Many dish soaps work well either way, but some only work well one way. Those in the latter camp tend to list specific instructions on the label. We found this a bit limiting. We also docked Dish soaps if we frequently needed to add more when cleaning via the sponge method. Some products went a longer way than others.
Does it come in a variety of scents that are pleasing yet not overpowering? And is there an unscented option for scent-sensitive dish-doers?
For dish-doers that like scented soaps, there are a lot of alluring options out there. Personal preferences are, of course, highly subjective, so we liked soaps that offered a variety of choices. While we couldn’t test every scent made by every brand that we tested, we did pay attention to the smell of each soap, noting what we liked and didn’t. Products that had heavy chemical scents were immediately eliminated.
Is it easy to find and fairly priced?
Extra points went to widely available products with competitive price points.
Is it eco-friendly-ish?
Brands that go the distance for the planet while making our dishes sparkle got a boost.
Other liquid dish soaps we tested
Dawn Ultra Dishwashing Liquid
Dawn Ultra Dishwashing Liquid (known, unofficially, as “Original Dawn” or “Blue Dawn”) has a following of brand-loyal dish-doers for good reason. But like our top conventional pick, Dawn Platinum, the original Ultra formulation contains questionable ingredients. Plus, this one doesn’t quite clean as well as the Platinum.
Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day
We’re big fans of Mrs. Meyers Clean Day products. Many of us use the dish soap at home because we love the fresh garden-themed scents, like lemon verbena, geranium, mint, honeysuckle, lavender, basil. But the ingredient list is longer than other “natural” brands, and the consistency is runny compared to our top pick.
Everspring Lavender & Bergamot Liquid Dish Soap –
Like most products from this Target house brand, we found the Everspring dish soap to be just… fine. The scent is nice yet subtle, but like the hand soaps, the dish soap clogs at the spout with repeated use.
Grove Co. Lemon & Eucalyptus Liquid Dish Soap
We really loved the idea behind this sustainable dish soap from Grove Co., and we loved the lemon eucalyptus scent even more. Annoyingly, though, it’s hard to get everything you need from most major retailers so unless you buy a starter pack directly from Grove Co., you have to buy the refills (nicely packaged in aluminum) and the pump bottle/top separately.
Dr. Bronner’s Sal Suds Biodegradable Cleaner
Dr. Bronner’s Sal Suds Biodegradable Cleaner gained traction as an exceptional grease fighter with a remarkably squeaky-clean rinse and a strong spruce and fir scent. We prefer it more as an all-purpose cleaner, though, we plan to keep it by the sink in the winter months when the pine feels more seasonally appropriate.
Planet Ultra Dish Liquid
Planet Ultra, a coconut-oil-based, limited-ingredient, fragrance-free, biodegradable soap that’s tough on dishes and also safe for use as both a fruit and veg wash and pet shampoo, won us (and its many Amazon fans) over for its extremely gentle formula. But while it’s a great choice for dish-tub/soak-style cleaning, it’s less effective when used on a sponge. You’ll get clean dishes eventually, but you’ll have to work harder for them.
Puracy
Another not-so-effective brand was Puracy, one of the few, if only, sulfate-free dish soaps (which can be good for people with allergies or sensitive skin). Made by an Austin, Texas–based company that prides itself on environmental and community give back, but its product was not nearly as tough a cleaner as our top-tier picks above. (Plus: It’s pricey.)
Ecover’s Pink Geranium Liquid Dish Soap
Ecover’s Pink Geranium Liquid Dish Soap smells lovely and is biodegradable and nontoxic; it’s also a less effective dish soap (requiring frequent sponge reload) and is very pricey for a dish cleaning product.
ECOS Dishmate Dish Liquid
ECOS Dishmate Dish Liquid disappointed both in smell (there was nothing carrottop-like about the carrottop scent) and performance; the biodegradable/hypoallergenic/dye-, paraben-, phosphate-, and phthalate-free formula was gloppy and didn’t live up to its “a little goes a long way” promise.
Thrive Market Dish Soap
Thrive Market Dish Soap had a pleasing light lavender scent, but it is pricey, isn’t great at fighting grease, and has a sticky/tacky consistency that requires extra scrubbing power to work as an effective cleaner. You’ll also need a Thrive Market membership to get it.
Method Dish Soap
We found Method Dish Soap overly perfumed, and the pump-style dispenser was unnecessarily complicated and leaky.
Ajax Ultra Super Degreaser
The Ajax Ultra Super Degreaser (Lemon) didn’t cut grease as well as many of our other conventional contenders, and while the label boasts “100% real citrus extract,” that is preceded by a small “with,” and the soap still smells like chemicals.
Joy Ultra (Lemon)
Joy Ultra (Lemon) is a bright budget option. Unfortunately, it’s also egregiously chemical-y scented.
Palmolive Ultra Strength Liquid Dish Soap
Palmolive Ultra Strength Liquid Dish Soap is also highly scented (though, it is safe to use as hand soap).
Gain Ultra
Gain Ultra is yet another dish soap that’s egregiously chemical-y scented. Perhaps that “Aroma Boost” isn’t really necessary?
Clorox Ultra Concentrated
And last but not least is egregiously chemical-y scented Clorox’s Ultra Concentrated Dish Soap.
Keep cleaning with the best dishwasher detergent and the best dish soaps for hand-washing.