Important points
Dish detergent may not be the most glamorous item in your pantry when it comes to kitchen essentials, but it’s definitely one of the most essential. It’s a tireless workhorse that keeps your pots sparkling and your dishes sparkling, and often offers other benefits as well.
With so many brands vying for attention on supermarket shelves, each claiming to be the ‘best’, how do you know which brand to buy? To get to the bottom of this soapy dilemma, I reached out to three food writers who’ve spent plenty of time in the kitchen to find out what works and what doesn’t.
We asked a food writer
Megan Scott: Former senior editor of news and features at Simply Recipes, co-author of the 2019 edition of Joy of Cooking Micheline Maynard: Contributing writer at Food & Wine, editor of Substack’s CulinaryWoman newsletter Molly Adams: Food writer, recipe developer, regular contributor to Simply Recipes and AllRecipes
Simply Recipe / Target
The best dishwashing detergent according to food writers
People chose a magical blue liquid. Dawn, in all its forms, is a clear winner.
It’s all about performance, Adams says. Adams, a veteran recipe developer and mother, discovered Dawn during the height of the pandemic when her usual brand was out of stock. “To my surprise, it removed oil and dirt much better than anything I’ve used before,” she recalls.
Adams was initially drawn to Dawn PowerWash’s powerful sprayer in particular. But what impressed Dawn was her ability to tackle stubborn stains on everything from greasy pans to newborn clothes. “It worked like magic on stubborn stains on clothes,” she says. Its versatility has made it a must-have in her home.
Maynard’s admiration for Dawn extends beyond the kitchen. “I chose Dawn for two purposes: It’s great for cleaning especially greasy pans like turkey roasters and barbecue containers.” She then surprised me by adding, “It’s also great for unclogging toilets. I always keep a bottle in my bathroom.” Dawn’s anti-grease properties make it a reliable choice in her household, and she appreciates that the scent is mild enough to not cause scent sensitivities.
“I’ve gone through several stages of switching to ‘natural’ or cheaper detergents, and regretted it each time,” Scott admits. Her relationship with Dawn mirrors that of many of our loyal users, including myself. She says Dawn’s effectiveness is unparalleled, especially when it comes to cutting down on oil. “I cook a lot for work and pleasure, but one thing I don’t really mess with is my dishwashing tools,” she jokes. She likes that it’s super concentrated, so a little goes a long way. “Even if I’m constantly washing dishes, a bottle of Dawn will last me a long time.”
She buys dish detergent in bulk, and says, “I can use the Costco-sized bottle (of Dawn Platinum) almost all year round, and I’m happy that I only have to buy it once a year.” In this economy, that seems like a serious deal to me. And for someone who spends as much time in the kitchen as she does, this is an impressive feat.
Actually, I’m also a Dawn enthusiast and I agree with most of the comments above. (I haven’t tried it on clogged toilets, though; I’ll add that to the list as well.) Outside of the kitchen, it has superpowers for cleaning many other things. I use it in this two-part cleaning spray, combined with Magic Eraser (also a favorite) to remove stubborn stains, and with baking soda and water to whiten my white sneakers again. This is really great. I don’t have a garbage disposal, but if I did, I would like to try Dawn’s method as described in this story. That blue stuff works wonders!
