Out of the 28 dishwashing detergents we tested, it has the best combination of cleaning power, safety, price, and social responsibility. But ultimately, Seventh Generation hits all of the right notes for us. The primary job of a dish detergent is to get oil and grease off your dishes. You might also be looking for a detergent that has a minimum of worrisome ingredients and is easier on your conscience.
She read existing dish soap reviews from major publications as well as ingredient reviews from places like the Environmental Working Group. She also spoke to professor Brian Grady , a surfactant expert and director of the Institute for Applied Surfactant Research at the University of Oklahoma; professor Jennifer Field , an environmental and molecular toxicologist at Oregon State University; and Cara Bondi, a research and development manager at Seventh Generation.
We tested 28 nationally available dish detergents but did not include any that were labeled as antibacterial. In , the FDA banned a range of antibacterial ingredients from certain soaps because of evidence that they might harm long-term health.
When setting up a testing method, we ran into two problems. So that makes the most obvious testβjust washing some dirty dishesβnot really work. Instead, we talked to surfactant expert Brian Grady. We mixed vegetable oil with some oil-soluble food coloring and brushed a thin layer on a plate. We made sure to add the detergent after the tub was filled and mixed gently to discourage foaming. We beat the mixture with a handheld egg beater for 2 minutes to agitate the surfactants in the detergent.
Surfactants short for surface-active agents are the soap-like molecules in cleaning products that bind oil and water together so they can be washed away. Then we pulled the dish out, laid it flat, and eyeballed how much oil was remaining on the plates.
