Tired of compromising between clean dishes and a clean conscience?
Fret no more, because we’ve got you covered with a lineup of eco-friendly dishwasher detergents that will make your eco-friendly dinnerware clean and shiny while keeping Mother Earth happy.
You might say we’re coming to your (rinse) aid to help you scrub away the culinary and chemical residues from your dishes, pots, and pans. Whether you love dishes or hate them, sudsing up with sustainable dishwashing detergent can help you move towards a cleaner, greener future—one dish at a time.
When we refresh this content in the coming months, we’ll be scrubbing up our selection process per our new Brand Rating System. This system extends our search across a range of eco-related criteria including climate impact and chemical use. You can learn all the details here.
We independently research all featured brands and we ask them to confirm their claims. In many cases we personally review recommended products. This post contains affiliate links which means we may earn a commission if you buy something. Learn more here.
Our Favorite Sustainable Dishwasher Detergents
We’re big fans of Blueland’s Dishwasher Starter Kit, which makes it easy to clean up, thanks to PLA-free tablets and a handy, refillable tin for storing them. We found the tablets effective even on short cycles and the compostable refill packs keep everything low-waste.
Keep your dishwasher detergent eco-friendly and phosphate-free with VOYA’s dishwashing strips. They are easy to use and effective, and they’re also light and easy to store.
Index: Environmentally Friendly Dishwasher Detergents
- etee Jump to brand
- Blueland Jump to brand
- Cleancult Jump to brand
- Dropps Jump to brand
- VOYA Jump to brand
- EcoLeaf Jump to brand
- Zero Co Jump to brand
etee
etee’s Dishwasher Detergents
Price Range: $12
etee’s eco-friendly dishwashing soap will help you achieve sparkling clean dishes and a home free of plastic. While they offer various solid and liquid dish soap options, only one is designed for your dishwasher.
The Concentrated Dishwasher Detergent is a baking-soda based biodegradable dish soap that’s formulated with septic-safe, non-toxic ingredients. These don’t include synthetic fragrances, foaming agents, palm oil, unnatural preservatives, dyes, sulfates, phthalates, parabens, or plastic of any kind—thanks to its compostable paper bag packaging.
About etee
etee is 100% zero waste resource for everything you might need to care for your home and self—from toothpaste to loofah alternatives (for when you need to hand scrub your dishes).
Everything etee offers is made through an ethical and traceable supply chain, including their renewable energy powdered factory. They give back whenever possible to organizations like Hue Man Race, which raises awareness of race inequality, breed positivity, and love for one another.
Blueland
Blueland’s Dishwasher Detergent
Price Range: $21–$45
Set your dishwashing routine free from artificial fragrances, bleach, dyes, ammonia, VOCs, parabens, phthalates, petroleum, and plastic with Blueland.
Begin with the Dishwasher Starter Set, which includes a handy reusable container, then refill it via compostable paper refill packs when you run out (or subscribe, so you don’t forget!). Despite their convenient tablet form, we love that they don’t include a PVA wrapper, which means they’re some of the most environmentally friendly dishwasher detergent tablets around.
About Blueland
Blueland offers a range of household cleaners, all of which are Cradle to Cradle, Leaping Bunny, USDA BioPreferred, EPA Safer Choice, and MADE SAFE certified, along with containing EWG verified ingredients. They’re also a Certified B Corp, Climate Neutral certified, and give back via organizations such as Lonely Whale and DIGDEEP.
Because they specialize in refillable cleaning products (AKA water-free and zero waste), they’re helped divert over 500 million plastic cleaning bottles and 30 million square feet of plastic packaging from landfills.
My Personal Review of Blueland’s Dishwasher Tablets:
“Given my long history of loving this brand, I wasn’t surprised when I tested these cruelty-free tablets and found them an effective and worthy addition to my cleaning cabinet, already lined with Blueland products. They’re super easy to use and leave dishes residue-free. Plus, the fact that they’re the ONLY PVA-free tablet on the market is a huge bonus. I often make my own DIY dish tablets, but when life gets really busy, I always make sure to have some of these on hand in case I don’t have time to make more.
Even running the shortest cycle our dishwasher allows, there’s never been an issue with stuck-on food or grimy film left on dishes after using Blueland’s tablets.”
Review by Amber McDaniel, SJ’s Head of Content
Cleancult
Cleancult’s Dishwasher Detergents
Price Range: $19
Switch out your bad plastic habit and adopt a cleaner refill ritual with the help of Cleancult‘s tablets made from coconut surfactants wrapped in a dissolvable film, though we’re not 100% certain whether this film is PVA or not. We’ve reached out to check. Otherwise, you’ll find no dyes, SLS/SLES, phosphates, or parabens in their 100% recyclable paper packaging.
About Cleancult
Cleancult came about when co-founder Ryan had a light-bulb moment regarding all the harmful chemicals in so many everyday household cleaners. He decided to create clean formulas with recyclable cardboard refill cartons designed to fill the same jars or bottles over and over.
Aside from preventing plastic waste themselves, they have several impact projects directly tackling that which already exists in the environment, earning a Plastic Neutral certification through rePurpose Global. Their goal is to channel at least 50 million pounds of flexible plastic waste into recycling over the next 10 years. They’re also Leaping Bunny certified and members of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition.
Dropps
Dropps’ Dishwasher Soap
Price Range: $19
Thanks to plant-based enzymes and oxygen bleach, Dropps’ offers the perfect detergent for hard and soft wash alike. These convenient dishwasher detergent pods cut through your stuck-on food and grease using natural, mineral-based ingredients that will give your dishes a lemony zing without any hormone disrupting synthetic fragrances.
They’re also free of chlorine, phosphates, and phthalates, but are wrapped in a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) dissolvable membrane.
About Dropps
Dropps’ eco-cleaning journey started with laundry detergent pods. Now, in addition to adding dishwashing solutions to the menu, the company supplies eco-friendly fabric softener, oxi booster, dish spray, and hand soap.
Just like their transparent dishwasher detergent pods, this Certified B Corp is committed to sustainability, celebrating simplicity and transparency of ingredients. Carbon-neutral shipping is thanks to their offsetting partnership with Clearloop.
VOYA
VOYA’s Dishwasher Detergent
Price Range: $14–20
Anyone on a low waste living voyage should consider VOYA’s unique take on an alternative for dishwasher soap.
It’s not tablets, powder, or liquid but dishwashing strips you place in the top rack of the dishwasher. These soap papers are formulated with just ten plant and mineral-based ingredients that won’t harm your septic system. While VOYA makes phosphate, benzene, SLS/SLES, fragrance, fluorescent, and bleach-free dishwasher detergent, they aren’t technically plastic-free, because the papers contain PLA.
You can also use the green dishwashing detergent sheets to wash your dishes by hand if you prefer. Use half a sheet for handwashing dishes or a whole sheet for one dishwasher load.
About VOYA
VOYA is a Canadian laundry and dish soap brand whose goal is to do something about ocean plastic. Aside from the dishwasher detergents and laundry detergent sheets being dissolvable paper themselves, the strips are delivered to your door in compostable kraft paper packaging.
We’re still trying to touch base with VOYA regarding their ingredient sourcing policies.
My Personal Review Of VOYA’s Dishwasher Detergent:
“You can use these dishwashing detergent sheets in either the dishwasher or to wash by hand. Use half a sheet for handwashing dishes or a whole sheet for one dishwasher load. I’ve tested these strips both ways and can confirm they work either way, but because I only hand wash a dish or two at a time since I wash as I go (as opposed to letting dishes pile into a whole sink), I find it more efficient to reserve these for the dishwasher.”
Review by Amber McDaniel, SJ’s Head of Content
EcoLeaf
Ecoleaf’s Dishwasher Tablets
Price Range: £6–£34
With UK brand Ecoleaf, you can expect eco-friendly dishwasher detergent that works. That means sparking clean glasses and dishes thanks to the powerful cleaning action, built-in rinse aid, and degreasing agents sustainably sourced from plants.
These pods do not contain phosphates, parabens, triclosan, phthalates, SLS, or synthetic fragrances, but they do include RSPO-certified palm oil. Each tablet is encased in a soluble PVA wrapper that biodegrades in the water.
About Ecoleaf
Suma’s Ecoleaf offers a range of safe, and effective cleaning products, all of which are Vegan Society vegan and Leaping Bunny cruelty-free. The entire range is sourced from plant extracts and other non-hazardous, biodegradable ingredients in recyclable plastic or cardboard packaging.
If you’re a London local, check out list of zero waste shops in London for opportunities to buy Ecoleaf products without packaging.
Zero Co
Zero Co’s Dishwasher Detergents
Price Range: $30–$33
Zero Co is an Australian eco-friendly cleaning product brand that uses a plant and mineral-based formula to deliver outstanding cleaning results.
In addition to beet and bentonite clay-bound tablets, they also offer eco-friendly liquid dishwasher detergent, making the plastic jug circular via their refill program! When you first buy the product, it comes in a forever bottle made from 50% recycled and ocean plastic. The next time, you only need to buy the refillable pouch made from up to 40% recycled materials. Send this packaging back and it’ll be refilled.
Both eco-friendly dishwasher detergents are free of phosphates, bleach, and synthetic dyes and fragrances, but the liquid contains palm oil, some of which may not be sustainably sourced per their RSPO MB certification.
About Zero Co
Zero Co’s aim is to stop a total of 3 million water bottles worth of plastic going to landfill and it’s already far exceeded expectations with its launch of The Great Australian Plastic Purge. Zero Co also organizes regular local cleanups, through which they’ve cleaned over 6,000kg of plastic from the ocean.
Each one of their laundry detergents, household cleaners, and personal care products are vegan and cruelty-free. Get the full low down on this low waste company by listening to our podcast interview with their founder.
DIY Eco-Friendly Dishwasher Detergents
We’ve actually written a whole guide on homemade dishwasher detergent recipes. So if you want to be entirely plastic and waste free, time to get your hands dirty (and your dishes clean).
For the TLDR, here’s our DIY dish detergent pods recipe:
- Combine Epsom salt, borax, and washing soda in a medium sized bowl.
- Add lemon juice and stir well.
- Pop the mixture into ice cube trays or some other reusable mold and let dry overnight.
Another option is to mix baking soda, borax, white vinegar, Epsom salt, and essential oils into a mold.
Once the tablets are dry, remove them from the mold and store in an airtight container until you’re ready to use them to keep your dishes sparkling clean.
