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Can supermarket own-brand tablets live up to the cleaning power of branded products?

A household staple, dishwasher tablets do the heavy lifting when it comes to cleaning crockery and glassware.

But if you open the dishwasher and find there’s residue left on your dishes, meaning you need to hand wash them or leave them in for another cycle, it’s time to swap brands.

To find the best dishwasher tablets that are sure to leave your dishes sparkling (no matter what’s on your dinner menu!), the Good Housekeeping Institute put 18 different tablets to the test.

After running over 108 full loads of stained crockery and glassware through our dishwashers, here are our best buys:

From our testing, we found there’s little difference between branded and own-brand dishwasher tablets. In fact, three of our four highest-scoring dishwasher tablets are from supermarkets, showing swapping to own-brands is well worth it if you’re looking to save money in your weekly shop.

For the biggest saving, pick Morrisons All In 1 Lemon Dishwasher Tablets; these tablets cost just 8 pence each (the cheapest in our round-up) and still do a fantastic job.

As well as using reliable dishwasher tablets, there are a few steps that you can take to improve the cleanliness of your dishes if they aren’t emerging as dirt-free as you’d like.

Firstly, make sure you’re stacking your dishwasher correctly. For example, place extra-dirty items on the bottom rack, facing the centre of the dishwasher, as this is closer to the spray arm.

Flat items should be placed along the side or back; if they’re at the front they can get in the way of the detergent dispenser. Newer dishwashers may allow you to adjust the positioning of the top rack to fit awkwardly sized items comfortably, too.

This may sound obvious but put the tablet in the dispenser rather than placing it in the machine. When detergents are placed in the machine, they may dissolve too quickly and lose some of their cleaning power.

Caring for your dishwasher will also boost the cleanliness of your dishes. Stop the filter clogging by scraping off food residue from your plates and bowls before you load it. We recommend cleaning the filter regularly too, ideally after every use, but once a week should suffice.

Give your dishwasher a deep clean every two months and regularly check the spray arms for blockages.

Finally, ensuring dishwasher salt is topped up will keep the machine cleaner.

To find the dishwasher tablets with the best cleaning power, we washed 3,636 items of crockery and glassware. Each was stained with hard-to-remove foods including egg yolk, porridge, spinach and lipstick. We then ran the dishwasher on a standard cycle and judged the results.

This was repeated on an economy cycle and on an intensive cycle, adding more difficult to clean items like pasta-stained Pyrex dishes to our standard stained load. Each of these tests was also carried out in a second dishwasher to ensure consistency.

Finally, each detergent was scored according to its performance, while we also considered eco credentials, like whether the packaging is recyclable.

These are the ones we’ll be using from now on:

Number of tablets in pack: 85

These tablets delivered an outstanding clean on test; they scored perfect marks on our standard cycle – our glassware was gleaming and cloud-free – and dropped just a few marks on economy and intensive settings.

This was due to a few stubborn porridge patches on economy and some lingering pasta sauce on our Pyrex dish after an intensive cycle. However, they undoubtedly produced the cleanest results of all tested.

Number of tablets in pack: 45

Showing us just how good own-brand cleaning products can be, these Waitrose tablets came a close second on test. They scored highly across all three programs, and performed better on economy than standard, so will save you money at the till and during the cleaning process.

There were some small remnants of porridge left after our economy cycle, but most of our crockery was pristine. In fact, on the intensive cycle, burnt egg, jam, rice and even most of the pasta sauce were removed. Each tablet is individually wrapped in plastic though, but the box is recyclable.

Number of tablets in pack: 40

Another supermarket buy, these tablets were equally strong cleaners across a range of programs. While they performed well in both our test dishwashers, perhaps unsurprisingly, they produced slightly better results in the high-end model. In our mid-range dishwasher, some mugs had a few tea stains remaining, while our Pyrex dish wasn’t free from pasta sauce either.

Cutlery and crockery were sparkling on all cycles though, and in both machines. Note, the packaging can only be recycled in stores. A great budget option.

Number of tablets in pack: 60

Considering price per tablet, Morrisons is the cheapest brand on test. But the affordable price tag did not mean a reduction in quality. They produced slightly cleaner results on a normal cycle than on an economy one, but the difference was slim with no stains proving too stubborn. Our glassware sparkled, with no chalky residue, and there was only the odd speck left on crockery.

They fared well on an intensive cycle too, cutting through all our burnt-on food, bar troublesome pasta sauce. Again, you can only recycle packaging at your local supermarket but for maximum savings without compromising on cleanliness, these should be your go-to.

Number of tablets in pack: 24

If eco packaging is a priority for you, then it’s worth paying slightly more for these dishwasher tablets — they come in a box made entirely of recycled cardboard. Most of our dishes were left sparkling too, with just minor tomato juice stains left on tumblers after a normal cycle and patches of porridge after economy.

Number of tablets in pack: 50

For neutrally-scented dishes, look no further than these fragrance-free tablets. On test, most crockery and cutlery were left clean across all cycles, but it struggled with tea, porridge and baked-on jam stains. Most glassware emerged sparkling and dry.

Number of tablets in pack: 40

If your bugbear is cloudy glassware, look no further. These tablets left our wine glasses shiny with no visible clouding, while they produced satisfactory results for most other crockery too, especially on economy and standard cycles. However, porridge, tea and pasta sauce stains proved more of a challenge on an intensive cycle.

Number of tablets in pack: 25

These tablets tackled burnt-on pasta stains with ease, being one of the only tablets on test to do so. Burnt scrambled egg was more of a struggle on an intensive cycle though.

They proved highly effective cleaners on both normal and economy cycles, leaving cutlery spotless. A great all-rounder.

Number of tablets in pack: 68

With both a fragrance-free and fruity lemon and mandarin scent on offer, these dishwasher tablets cater for all. They scored full marks on a normal cycle and only dropped a few on economy, largely because of porridge and pasta sauce remnants. The packaging is recyclable, too.

Number of tablets in pack: 20

Scoring the highest of all our tablets on an economy program, this is a savvy switch to make if you’re looking to save on your energy bill without compromising on cleanliness.

At 16p per tablet, they aren’t the cheapest supermarket offering but they did an outstanding job lifting pasta sauce from Pyrex dishes on an intensive cycle, and our glassware came out shiny on all cycles. Burnt-on jam proved a challenge, however, and you can only recycle the packaging in Sainsbury's stores.