Best Dish Soaps 2023
1. BEST OVERALL DISH SOAP
Dawn Ultra Platinum Liquid Dish Soap
PROS
- Cuts grease quickly
- Long-lasting suds
- Budget-friendly
CONS
- Contains colorants
Dawn cuts grease and cleans so well that it’s the budget friendly gold standard we hold other to in our tests. In fact, you’ll likely find a bottle at each sink in our GH Kitchen and Kitchen Appliances Lab, too. Dawn produces lots of long lasting suds and hold grease in suspension so it doesn’t redeposit back onto dishes. It’s great for soaking and softening burned on messes, and it takes only a little squirt to clean a big pile of dirty dishes. It’s great for soaking and softening burned on messes, and it takes only a little squirt to clean a big pile of dirty dises. And it makes a handly grease stain remover for clothing too.
2. BEST SMELLING DISH SOAP
Caldrea Dish Soap
PROS
- Many rich scents to choose from
- Cuts grease well
CONS
- A bit pricey
Who says washing dishes has to be hard work?Caldrea was a winner in our test of best pampering dish liquids with skin softening ingredients or luscious aromatherapy scents that make the task of washing dishes more pleasant for its amazing scent and how well it cleaned. A little went a long way in our tests and we loved the uses of essential oils in all nine scents varieties. A consumer tester told us, “The scent was my favourite spray in the same fragrances to give your home its own signature scent.
3. BEST PLANT BASED DISH SOAP
Seventh Generation Free and Clear Liquid dish Soap
PROS
- EPA Safer Choice certified
- Bottle is made of recycled plastic
- Comes scented or Free & Clear
CONS
- Gets cloudy if exposed to the cold, but clears up quickly
4. BEST FOAMING DISH SPRAY
PROS
- EPA Safer Choice and UDSA Certified Biobased Product
- Foam lasts long
CONS
- Scents were too strong for some testers
Not only does this dish soap spray out as a thick, clingy foam, but it also has serious grease-cutting powers. We recently put it to the test on a skillet we used to fry a hamburger and we deliberately burned on the grease. We found that it cut grease so well, all we had to do was wipe the pan and rinse it clean. And because it dispenses as a thick foam, a few quick spritzes are all you need to clean multiple dishes, glasses and flatware, so unlike other runny sprays, a little goes a long way. It comes in two scents — Mandarin orange and Honeycrisp apple — and is both EPA Safer Choice certified and a USDA Certified 79% Biobased Product. While we enjoyed the fruity scents, not all of our consumer testers did.
5. BEST DISH SOAP TO LEAVE ON THE COUNTER
PROS
- Cuts grease well
- Beautiful bottle
- Glass bottle and refills help reduce plastic waste
CONS
- Expensive per ounce
L’Avant Collective’s eye-catching bottle looks great on the counter, but this dish soap has more to offer than its good looks. We found that it cuts grease very well while producing lots of rich, silky, thick, long-lasting suds. The ingredients are plant-based, and it’s enhanced with a subtle fresh linen scent that’s not overpowering. The glass bottle can be reused, and refills come in a pouch to help reduce plastic waste. While it is expensive, you can save by signing up for a subscription.
6. BEST DISH SOAP FOR HARD WATER
9 Elements Dish Spray
PROS
- Cuts grease and hard water stains
- Convenient and neat to use
- Saves water
CONS
- More expensive than liquid dish soap
This dish spray formula from 9 Elements contains vinegar to help battle the hard water deposits that often appear on glassware and plastics, especially after air drying. We liked the fine dispensing mist that provided good coverage with just one squirt, and we were pleased with how well it cuts through grease. A tester on our consumer panel praised it for “being better at cutting baked-on residue, especially tomato sauce, than my regular detergent.” The scent is lemony, not vinegary, and when the bottle is empty, just transfer the same sprayer top to a new refill bottle.
7. BEST DISH SOAP FOR HANDS
Procter & Gamble Dawn Gentle Clean EZ_Squeeze Dish Soap
PROS
- Cuts grease well
- Does not dry skin as much as other dish soaps
CONS
- Scent may be too sweet for some
Of course, dish soap’s primary job is to remove food and grime from dishes and cookware, but because many people don’t wear rubber gloves dish soap can have a drying effect on skin. And good cleaning shouldn’t come at the expense of your hands. In our test, Dawn Gentle Clean was less drying to the skin than others we tested, and it still did a great job cutting grease. Some testers reported that their hands felt softer, too, after using it.
8. BEST DISH SOAP FOR GREASE
Dawn Powerwash Spray Starter KIt
PROS
- Quickly cuts grease
- Can be used on grills and oven racks
- Trigger spray can be transferred to refill bottles
CONS
- More expensive than regular Dawn
The first dish spray to come to market, Dawn Powerwash set the bar high. With its innovative formula and concentrated spray, it blasted through dried and burned-on hamburger grease on our test skillets like nothing we’d ever seen. And because it’s a spray, it reaches and clings to the hard-to-clean corners of square and rectangular casseroles where greasy residue builds up over time. But don’t stop at the kitchen, Dawn Powerwash tackles greasy and charred grill and smoker grates with ease. It’s so effective and versatile that it was a shoo-in to earn our Good Housekeeping Seal.
9. BEST NO-DRIP DISH SOAP
Dawn platinum EZ Squeez Dish Soap
PROS
- Doesn’t drip
- Powerful cleaning
CONS
- Slightly more expensive than regular Dawn
This is the same Dawn dish soap that earned our best overall pick in a unique bottle that keeps itself and your counter mess-free. The soap dispenses from the bottom through a no-drip valve. Just remove the seal and squeeze; there’s no cap to open, and we found that whether you leave it on your counter or tuck it in a cabinet below the sink, it won’t leak. One of our consumer testers said, “I loved the EZ-Squeeze bottle. It made it easier to put [soap] on the sponge, especially if my hands were wet!”
