Dishwasher tablets vs powder: The verdict on which product gets your dishes cleaner

Expensive dishwasher tablets have been making plenty of headlines during the cost of living crisis.

Meanwhile, dishwasher powders typically cost a lot less with Finish's classic lemon sparkle currently available for $24 for a two kilo bottle at Woolworths.

So you might be wondering whether switching to dishwasher powder is worth it to help save money?

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Unfortunately the verdict on dishwasher tablets from CHOICE testing shows that dishwasher tablets give a superior clean when compared to powders.

"While dishwasher tablets and pods tend to be more expensive, they outperform powder in our dishwasher detergent tests," Matthew Steen, head of reviews and testing at CHOICE, said in a guide to dishwasher tablets and powders on the CHOICE website.

"The top four recommended products in our dishwasher detergent review, with scores of 75 per cent and above, are all either tablets or pods. And our bottom three performers are all powders."

There are two types of dishwasher tablets currently on the market.

One is what the consumer advocate describes as "classic" style tablets, and then there is the newer version, which often includes liquid ingredients, such as rinse aid, in a dissolvable pouch.

What makes pods and some tablets outperform powder is the addition of dishwasher salt (to prevent limescale deposits on dishes) and rinsing agent to the detergent. These cleaning agents are also more concentrated in tablet or pod form, and give the exact amount needed for each load.

Powders are simply just detergent, so you aren't getting the added benefit of the dishwasher salt and rinsing agent.

But they will still clean your dishes, you might just have to make sure you're cleaning the filter regularly and adding rinse aid as well to get the most out of them.

However, the superior performance of tablets doesn't mean you're stuck paying high prices to get cleaner dishes. There are plenty of budget-friendly options that perform well in product testing.

READ MORE: 7 things you can clean with a dishwasher tablet that aren't your dishes

Aldi's Logix Platinum dishwasher tablets costs just $7.49 for a 40 pack, which works out to be 19 cents a tablet.

It was awarded Canstar Blue's most satisfied customers award for dishwasher detergent for the second year in a row.

CHOICE also rates the product highly, "Out of the three Aldi products we tested, their best rating detergent was actually one of the cheapest in our review... This goes to show you can still get a high-performing tablet for less," Steen said.

The other way to get dishwasher tablets at lower prices is to look out for when they're on sale.

If you keep an eye on supermarket specials you'll find that dishwasher tablets can be as much as half price sometimes.

It's also worth looking at the unit price of a dishwasher tablet to find the lowest price per tab rather than the whole pack. You will find this listed in smaller print on shelf labels, and can search by unit price online.

Another option is to buy store branded products, for example Woolworths Shine dishwasher tablets is $4.50 for a 30 pack and $12.80 for a 100 pack.

And it helps to shop around as stores like The Reject Shop and Chemist Warehouse often have dishwasher tablets for bargain prices.

READ MORE: 6 things you can clean with a dishwasher tablet that aren't your dishes

But just because tablets work better than powders doesn't mean you can forget about good dishwasher habits.

These include regularly cleaning you dishwasher filter so that it can work properly, and not rinsing plates before putting them in – this confuses the appliance into thinking your dishes are cleaner than they are.

The way you load a dishwasher can make a difference too, so make sure dishes are stacked so that water can reach all surfaces.

Finally, try to run full loads for the most energy and cost-efficient use of the machine and your dishwasher detergent, regardless of whether it is powder or tablets.