Best Dishwasher Detergent for Grease and Grime
Washing dishes can be stressful, with oil, grease, and stubborn food stains adding to the challenge—especially after hosting an epic dinner for friends. The process can feel overwhelming when you’re already tired from cooking and entertaining, leaving you with a daunting stack of dirty dishes.
No need to fret, we have checked out the best of the bunch. These cleaners are epic when it comes to cutting grime and removing grease. Different types of dishwasher detergents have different formulas. They contain different kinds and levels of enzymes and ingredients that can wipe off grime and grease from last night’s fab dinner.
Best Picks: Top Dishwasher Detergents for Cutting Grease
Maximize the effectiveness of your dishwasher with these cleaning products. So you don’t have to follow it up since every plate will come out grease and grime-free.
Cascade Platinum Plus Powder
- Formulated to help prevent hard water spots and filming to keep your machine looking fresh and clean
- Upgraded enzymes to break down dried, stuck-on food
- Cleans visible & invisible residue
- Phosphate Free, Safe for plumbing, safe for machines
Powder detergent might not be a popular option for dishwashers since it can tend to be dusty. And there is also the possibility of leaving white residue on your plates should you not be able to mix the concoction before you start stashing it into the dishwasher. If this is you, but you are looking for an effective option that can cut out the grease from last night’s stroganoff dinner, then Cascade might change your mind. Cascade might change the way you look at powder detergents. It can be more powerful than pods and gels that are proliferating in the market right now.
The key here is just to know how to use powder detergent, generally, the right way. It might be a bit different from how you prep your pods and gels, which can be a more convenient and faster option, though.
We particularly chose this variant since it can be more powerful in grease-cutting compared to the other powder variants the brand has.
This powder is actually heaven-sent for those who are too lazy or tired to clean their dishes before they retire for the night. If you really need to hit the sack and have an army of dishes waiting to be cleaned, you can go ahead and sleep. Rest assured, you won’t have a hard time removing the grime and grease from your dishes and plates left overnight in the kitchen sink. If you have burnt food in the pan or dried up sauce from last night’s bolognese dinner, you don’t need to pre-rinse the plates just to have them squeaky clean.
Cascade is very powerful and can cut grime and grease even from the most stubborn food, without the need for pre-soaking. Cascade contains upgraded enzymes and ingredients that minimize spotting and protect glassware from harmful etching, so glasses stay crystal clear, even for 24 hours. You can get them clean without spending the whole day scrubbing.
Watermarks ruining your glasses? This powder detergent has upgraded enzymes and ingredients that minimize spotting. These enzymes also help protect your expensive glasses from etching. So you always seem to have brand new glassware, even if you have not upgraded your kitchen yet.
And oh , it helps in drying dishes, so it’s like having a helper in your kitchen.
But it can come with a bit of a splurge. This powerful powder detergent can be one of the more expensive ones per load.
Finish Ultimate Dishwasher Detergent
This is a very convenient option that comes in pre-packaged forms that appeals to a lot of folks. If you don’t want to explore the powder detergent, you can wipe off grime and grease effectively.
Finish is quite exceptional in cleaning, even for dishes that have been set out for more than 24 hours. As you don’t need to pre-rinse the dishes and you will not have a hard time removing the grime and dirt. If you just had an epic dinner with loads of fat and oil, it can be a nightmare to clean. You have to scrub hard to ensure that no stubborn food residue is left behind. Now you can ease your worries and just get some sleep, and have everything clean when you have just about enough energy in the morning.
It can also get rid of burnt food that has stuck to the pans. It can leave dishes and plates squeaky clean. It is one of the dishwasher cleaners that we have tried that comes up with very shiny dishes and plates.
These are conveniently pre-packed just enough for a single load. That’s mess-free, and you don’t have to worry about portion control.
On the not-so-bright side, this can somehow leave a slightly stronger fragrance scent on your plates and glassware.
It can also lessen spotting, especially if you are using hard water in your kitchen. It can mess up your expensive glassware. The brand is notorious for this specific need.
Dawn Platinum Powerwash
Dawn comes in a convenient spray bottle that you can also use on other surfaces. It can be a very versatile bit that can help you keep your home clean and free from food grease should you accidentally spill food juices on the floor or on the dining table.
The spray bottle also conveniently allows for spot cleaning, and you want to target a specific area of the your cookware, say, burnt cheese from the side of the pan you made from making lasagna.
It excels in cutting out grease, and you do not need to spray a copious amount just to have the grimy surfaces cleaned spotless.
And since it can be a very versatile cleaner, it can replace some of your household cleaners you use for the counters, stoves, grills, and even stains on your laundry. It has chelants and high-alkaline ingredients that can deal with a smorgasbord of stains and grime without having to subject your arms to excessive scrubbing.
As for the caveats, it does leave a strong fragrance on your plates and kitchenware. And some have had a bit of hassle using the sprayer bottle. It’s random, though, and can be a bit of quality control.
Lemi Shine Dishwashing Liquid
You will adore this if you favor lemony citrus scent over powdery fragrances in your plates. We prefer the smell of citrus or lemon if you have cooked spaghetti marinara, baked salmon , and other fish and seafood dishes.
Lemon can be a powerful bit when it comes to dish cleaning. In the old days, sans the presence of more modern and convenient dishwasher pads and the machine itself, homemakers subject themselves to intensive scrubbing using baking soda and, yes, lemon peel and rinds.
Lemon is nature’s arsenal against grime, oil, and grease. But today, you do not have to subject yourself to such manual labor; you can harness the powerful citrus conveniently.
Lemi Shine is exceptional in removing grease and grime. It can also help remove the buildup of water spots that can ultimately ruin your glassware collection. It can leave your plates squeaky clean with a refreshing lemon citrus scent.
As this is a more eco-friendly and toxin-free option, we see this best working for households with little kids and children.
Method Dishwasher Packs
This is another eco-friendly and non-toxic option. If you are going green, we bet you are going to love this. This does a stellar job when it comes to removing stubborn food grime that has been left in the sink for too long.
What amazes us is that despite the lack of toxic chemicals and ingredients, this is very powerful in removing stains, even if you have let the dishes sit out for 48 hours. This sets the bar higher when it comes to eco-friendly options.
This is also fragrance-free and does not leave residue. It’s plant-based, and we consider it the best and most powerful among dishwasher detergents of this type.
The caveats, the pods can stick together if you live in hotter climates.
Buying Guide: What We Considered More
There are a myriad of choices when it comes to dishwasher detergent. You have the pods, gels, and now we have detergent powders.
Cleaning Prowess
There is no place in this list if it’s lacking in cleaning prowess. When it comes to grease, grime, and a myriad of stubborn food stains and dirt, we want one that can be quite versatile.
We also chose cleaners that are more convenient, no matter the form. We went for cleaners that do not need pre-rinsing or more hours of brushing to get rid of what is left over from last night’s dinner or even from lunch two days ago. From burnt food, grease, and leftover baked products, these are quite powerful.
Gels vs detergent vs spray
Which is the better form of dishwasher cleaner? It depends on your preference and lifestyle. More convenient options are gels, especially the pre-packed ones that are very useful for busy people who want it more mess-free.
Spray bottles are pretty awesome for spot cleaning, should you have pans with more stubborn areas. Powder detergents can be king when it comes to grime and grease, but there is some pre-prep involved.
So you just choose which works for you best and what your kitchen habits are. Regardless of the form, we chose the best that can leave a spotless plate and glassware collection.
Value for Money
We chose cleaners that are a worthy purchase. We gauged the cost of the gels, pods, and cleaners versus how much you need to use per load to get your plates and glasses squeaky clean.
We prefer dishwasher cleaners where you need a small, sensible amount compared to overloading the machine to the brim. It’s quality over quantity.
When Grease and Grime Do Not Belong to your Dishes
One of the most mortifying experiences is discovering that the dishes you loaded in the dishwasher are still coated with grime and grease. Worse, bacteria can multiply in that residue overnight.
While dishwashers are convenient and very useful, using a mediocre cleaner can render your dishwashers almost useless. Thus, the a need to use brands that are excellent cleaners when it comes to all types of stubborn food stains, grime, and grease.
Leftover grease can wreak havoc on today’s dinner; it can mess up the flavor and can even make you sick. So it’s not just about having spotless kitchenware and glassware, clean plates can also keep diseases away
