The 5 Best Dishwasher Pods

Formula: Powder + triple liquid | Packaging: Dissolvable pack

In our tests, the Cascade Platinum Plus Actionpacs excelled at removing grease from dirty dishes, effectively whisking away food particles and leaving our dishes spot-free with minimal detergent residue. The three liquids included in the pod complement each other, contributing a degreaser, water softener, and rinse aid along with the powder detergent. The phosphate-free formula claims to work with both hard and soft water. These pods come in a dissolvable pack, so there's no need to unwrap.

The primary drawback is that these brand-name pods are significantly more expensive than generic products. They leave dishes cleaner than average, but whether the premium is worth the performance is debatable. We also took note of the strength of the fragrance of the product during testing. For us, it only lingered as long as it took to open the container, remove a pod, and insert it into the dishwasher, but if you're sensitive to strong smells, you may want to consider a fragrance-free option like the Ecover Automatic Dishwasher Soap Tablets. However, if your goal is clean, spot-free, and residue-free dishes, the Cascade Platinum Plus Actionpacs is our top recommendation.

Formula: Compressed powder | Packaging: Individually wrapped

The Finish Powerball Deep Clean is a surprisingly effective low-cost pod. It removed almost all dried-on food particles. And though the individual wrappers are a bummer for the environment and a strike against convenience, we appreciate that they keep the smell of the tab in check. The three-stage cleaning powder is some of the best that we tested and left almost no visible residue on glassware.

For better or for worse, these pods are individually wrapped. The benefit is that they aren't susceptible to humidity when stored, and you won't ruin the entire container if you pull one out with slightly damp fingers. On the downside, they come with extra packaging that doesn't need to be there. If you're trying to avoid extra wrapping and still want a pod with a more pleasant smell, consider the Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Automatic Dish Pacs as an alternative. While they are more expensive, these pods are made with cleaner ingredients than what you'd find in most other pods. Still, for a solid clean at a reasonable price, the Finish Powerball Deep Clean is our top choice.

The Amazon Basics Detergent Pacs is effective and usually inexpensive. Our tests revealed this pod cleans food residue off of dishes without leaving behind the opaque film that some of its competitors do. Despite being a powder-only formula, it contains both traditional detergent and a rinse aid, producing clean dishes with no visible streaks. At the time of publishing, these sold for less than half the price per pod as our top-scoring product, the Cascade Platinum Plus Actionpacs.

The worst thing that we can say about these pods is that they just don't clean quite as well as products with liquid. There were a few instances where we found residual dried food bits on plates. We didn't experience this during testing but are aware of several anecdotal reports that the pods sometimes do not dissolve entirely once the dishwasher detergent cup opens. However, if you are willing to forgo a fancy formula with additional gels, this product will serve you right. For those looking for a more eco-friendly option, the Seventh Generation Free & Clear Dishwasher Detergent Pods is a plant-based, USDA-approved formula with comparable cleaning abilities to other pods on the market.

The Ecover Automatic Dishwasher Soap Tablets is an excellent option for those with fragrance sensitivities. Next to the Seventh Generation Free & Clear and the Dapple Baby Dishwasher Pacs, they have one of the least aggressive smells of any of the products that we tested. These tabs provided a thorough clean with minimal residue. The biodegradable formula is also a nice plus if you prioritize eco-conscious consumption. This product is right around the average cost of dishwasher pods overall, so if the (relatively) straightforward formula is appealing, they can offer decent value as well.

Though the ingredients could conceivably be eco-friendly, the packaging is not. Each tab is individually wrapped, which ultimately produces a bunch of plastic that doesn't seem entirely necessary, given that these are solid tabs rather than liquid pods. If the extra plastic wrapping is a dealbreaker for you, you may like the Lemi Shine Dishwashing Detergent better. Still, we found plenty to like about this product.

The Dapple Baby Fragrance Free Dishwasher Pacs is a specialty pod specifically designed to clean baby products. The formula claims not to contain any parabens, phthalates, synthetic dyes, synthetic fragrances, or chlorine. The low-odor tabs are also nice if you are sensitive to fragrances. In addition, it offered above-average cleaning power on our adult dishes. The dissolvable pod wrapper is a plus as well, so there are no small pieces of plastic to contend with.

One drawback is the moderate amount of film left behind on glassware, which of course, is not what we would have expected or hoped for. However, for those who need cleaning power but are concerned with the ingredients found in other top-tier pods, this product is worth the investment. For those who need more cleaning power and want to avoid film on their glassware, the pods from Cascade Complete ActionPacs offer powerful cleaning capabilities at a fair price.

The Seventh Generation Free & Clear Dishwasher Detergent Pods offer a USDA-approved plant-based formula that effectively cleans food residue off of dishes. Overall, in our testing we felt that this pod worked just as well as other all-powder products (although not as well as some of the pods with liquids or rinse aids incorporated in). We like that the smell when opening the bag is pretty mild as far as dishwasher detergents go (some of these products can be pretty aggressive).

We found this pod did not work quite as effectively, specifically on dried condiments and sauces. It also does not contain any additional rinse aids or degreasers, so heavily soiled dishes need a rinse before loading them into the dishwasher. For folks with messier dishes or larger households, a stronger pod such as the Cascade Platinum Plus Actionpacs is worth considering. Three different liquids work to clean grease and grime, and they're phosphate-free. However, if using a more environmentally friendly detergent is important to you, the Seventh Generation pods are a great option.

The Cascade Complete ActionPacs is a high-quality option for spot-free dishes. The dissolvable pack is easy to use, and we found that it deployed consistently from the dishwasher detergent cup and dissolved completely each time. These pods deliver a high-quality clean, typically at a below-average price per pod. The detergent formula is effective, and the dual-action gels complement the powder with a water softener and rinse aid.

All of this cleaning power comes with the strong smell of chemicals. The odor doesn't linger long if you go straight from the container to the dishwasher, but getting your face too close may make you frown. The odor may be an intentional deterrent because these pods also look like candy, so if you have toddlers in the house, be sure to store them somewhere secure. Nonetheless, if you want a grease-cutting detergent with spotless glassware, this is going to be one of the best options available.

The Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Automatic Dish Pacs is a decent all-powder pod. Though there is no auxiliary gel as with some other products in this review, it still delivers satisfactory cleaning on ceramic and glassware. This holds true for a few others in this category, but these claim they are safe for septic systems as well. We found that they have a scent that almost smells good (a rarity in the dishwasher pod world).

The primary drawback to this product is its typical price. It can be one of the most expensive of all the options we tested. Folks looking to avoid spending a ton on dishwasher pods may like the Amazon Basics Detergent Pacs, which works well and is as inexpensive as they come. We also observed some residue and spots on silverware, so the Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Automatic Dish Pacs are not without faults. However, if you want a nice-smelling detergent and are willing to pay the price, you can't go wrong here.

The Lemi Shine Dishwashing Detergent is a powder and gel combo that offers a citric-acid-based formula. These pods are effective if you have hard water that would otherwise leave mineral residue on your glasses and buildup in your dishwasher. It is the only environmentally friendly product in this review that also contains a liquid gel separate from the base powder; this supposedly natural and human-friendly product combines traditional detergent with a degreaser as well.

During testing, we also noted that though the grease-cutting power of these pods is sufficient, they left behind a noticeable residue on glassware. As with a few other products in this category, they have a particularly astringent smell. It's not a dealbreaker, but it could be an issue for someone with a sensitivity to synthetic fragrances. However, for a formula with more recognizable ingredients, this product might be what you're looking for.

The Finish Quantum Powerball tabs promise big results. The dissolvable packs are easy to use and deliver a decent clean for dirty dishes. The powder and liquid combination formula comes with a traditional detergent, degreaser, and rinse aid. Like its other Finish siblings, these pods are also reasonably priced.

However, we found that these pods leave behind a visible residue on glassware. Though the cleaning power proved to be decent, this product has a very strong, noxious smell. If you or anyone in your house is sensitive to fragrances, we'd steer clear of these pods. They are comparatively inexpensive, though, so if you can find them at an additional discount, they could be worth a try. For folks with fragrance allergies and intolerances, we suggest looking at pods with minimal additives such as the Dapple Baby Fragrance Free Dishwasher Pacs.

How We Test Dishwasher Pods

We purchase, and test everything that we review. We buy each model at retail price and never accept manufacturer samples. We ran load after load with these pods using the same type of dishes and grease. Outside of more controlled experiments, we also gave some to friends and family, solicited feedback, and reviewed manufacturer specs, diving deep into the ingredient lists.

Why Trust GearLab

Lead tester Ben Applebaum-Bauch has been reviewing products with GearLab for over five years. In that time, he has done hands-on testing of hundreds of products, including other cleaning products like mouthwash and toothbrush heads, as well as kitchen items. A background in social sciences from Boston University has helped Ben approach testing with a practical, user-focused philosophy ideal for consumer items like dishwasher pods. Having spent a fair amount of time in commercial kitchens and dish rooms, he is no stranger to powerful detergents and dish cleaners.

Analysis and Test Results

We choose a wide range of pods to test, ranging from power to double liquid to triple liquid to a combination of both. With a range of products, it's important to evaluate each across key metrics. Our tests included looking at the cleaning power, ease of use, and smell.

Cleaning

Dishwasher pods are meant to do exactly one thing: make dirty dishes clean. We consider how effectively each model removes grease and food particles and limits water spots and whether or not dishes need to be pre-soaked or rinsed.

The Cascade Platinum Plus and the Finish Powerball Deep Clean tabs deliver top cleaning performance. These two pods left behind almost zero residues, and the multi-part formulae left glassware shiny. They also both came through producing clean dishes with minimal pre-washing. In the next tier of pods, we have the Amazon Basics Detergent Pacs, Cascade Complete ActionPacs, Mrs. Meyers Clean Day, and Seventh Generation Free & Clear pods. They each removed most of the crud from our ceramic dishes but left a little more residue behind.

The Dapple Baby Dishwasher Pacs and the Lemi Shine Dishwashing Detergent are hovering in the perfectly average range. Neither was far behind the rest of the group, but they did appear to occasionally leave behind a heavier white residue that could lead to a frothy first glass of water that made us question what we might actually be drinking.

Ease of Use

These pods, taken as a whole, should be easy to use; this is one of the main reasons you would opt for them over a traditional box of powder or gel. We look at the packaging, biodegradability, and whether a product claims to be septic safe, trying to tease out the subtle differences between these products.

In testing, we discovered a slight preference for dissolvable packs. These include the Cascade products Platinum and Complete ActionPacs in addition to the Finish Quantum, Seventh Generation Free & Clear, Amazon Basics Detergent Pacs, Mrs. Meyers Clean Day, Lemi Shine, and Dapple Baby. They are easier to just grab from the container or bag and put into a dishwasher — just make sure your hands are fairly dry so that the pack doesn't stick to them. In practice, we found that it won't ruin most pods if they become slightly damp in the process of removing them from the larger package; it is more important to keep the inside of the container dry so that the rest of the pods don't get ruined.

We also have two individually wrapped products in the category, including the Ecover and the Finish Powerball Deep Clean tabs. The benefit of these is that you can't ruin the entire package by grabbing one with a wet hand, but we also don't think the significant amount of added waste is worth it. The Cascade Platinum Plus, Lemi Shine, Seventh Generation Free & Clear, and Finish Powerball Deep Clean make a point of noting that they are safe for septic systems, while the Ecover and the Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Automatic Dish Pacs are also biodegradable.

Smell

Though it accounts for a smaller proportion of our assessment, the type and strength of fragrance can be a deal maker or breaker for some people — especially if you have a sensitive snout.

Some products are hypoallergenic and pretty mild-smelling. We found the Seventh Generation Free & Clear packs, the Dapple Baby Dishwasher Pacs, and the Ecover Automatic Dishwashing Tablets are the most innocuous. Others like the Cascade Platinum Plus and Cascade Complete pods have a robust fragrance — not necessarily bad, just very strong and a middle point between clean and chemical-y. Other pods like the Lemi Shine and Amazon Basics Detergent Pacs were rated as strong and not good smelling, while our testers found the Finish Quantum packs to be incredibly pungent and bad.

Conclusion

Cutting through the cluttered market of dishwasher pods can be time-consuming. We hope this expert review provides the information you need to get your next load of dishes spotless.