If you don’t have the time or energy to spend hours at the sink, a dishwasher can help you breeze through kitchen clean-ups. But what you use to clean your dishes is just as important as the appliance. Dishwashers need good dishwasher tablets for gleaming glasses and pristine pots and pans.
Whether you’re tackling baked-on pasta dishes or cloudy wine glasses, the best dishwasher tablets can make all the difference between a disappointing rinse and a showroom finish. But with so many options on the market, from all-in-one pods to plastic-free tablets, finding one that delivers can be tricky.
Good dishwasher tablets combine powerful cleaning agents with rinse aid and salt, removing the need for extra products. They should also work well on short or eco cycles, and shouldn’t leave behind a soapy film or chemical smell.
To help separate the sparkling from the sub-par, I tested a wide range of dishwasher tablets to find options that performed well across different loads, from greasy baking trays to delicate glassware.
How I tested
Over the course of two weeks, I tested dishwasher tablets on a variety of loads in my kitchen. During testing, the tablets tackled everything from greasy roasting trays and plates covered in pasta sauce to wine glasses and cutlery. To keep things consistent, I stacked the dishwasher the same way each time and ran standard and eco cycles to see how each tablet handled different settings.
I assessed these tablets on several criteria:
- Cleaning: the most basic metric, I ensured all of these tablets worked on tough, baked-on food like lasagna and tea stains.
- Dissolution: I needed all of these tabs to dissolve in every cycle; there are few things as annoying as leftover dishwasher tablet powder coating your dishes.
- Watermarks: I wanted glasses to come out sparkling, with no watermarks or residue.
- Eco credentials: Many dishwasher tablets contain phosphates that can pollute waterways. I looked for tablets free from phosphates and chlorine.
- Price per wash: Crucially, I wanted these tablets to be affordable, so I worked out the price per wash to see which tablets offer the best value.
Why you can trust IndyBest reviews
Zoe Griffin has been evaluating and reviewing products for IndyBest since 2021, testing a wide range of cleaning products, such as the best laundry detergents, stain removers, and fabric conditioners. Taking into account choices for all budgets, from supermarket own-brands to premium options, Zoe’s reviews are always based on her genuine experiences through real-world testing.
The best dishwasher tablets for 2025 are:
- Best overall – Neat eco dishwasher tablets: £20, Amazon.co.uk
- Best budget buy – Tesco all-in-one dishwasher tablets: £3.56, Tesco.com
- Best eco-friendly option – Ecover all-in-one power dishwasher tablets: £8.50, Amazon.co.uk
- Best for short cycles – Fairy platinum plus: £18.25, Amazon.co.uk
- Best subscription service – Smol dishwasher tablets: £6.50, Smol.com
