These great dish soaps cut right through grease and grime.
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When it comes to versatile cleaning products, the Good Housekeeping Institute Cleaning Lab has determined that it is hard to beat dish soap. While that may sound odd, it is one of the only products that is gentle enough to be used in a variety of capacities without damaging different materials or surfaces. That said, it is still definitely strong enough to get the grease-busting job done. It can be called upon for stain removal on laundry items, ridding your kitchen of pesky fruit flies, removing greasy buildup on a variety of household items and more. Oh, and it can clean your dirty dishes, too!
In the Cleaning Lab, we've tested dozens of dish soaps in our 120-year history. To test each one, we have multiple testers wash dishes to ensure the soap performs well across different personal cleaning styles. We smear identical stacks of dinner plates with the same exact greasy soil mix and then allow them to dry for two hours. From there, we use temperature-regulated water and the same amount of dish soap on each dish. We also take viscosity, ingredients, labeling and ease of use into account for each dish soap.
Below, you'll find our top picks based on expert testing and stand-out test results. After our picks, we break down some other smart uses for dish soaps around the house as well as what to consider when shopping for dish soap.
Dawn cuts grease and cleans so well that it's the budget-friendly gold standard we hold others to in our tests. In fact, you'll likely find a bottle at each sink in our GH Test Kitchen and Kitchen Appliances Lab, too. Dawn produces lots of long-lasting suds and holds grease in suspension so it doesn't redeposit back onto dishes. It's great for soaking and softening burned-on messes, and it takes only a little squirt to clean a big pile of dirty dishes. And it makes a handy grease stain remover for clothing, too.
Plant-based cleaners are getting better all the time, and this Seventh Generation Dish Liquid proves that "green" products can clean. It was a winner — washing the most dishes before we ran out of suds — in our test of free and clear plant-based dish liquids. This formula contains no fragrances or dyes, is EPA Safer Choice certified and biodegradable, and the bottle — including the cap — is made from post-consumer recycled plastic.
Who says washing dishes has to be hard work? Caldrea was a winner in our test of best pampering dish liquids — dish liquids with skin-softening ingredients or luscious aromatherapy scents that make the task of washing dishes more pleasant — for its amazing scent and how well it cleaned. A little went a long way in our tests and we loved the use of essential oils in all nine scent varieties. A consumer tester told us, "The scent was my favorite part. It left a lasting fresh scent, even after the dishes were washed." Plus, you can get countertop spray and linen spray in the same fragrances to give your home its own signature scent.
Of course, dish soap's primary job is to remove food and grime from dishes and cookware, but because many people don't wear rubber gloves dish soap can have a drying effect on skin. And good cleaning shouldn't come at the expense of your hands. In our test, Dawn Gentle Clean was less drying to the skin than others we tested, and it still did a great job cutting grease. Some testers reported that their hands felt softer, too, after using it.
This dish spray formula from 9 Elements contains vinegar to help battle the hard water deposits that often appear on glassware and plastics, especially after air drying. We liked the fine dispensing mist that provided good coverage with just one squirt, and we were pleased with how well it cuts through grease. A tester on our consumer panel praised it for "being better at cutting baked-on residue, especially tomato sauce, than my regular detergent." The scent is lemony, not vinegary, and when the bottle is empty, just transfer the same sprayer top to a new refill bottle.
Not only does this dish soap spray out as a thick, clingy foam, but it also has serious grease-cutting powers. We recently put it to the test on a skillet we used to fry a hamburger and we deliberately burned on the grease. We found that it cut grease so well, all we had to do was wipe the pan and rinse it clean. And because it dispenses as a thick foam, a few quick spritzes are all you need to clean multiple dishes, glasses and flatware, so unlike other runny sprays, a little goes a long way. It comes in two scents — Mandarin orange and Honeycrisp apple — and is both EPA Safer Choice certified and a USDA Certified 79% Biobased Product. While we enjoyed the fruity scents, not all of our consumer testers did.
The first dish spray to come to market, Dawn Powerwash set the bar high. With its innovative formula and concentrated spray, it blasted through dried and burned-on hamburger grease on our test skillets like nothing we'd ever seen. And because it's a spray, it reaches and clings to the hard-to-clean corners of square and rectangular casseroles where greasy residue builds up over time. But don't stop at the kitchen, Dawn Powerwash tackles greasy and charred grill and smoker grates with ease. It's so effective and versatile that it was a shoo-in to earn our Good Housekeeping Seal.
L'Avant Collective's eye-catching bottle looks great on the counter, but this dish soap has more to offer than its good looks. We found that it cuts grease very well while producing lots of rich, silky, thick, long-lasting suds. The ingredients are plant-based, and it's enhanced with a subtle fresh linen scent that's not overpowering. The glass bottle can be reused, and refills come in a pouch to help reduce plastic waste. While it is expensive, you can save by signing up for a subscription.
This is the same Dawn dish soap that earned our best overall pick in a unique bottle that keeps itself and your counter mess-free. The soap dispenses from the bottom through a no-drip valve. Just remove the seal and squeeze; there's no cap to open, and we found that whether you leave it on your counter or tuck it in a cabinet below the sink, it won't leak. One of our consumer testers said, "I loved the EZ-Squeeze bottle. It made it easier to put [soap] on the sponge, especially if my hands were wet!"
To test liquid dish soaps in the Good Housekeeping Institute Cleaning Lab, we smear stacks of identical dinner plates with our standard "greasy" soil mix made with canned spinach, green beans, mayonnaise and solid shortening. In our last tests of pampering and plant-based free and clear dish soaps, we stained 990 plates! It's yucky, but after the smear dries for two hours, we don our rubber gloves and start washing. We also control the temperature and amount of water we add to the basin and the amount of dish soap we whisk in for a precise period of time, as pictured below. We also assess how easy each soap is to dispense, as well as the ingredients and the labeling.
Each soap is tested by at least three testers because each person washes dishes differently, and we use the same three testers for each dish soap. We count how many plates they wash and average the results. We note the volume of suds when we start and how many dishes each tester can wash before the suds "break" or flatten out — or when the water gets too dirty to do any more cleaning. We also use repeatable methods to assess the soap's viscosity or thickness and how well each detergent disperses a measured amount of oil. We even use the dish soaps to clean up around the Lab when we test items like cookware and dishwashers. Finally, we give samples to consumer testers in unmarked bottles to use at home and report back.
✔ Ingredients: Look for formulas with robust cleaning ingredients — whether plant-based or synthetic — listed at the top of the ingredient list. The most common and most effective is sodium lauryl sulfate: We've found dish soaps without this ingredient usually don't clean as well. If you're not a rubber glove wearer, check for ingredients like aloe or other moisturizers for extra mildness on sensitive skin and hands.
✔ Concentration: Ultra formulas are more concentrated than non-ultra versions, and while they may cost a bit more upfront, they allow you to use less than non-ultra formulas to get the same results. And if you're careful with your usage, they'll actually last longer.
✔ Scent: Scent is the new darling of dish soaps. So many high-end brands are incorporating amazing scent profiles that it's taking dishwashing from a chore to an experience. Essential oils, seasonal combinations and relaxing aromas are all now available, but if you prefer no scent, there are plenty of unscented and clear versions more widely available now.
✔ Packaging: Sustainable packaging is the name of the game and dish soaps are definitely doing their part. Many offer refills that allow you to keep the original bottle or parts of it and buy only a refill when you run low.
Dish soap is not just for washing dishes. It is one of the most versatile household cleaning products you can buy. Because it is also one of the mildest products in the supermarket household cleaning aisle, it is safe to use on a wide variety of household surfaces and fabrics and can sub in for many traditional cleaning products.
Carolyn Forté has over 40 years of experience as a consumer cleaning product expert. She has tested virtually every type of dishwashing liquid and dishwasher detergent out there, along with sponges, scrubbers and more. And she's got lots of personal experience to rely on, too: Because it can take her two-person household several days to accumulate a full dishwasher load, she washes lots of dishes by hand.
Brittany Loggins most recently updated this story. She has tested hundreds of tech, home and beauty products over the course of her eight years as a journalist. She’s currently a full-time freelance journalist who contributes to GQ, Architectural Digest and The New York Times. Before moving into freelance, Brittany was a staff writer at TODAY.com and CBS News. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in consumer journalism from the University of Georgia.
Carolyn Forté brings more than 40 years of experience as a consumer products expert to her role as executive director of the Good Housekeeping Institute's Home Care and Cleaning Lab. Using deep analytical testing and writing expertise in appliances, cleaning, textiles and organizational products, she produces cleaning and home care advice for GH, has authored numerous books and bookazines for the brand and partners with the American Cleaning Institute to co-produce the Discover Cleaning Summits. She holds a bachelor's degree in family and consumer sciences from Queens College, City University of New York.
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