The Best Dish Soaps of 2024 for Squeaky-Clean Dishes, Tested
Hello, my friend, hello again; today we come together to talk about The Best Dish Soaps of 2024 for Squeaky-Clean Dishes, Tested and hope the blog can help you.
These dishwashing liquids are designed to cut through grime to save you time, water, and elbow grease.
Doing the dishes may be a part of life, but a good dish soap can make a mundane ritual a lot more enjoyable, not to mention more efficient. The best dish soaps have high-quality biodegradable ingredients that don’t irritate the skin or leave behind residue on plates. They also help remove grease, grime, starches, and protein without excessive scrubbing. But with so many options on the market, it’s hard to know which dish soap is best.
I recently spent 20 hours testing 10 different dish soaps—from unscented dish soap to spray soap and even a bar soap meant to reduce plastic waste—to see how they held up against grease, protein, and starchy messes. My favorite overall was the Seventh Generation Free & Clear Dish Soap. It got the highest marks on all of the tests I performed, and it is one of the more eco-friendly dish soap options out there. Read on to learn how the best dish soaps on the market fared in our hands-on testing.
- BEST OVERALL: Seventh Generation Free & Clear Dish Soap
↓ Jump to Review - RUNNER-UP: Palmolive Ultra Pure + Clear Dish Soap
↓ Jump to Review - BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK: Dawn Ultra Original Dishwashing Liquid
↓ Jump to Review - BEST SPRAY: Seventh Generation Foaming Dish Spray
↓ Jump to Review - BEST ECO-FRIENDLY: Ecos Hypoallergenic Plant Powered Dish Soap
↓ Jump to Review - BEST BAR: Simplut Zero Waste Natural Solid Dish Soap Bar
↓ Jump to Review - BEST HEAVY-DUTY: Ajax Ultra Triple Action Orange Dish Soap
↓ Jump to Review - HONORABLE MENTION: Dawn Apple Scent Platinum Plus Powerwash Dish Spray
↓ Jump to Review - ALSO CONSIDER: Method Dish Soap
↓ Jump to Review
Before You Buy a Dish Soap
Before you purchase a new bottle (or bar) of dish soap, it’s important to consider effectiveness, cost, and lifestyle. Spray dish soaps can be convenient, but they may be impractical when washing in large quantities. A bar of dish soap can reduce plastic consumption, but it may not work on caked-on messes. Plant-based and biodegradable dish soaps break down faster, leaving behind less residue or harmful additives in water and soil, and are easier on septic systems. Dish soaps have other uses beyond dishes as well. They can be used as general cleaners or pest control in the garden.
Additives and fragrances may also be a factor. While fragrance preference is subjective, I’ve noted in this guide which products have stronger fragrances, as this may be a concern for some shoppers. In addition, potentially harmful ingredients, including phthalates, are typically included during the fragrancing process. Phthalates can cause reactions in some individuals, including skin irritation and respiratory issues. Opting for a fragrance-free dish soap can help reduce exposure to these additives. Phosphates can be found in many household products and food in both natural and synthetic forms, and studies have found exposure to phosphates can contribute to health problems, including kidney disease. Many products state that they are phosphate-free. Sodium lauryl sulfate, or SLS, is a foaming agent and common ingredient in dish soap. It may be synthetic or plant derived, but in both forms, it is known to irritate skin and cause an allergic reaction in some individuals.
How We Tested the Best Dish Soaps
I performed four tests with each of the dish soaps: oil, starch, protein (egg), and general household use. For each test, I noted how effective each soap was on the stains (on a scale of 1 to 5). I used warm water to evaluate the performance of each soap. I also noted residue after rinsing. Other evaluating factors included additives, fragrances, biodegradability, cost, and versatility of use.
| Testing Stats | |
| Products tested: | 10 |
| Hours spent testing: | 20 |
| Tests performed: | 4 |
| Price range: | $3 to $20 |
Our Top Picks
Dish soap that requires more soap to get the job done is a waste of money, and soaps that are hard to rinse are a waste of water. Here are our top picks based on performance and value, keeping resources like budget and water consumption in mind.
Best Overall
Seventh Generation Free & Clear Dish Soap
Photo: Amazon
Our Ratings: Cleaning Power 4.5/5; Scent 5/5; Value 5/5
Product Specs
- Ingredients: Plant-based, biodegradable, phosphate-free
- Scent: Fragrance-free
- Dispensed by: Squirt-top bottle
What We Like
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Safer Choice certified for less harmful ingredients
- Bottle is made from 100 percent recycled plastic
- Fragrance-free and dye-free
- Effective on oil, starch, and protein messes
- Biodegradable and safe for septics
What We Don’t Like
- Contains plant-derived SLS
During testing, Seventh Generation Free & Clear performed better than every other dish soap on this list. In general household tests, a few drops got high suds in the sink and left everything clean with no fragrance or residue behind. In addition, the company has been certified by the EPA as a Safer Choice product, which means it contains no harmful ingredients for humans or the planet.
Get Seventh Generation Free & Clear dish soap at Amazon, Walmart, or Target.
Runner-Up
Palmolive Ultra Pure + Clear Dish Soap
Photo: Amazon
Our Ratings: Cleaning Power 4.5/5; Scent 5/5; Value 5/5
Product Specs
- Ingredients: Biodegradable, phosphate-free
- Scent: Fragrance-free
- Dispensed by: Squirt-top bottle
What We Like
- U.S. EPA Safer Choice certified for less harmful ingredients
- Fragrance-free, dye-free, and hypoallergenic
- Effective on oil, starch, and protein messes
- Bottle made from 100 percent recycled plastic
What We Don’t Like
- Contains SLS
It was a close call between the Seventh Generation Free & Clear and Palmolive Ultra Pure + Clear dish soap. The Palmolive dish soap was effective on all stains and had a light, pleasant fragrance (though it is still technically fragrance-free). The packaging is recycled plastic, and it offers many similarities to the Seventh Generation product. It is also Safer Choice certified. Two fragrance versions are also certified as Safer Choice. With such a close race, this product was edged out only by the fact that the Seventh Generation formula contains all plant-based ingredients, which can biodegrade more effectively and cause less harm to aquatic plants and animals. Overall, it’s a great pick and a good alternative for devotees of the bright green Palmolive dish soap.
Get Palmolive dish soap at Amazon, Walmart, or Target.
Best Bang for the Buck
Dawn Ultra Original Dishwashing Liquid
Photo: Amazon
Our Ratings: Cleaning Power 4.3/5; Scent 3/5; Value 4.5/5
Product Specs
- Ingredients: Biodegradable surfactants, phosphate-free
- Scent: Original
- Dispensed by: Squirt-top bottle
What We Like
- Effective on all stains
- Concentrated product is a bonus to the budget
- Used by International Bird Rescue to clean up birds after oil spills
What We Don’t Like
- Contains SLS and dyes
- May contain potential allergens and skin irritants
While Dawn was a steady performer in all of the tests, it got our Best Bang for the Buck award because this product truly is a concentrate. A drop or two creates a sudsy sinkful of water that stays sudsy after washing. For this reason, it reduces the amount of product needed and slows down overall consumption. Dawn does make nonconcentrate versions, so be aware when purchasing what the exact product is. In addition, Dawn does make a Free & Clear version, though I did not test it specifically.
Get Dawn Ultra dish soap at Amazon (3-pack), Walmart, or Target.
Best Spray
Seventh Generation Foaming Dish Spray
Photo: Amazon
Our Ratings: Cleaning Power 4.3/5; Scent 5/5; Value 4.5/5
Product Specs
- Ingredients: Biodegradable
- Scent: Mandarin orange
- Dispensed by: Spray bottle
What We Like
- U.S. EPA Safer Choice certified for less harmful ingredients
- Easy to use; versatile and can be used countertops and other surfaces
- Uses less water than traditional dishwashing liquid
- Refillable bottle reduces single-use plastic
What We Don’t Like
- More expensive than liquid soap
- Bottle is not made of recycled plastic
Foaming spray dish soaps are a popular new alternative to traditional liquid soaps and claim to help reduce water consumption. In my test of the Seventh Generation foaming dish spray, I found that, in a side-by-side comparison to the brand’s liquid dish soap, it held up well against oil and starch but was slightly less effective on the protein. While the cost may be a deterrent to some, less product may be used in the long run because it is dispensed in a controlled manner, rather than free-form squirting of liquid soap. I opted to try the mandarin orange scent and did not find it overpowering; however, alternative scents include Free & Clear (fragrance-free) or Honeycrisp Apple.
This product may not be the answer for those looking to reduce their plastic consumption. Though it comes with two refills and one spray bottle, and consumers are encouraged to reuse the sprayer tip, the bottle itself is not made from recycled plastic. The company states that both the bottle and the sprayer are recyclable.
Get Seventh Generation foaming dish soap at Amazon (3-pack), Walmart, or Target (in Honeycrisp Apple scent).
Best Eco-Friendly
Ecos Hypoallergenic Plant Powered Dish Soap
Photo: Amazon
Our Ratings: Cleaning Power 4.3/5; Scent 4/5; Value 4/5
Product Specs
- Ingredients: Plant-based, biodegradable, phthalate-free
- Scent: Grapefruit
- Dispensed by: Squirt-top bottle
What We Like
- Made in a Zero Waste facility—the company is carbon- and water-neutral
- U.S. EPA Safer Choice certified for less harmful ingredients
- Fragrance is very mild
- Effective cleaning of most surfaces
What We Don’t Like
- Not quite as effective as others on caked-on protein
- Bottle is not made of recycled plastic
During all of the tests, the Ecos dish soap efficiently lifted starch and grease and did a decent job on the protein mess. It has a very mild scent and is a nontoxic dish soap. As a bonus, my hands felt less dry after using this in a sink full of dishes than with other brands. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with how well this dish soap worked. I appreciated that it is a smaller company with a strong dedication to environmental stewardship, despite the nonrecycled plastic used for packaging.
Get Ecos dish soap at Amazon.
Best Bar
Simplut Zero Waste Natural Solid Dish Soap Bar
Photo: Amazon
Our Ratings: Cleaning Power 4.3/5; Scent 5/5; Value 4.5/5
Product Specs
- Ingredients: Plant-based; chemical-, palm oil- and dye-free
- Scent: Lemon
- Dispensed by: Bar
What We Like
- No plastic—including packaging
- Can also be used to clean fruits and vegetables
- Effective for cleanup and uses less water
- Excellent choice for camping or travel
What We Don’t Like
- Harder to presoak dishes
- Requires the use of a sponge or scrubbing tool
For those concerned about plastic consumption, a rising alternative to dishwashing liquid is the solid dishwashing bar. According to the box—which is made of paper—each bar can replace up to 2 to 3 bottles of liquid dish soap, though no specific ounces of liquid are specified. My box contained three bars, all of which look and feel just like a bar of soap. The lemon scent was very mild and pleasant.
To use, wet a sponge and rub it on the side of the bar of soap. I also used a dampened scrubber to create a bit more lather, but each time, the soap rinsed clean, leaving behind no residue.
When it came to the starch and protein, I lathered the sponge and squeezed the soap from the sponge into the water to presoak it. Not surprisingly, this did not create an abundance of suds. However, despite having to rethink how I used the soap, it performed well and even outperformed some traditional liquid dish soaps on the testing list. It does form a small film on the outside after use, which the manufacturer states is due to the cold-processing technique they use to make the soap—one which is supposed to help preserve the active natural ingredients. All in all, this soap surprised me with its effectiveness.