can I use washing up liquid in a dishwasher?

Posted by smol on


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Running out of dishwasher tablets is thankfully not something smol customers face very often due to their regular scheduled deliveries that ensure a pack arrives just as the last one runs out. 

However, being caught short is something that can happen to the best of us, and if you’ve ever loaded up your machine and found the cupboard looking bare… have you thought about using a little washing up liquid instead?

It cleans the dishes in the sink, so it should clean them nicely in the dishwasher right?

Well… wrong.

detergent or soap? 

Washing up liquid and dishwasher detergent are two very different things.

Washing up liquid is a dish soap that creates bubbles and suds that can break down grease and food residue allowing it to wash away in the water.

Dishwasher detergent works by using enzymes instead. Enzymes are naturally occurring products that work by digesting common stains like starches and proteins. They don’t bubble up and so you won’t see a lot of foaming suds.

a dishwasher needs a detergent. 

Bubbles and suds from a soap are NOT friends with your dishwasher and can cause damage to your machine, blocking pipes and filters, giving you all manner of plumbing problems.

Those who have mistakenly added washing up liquid to their dishwasher will confirm. Your machine will fill with bubbles which could froth out and across your floor, turning your kitchen into an Ibizan foam party before your very eyes.

so what if you’ve already done the deed? 

Firstly, turn off your dishwasher at the plug socket which should cause any excess water to drain away. Then:

1. Open the dishwasher door and remove your items. 
    2. Clean up any bubbles that have spilled out from the machine. 
      3. Mix 1 part white vinegar with 5 parts water in a clean spray bottle and spray down the inside of the machine to rinse away the suds inside. 
        4. Run your machine whilst empty with a cup of vinegar placed on the bottom rack. This should remove any remaining soap scum. 

          time to hit the sink. 

          Rather than any other homemade dishwasher detergent suggestions, at this point we recommend you take a breath, grab a FREE TRIAL of smol dishwasher tablets and accept you’ll be washing dishes in the sink.

          The happy news is smol’s wondrous washing up liquid makes short work of the dishes WITHOUT any nasties to rinse down your sink when you pull the plug.

          Our plant-based, biodegradable formula gives dazzling dishes and spotless pots even in cold water and you can’t help but smile at its fresh pink grapefruit fragrance.

          Your FREE trial of dishwasher tablets will be with you before you know it and your dishwasher will thank you for leaving the washing up liquid to look sensational next to the sink.

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