7 Best Non-toxic Dishwasher Detergents

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Non-toxic dishwasher detergent has come a long way! There are so many great brands out there! Clean dishes are an absolute must though! Check out my best non-toxic dishwasher detergent favorites!

 Looking for the best dishwasher detergent? I got you! Dishwashing detergents are one of those items that usually get put last on the list or forgotten about when trying to switch over to a more non-toxic regimen for your home. Dishwashing detergent should be an item to prioritize, however, because if you think about it, dishwasher detergent is washing the plates, silverware, and drinkware that comes into contact with our mouths daily, and there are a lot of toxic chemicals unfortunately. This blog post will show you the best non-toxic dishwasher detergents that are good for our health and clean your dishes as well.

Affiliate Disclosure: I do have affiliate links in this blog post along with Amazon associate affiliate links. If you purchase something from my link, I will receive a small commission from the sale.  This comes at no cost to you, but is paid by the company.  I do not take becoming an affiliate with any company lightly.  If I am, it’s because I believe in the company and their product. 

*Taylor(The Clean Living Nurse) is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

*These prices are accurate as of this blog post, there may be some updates to the prices as time goes along

The problem with traditional detergents

Unfortunately, just like most conventional products we use every day in our homes, dishwasher detergents contain harmful ingredients we don’t want to be using every day in our homes. Not only are these ingredients not great for human health, but they aren’t good for the environmental impact either. If we care about the ingredients in our personal care products, we should look for the best natural  Let’s take a look at the ingredients found in conventional dishwasher detergents:

1. Phosphates: While effective for cleaning, phosphates can contribute to water pollution and algae blooms in lakes and rivers, so many jurisdictions restrict their use.
2. Chlorine bleach: This can be harsh on the environment and can release toxic fumes if mixed with certain other chemicals.
3. Sodium hydroxide (lye): Highly caustic, it can cause severe burns if it comes into contact with skin or eyes.
4. Phthalates: Used as a fragrance carrier, phthalates have been linked to various health concerns, including hormonal disruptions.
5. Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS): While not necessarily toxic, SLS can cause skin irritation in some individuals.
6. Artificial colors and synthetic fragrances: These can contain a variety of undisclosed chemicals that may be harmful or irritating.
7. Formaldehyde: Some dishwasher detergents may contain formaldehyde-releasing compounds, which are known carcinogens.
8. Petroleum-based surfactants: These can persist in the environment and may contain impurities that are harmful to aquatic life

What are the best non-toxic dishwasher detergents?

I will list my recommendations from most favorite to least favorite! These are all good options for non-toxic quality though.

Truly Free– this company is really taking over the non-toxic living scene! I am loving all of their products! As their name implies, their products are “Truly Free” of harsh chemicals! All of their products are super high-performing as well. 

Truly Free Dishwasher detergent is:

Powerful Cleaning: Tackles the toughest grease and burnt-on food.Safe & Non-Toxic: No harmful chemicals, safe for your family and the environment.

Eco-Friendly: Biodegradable and phosphate-free.

Spotless & Shiny Dishes: Natural Anti-spotting and anti-filming ingredients for perfect results.

Natural Ingredients: Contains enzymes that safely break down stains to avoid food re-depositing on dishes

Coconut-Derived Cleaning Ingredients: Includes Lauryl Alcohol for enhanced cleaning.

You can use my code: CLEANLIVINGNURSE for 30% off your purchase. This brings 50 loads to $17.46 or $0.34 per load.

You can also get Truly Free on Amazon for $13.46 for 25 loads. It is more expensive on Amazon

Blueland dishwasher tablets– this company was most recently recommended to me to try out! I had not heard of them, but recently I have seen them all over the place landing top picks for non-toxic cleaning products! I love the mission of this brand, as it was founded by a mother whose mission was to create products for household cleaning items that didn’t utilize single-use plastics. All of their products are plastic-free and made to be used as refills and don’t require you to throw anything away. You purchase a “starter bundle” and then just order refills.

For their dishwasher detergent, you order the “starter pack” and it comes with a tin(super cute by the way) that stores the dishwasher detergent tablets. These tables aren’t wrapped in plastic as most tablets are. The world is starting to become more aware of our obsessive use as a culture for single-use plastic and how it is affecting our health and the planet with micro-plastics. They are the only plastic-free dishwasher pods around that I have tried!
After you run out of tablets, just simply place a refill order for the tablets! I love that they are:

1. Plastic-free
2. Effective! My dishes come out completely clean! (This is hard to say about a lot of non-toxic dishwasher detergents)
3. Easy to use- just drop a tablet into the rinse aid dispenser and run as normal
4. Clean ingredients- ingredients are plant-based ingredients and mineral based
5.  free from phosphates, dyes, 
6. fragrances, and preservatives.

Cost: A starter pack with tin and 60 tablets is $29.99 or $0.50 per use

         Refills are $23.99 for a pack of 60 tablets or $0.40 per use

Molly’s Suds– if you have been on my page any amount of time, you know that my love for Molly’s Suds runs deep! All of their products are amazing including their laundry detergent! Their dishwasher detergent is no different! It is super powerful, cleans amazing and has a lovely, light natural fragrance from essential oils derived from plants. They also have unscented options as well. 

They use super clean, safe ingredients, the only downfall is that they still use recyclable plastic to coat the pods. The company states that they try their best with the plastic packaging they use and use glass when they can, it just isn’t sustainable with their current ways of packaging to completely eliminate it. They are also much more cost effective than the blueland brand. 

• Earth-derived formula with plant-powered active ingredients
• Convenient to use- pop the pod in the dish tab area and it will do its magic!
• Sparkling clean without harsh chemicals-effective with both hard and soft water

Cost: 60 count of pods $18.99 or $0.32 per use

         120 count of pods for $33.24 or $0.28 per use

Ecover Zero– I like this brand alot because you can find it on Amazon and in stores such as Natural Grocers. This brand makes powder dishwasher detergent and tab detergent. I have used both and both work really well! I like to use the powder formula now, as the tablets still utilize single-use plastic. Our dishes come out sparkly clean each time!

They use:

• Biodegradable phosphate-free formula
• Renewable plant-based and mineral ingredients
• 0% Fragrance, dyes or chlorine

Cost: $14.81 for 48 oz. or $0.31 per use

Dirty Labs– this is another newer non-toxic brand out there, and I like it! It comes in a container with a cute little wooden spoon measuring tool. I like that it is in powder form, so no plastic being used. This is one of the most expensive brands, however. It is free and clear of fragrance.

This brand:

ultra-concentrated 2-in-1 powder formula is designed with the most advanced bio enzymes and biobased ingredients to break down tough messes and stubborn stuck-on food — without the harsh chemicals. Our dishwasher detergent is optimized for quick wash cycles and delivers a brilliant spot-free finish in less time.

The packaging is made of recyclable cardboard. The scoop is made from responsibly sourced schima superba wood. The ingredients are responsibly sourced and created through bio renewable manufacturing processes. 

I like that it is ultra-concentrated without the toxic junk. 

Cost: $20  for 48 loads 

Seventh Generation– this brand is also a good brand you can get on Amazon or find at stores like Target. They are dish packs and they state that they use 90% plastic-free packaging. 

They are:

• Free of Dyes, phosphates and chlorine bleach
• USDA Certified Biobased Product, 79 percent

7th Generation can sometimes get a bad rap for “greenwashing” which means they promote their products as clean and non-toxic, but some of their ingredients might be iffy. This dishwasher detergent however does have an “A” rating on EWG meaning it meets the highest standards for non-toxic ingredients.

Cost: Roughly $29 for 90 tabs

If You Care– I like this brand in general because I like its eco-friendly quality. This wasn’t the top performer though, as it left about ¼ of a tab left in the dishwasher soap compartment after cleaning. The dishes still felt and looked pretty clean, but I didn’t like that there was leftover product. This tablet is wrapped in a type of plastic, but it is water soluble and dissolves quickly according to the company. 

They are:

• Use natural enzymes to scrub dishes clean
• No phosphates or chlorine leaking into the water supply
• Film wrapper is PVA water soluble biodegradable 

As I said, these weren’t my favorite, as they left some residue but we do have hard water, so that might have been the issue.

Cost: Roughly $8.50 for a pack of 40

Branch Basics– ok I REALLY wanted to love this product, mostly because I absolutely love and adore Branch Basics’ mission and I have used their cleaner for over 6 years now. However, this was literally the worst dishwasher detergent I have used. It left an odd film and water spots over the dishes, and it never fully dissolved. I would open the dishwasher up at the end of the cycle and half the tab would still be there. Our water hardness may have something to do with it, but I didn’t have any big issues with other products.

I know they have received this complaint a lot and I know they are trying to work on a better formulation for this. They have a great idea, it just didn’t work as it was supposed to for me. 

What is the safest dishwasher detergent to use?

As you can see, there are some great options out there, but I would say the best non-toxic dishwasher detergent and safest is Truly Free or Blueland per my personal preference. However, there are so many safe detergent options out there! Again, be sure to use my discount code of CLEANLIVINGNURSE for 30% off for Truly Free

Is ECOS dishwasher detergent non-toxic?

 Yes, I think ECOS is also a great non-toxic dishwasher detergent brand

I hope this review was helpful, let me know in the comments if you try any of them! If you are interested check out my post on the best non-toxic dish soaps!