Consumer group Choice has revealed that price doesn’t equal quality when it comes to picking the best dishwashing detergent, with the best-performing product a cheap home-brand offering.

Choice’s experts tested 40 products – rating them on their performance on food stains like egg yolk, cheese, rice starch, spilt wine and bolognese.

They found Aldi’s affordable option as the best-performing detergent, significantly outperforming Coles and Woolworths’ home-brand products.

1. Aldi Logix Platinum 18-in-1 Dishwashing Tablets Lemon Fragrance

Aldi’s home-brand offering is economical and effective, according to Choice. Photo: Choice

Choice director of reviews and testing Matthew Steen said if you’re looking for value for money, Aldi’s 18-in-1 dishwashing tablets are an excellent option at just 19 cents a wash.

“Aldi Logix Platinum 18-in-1 dishwashing tablets took first place in this year’s testing, with a score of 79 per cent,” he said.

“This goes to show that if you shop smart, you can get a great clean while saving money.”

It shouldn’t be confused with Aldi’s powder detergent,  which scored much lower in the rankings.

2. Finish Powerball

Two Finish products were rated equal second, the Powerball Ultimate Plus all-in-1 Lemon Sparkle and the Ultimate Pro all-in-1 Tabs Lemon Sparkle.

Finish products perform well but are more expensive. Photo: Finish

Steen said Finish products usually score well in testing, but are significantly more expensive than Aldi’s offering.

“Their Finish Powerball Ultimate Plus product, which tied for second place, costs $1.87 per wash,” he said.

“We recommend switching to the Aldi Logix Platinum if you love a good bargain, as it only costs around a tenth of the price.”

Other recommended options:

• Finish Powerball Ultimate All in 1 Baking Soda ($1.68 per wash)
• Finish Powerball Ultimate Plus Material Care ($1.50 per wash)
• Earth Choice dish tablets Lemon Fragrance (42c per wash)
• Earth Choice Undo This Mess dish tablet (42c per wash).

Lucent Globe Ultra Concentrated Dishwashing Detergent Sheet

Lucent Globe is not sold in Coles, Woolworths or Aldi. Photo: Lucent Globe

Lucent Globe dishwashing sheets performed worse than water, scoring just 12 per cent on the expert’s rating after testing.

Steen said detergent sheets are a relatively new product on the market and are touted as being biodegradable, plastic-free and gentle on sensitive skin.

“Lucent Globe’s product did not stack up comparatively in its performance,” he said.

“We found plain water was more effective than the Lucent Globe sheets in removing red wine and egg yolk through a dishwasher cycle.”

Three other dishwashing detergents scored below 50 per cent when rated by the experts.

Other products to avoid

• Somat Excellence Duo Power Gel Active Degreasers (45 per cent rating)
• Somat Excellence Duo Power Gel Lemon and Lime (49 per cent)
• Ecostore dishwasher powder Lemon (49 per cent)
• Woolworths Shine dishwasher powder concentrate (50 per cent)
• Coles Ultra Concentrate dishwasher powder Lemon Fresh (50 per cent).