products included ALDI Tandil Ultra Antibacterial - lemon, priced at $1.79 for a 450 ml bottle, Earth Choice Green Tea and Lime which costs $4.99 for a 900 mL bottle, and a handful of Morning Fresh detergents which ranged from $6 to $9.50
You can find CHOICE’s full list of dishwashing liquid reviews, including their thoughts on Woolworths’ home brand and Palmolive here.
CHOICE reviewed 44 products in total. Credit: CHOICE Australia
According to CHOICE, they determine which dishwashing liquids to test by gathering products from major brands available in supermarkets and smaller companies available online. They said that their aim is to test the most popular brands on the market because that’s what consumers will likely see in stores.
‘We conduct a preliminary check to find what we can buy in-store and survey manufacturers to find out about their range of products before putting together a final list that goes to our buyers,’ the consumer advocate wrote.
They added that their team heads out to retailers to purchase each product from the list (or order them online) just as a ‘normal consumer’ would.
‘We do this so we can be sure the products are the same as any consumer would find them and not “tweaked” in any way,’ they claimed.
To determine which products are effective, CHOICE conducts a scrub test. ‘The plates we use in our test are pre-soiled with blends of different types of stains you'll typically have to deal with at home – rice starch, Bolognese and egg yolk,’ they shared.
They continued that the stained plates are soaked in a 1% solution of test detergent for 10 minutes before they are placed in their ‘scrubbing device’. The plates are then scrubbed a set number of times with a wet sponge.
‘Reflectance readings are taken before and after the cleaning process to determine the percentage of soil removed. Each product is tested four times, and the scores are averaged for consistency,’ CHOICE explained.
The performance score is based on how clean each plate is after reading the result using a spectrophotometer, an instrument that measures the intensity of light absorbed after it passes through a sample solution.
Have you tried one of these products? Image credit: The Seniors Discount Club
According to CHOICE, they started testing dishwashing liquids based on the industry standard, which originally looked at how long the foam lasts. However, they realised that manufacturers were using cleaning agents (or surfactants) that were better at creating foam instead of good at removing grease.
‘Rather than counting the bubbles in your washing up water, our current testing emphasises the scrub test scores, as this will actually show you how well the detergent removes grime from your dishes,’ they shared.
‘The bubbles might look nice, but they really don't do much to get your plates clean.’
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