Dishwasher Detergent Alternatives?

Have you ever had an amazing meal with family and friends and afterwards have filled your dishwasher with your dishes and went to grab your dishwasher soap to find it completely empty? You might have been tempted to just use regular dish soap like Dawn in your dishwasher or even try to just run the dishwasher without adding anything to it. We are here to inform you that these options should not be done as they can cause all kinds of problems.

Regular Dish Soap

Do not use this in your dishwasher at all! The problem with using just regular liquid dish soap is that they create lots of foam. This is great when you are hand washing your dishes, but a huge problem for your dishwasher. Your dishwasher will fill up with the foamy studs and could overflow out of the dishwasher and onto your floor. Using regular dish soap is also not covered under warranties and if you end up having damage, the manufacturers will likely not help you with the repair or damage costs.

Watch the video below to get more tips on why it's not a good idea. Dishwasher detergents are made differently than regular hand soaps as they do not make foamy studs and why it's recommended to only use dishwasher soap.

No Soap

You might be tempted to just run the dishwasher with just hot water with no soap at all. Do not be tempted to do this either. If we only ate water based foods this might work, but in reality foods have grease, fats, and oils in them. These substances do not mix with water and cannot be removed with just water. Not only will your dishes not be cleaned, but you run into getting the dishwasher hoses and the bottom of your dishwasher clogged as it will build up with fats and grease.

Laundry Detergent

You might be tempted to use laundry detergent as it doe not create excess studs and cleans oils and grease, but don't do it. Dishes and laundry need different cleaning requirements. Laundry detergent has added enzymes meant to handle different stains in fabrics. They also contain perfume and scents in them. These scents can turn into a gas when heated and can be toxic when inhaled. Some fragrances can be hard to clean off as they are intended to be long-lasting and hard to wash off in clothes. Laundry detergent can also contain whitening agents like bleach and other harmful chemicals that can cause harm if ingested. You even a small amount stuck on in a glass that's not completely cleaned off (residue) could cause harm.

If you ever run out of your dishwasher detergent, either hand wash them with regular dish soap in the sink or just wait to do your cycle until you go to the store and get more dishwasher detergent. These other alternatives are not reccomended and can cause more damage than you think. We hope this helps and let us know if you have any questions.