It turns out you don’t have to pay top dollar for a dishwasher detergent that will get that annoying melted cheese and runny egg yolk off your mucky plates and bowls.

In fact, consumers could be paying up to nine times less for a product that will still give them sparkling results.

In its latest product testing, Choice put 34 tablet, powder, gel and sheet detergents through their paces – and the results included a few surprises.

While Finish Powerball Ultimate 0% (fragrance-free) dishwasher tabs, which have a recommended retail price of $49 and cost around $1.07 a wash, came out on top, second spot went to a much cheaper alternative: Earth Choice’s All-In-1 dishwasher tabs.

They cost less than half the price, at around 42 cents per wash or $17.80 a box.

Another Finish detergent, the Powerball Ultimate Plus tabs, which cost $1.26 per wash, took out third spot in the testing, which rated the detergents based on how well they cleaned dishes crusted or stained with things such as egg yolk, melted cheese, rice starch bolognaise sauce, coffee and red wine.

“All three detergents performed well at removing stubborn stains throughout the dishwasher cycle,” Choice household expert Chris Barnes said of the top scorers.

“However, if you’re looking for a budget-friendly option, Earth Choice All-in-1 detergent is significantly cheaper.”

These three detergents came out on top in the Choice tests.

Other recommended detergents that scored 75 per cent or more in the tests were Bosisto’s Supreme Plus dishwasher capsules  eucalyptus oil (83 cents per wash), Coles Ultra dishwasher tablets (14 cents), Ecostore Ultra Power dishwasher tablets lemon fresh (68 cents), Finish Powerball Ultimate tabs ($1.07), and Undo This Mess Super Ultra Pro Infinity Plus dish tablets (42 cents).

Choice said the Coles Ultra tablets delivered “extra bang for your buck, costing nine times less than the Powerball Ultimate Plus Tabs for only the tiniest difference in performance”.

If you’re looking for a good clean at a good price, the consumer website also highlights a number of detergents that cost less than 30 cents per wash yet scored 70 per cent or more in the lab testing.

These “best buys” include Aldi’s Power Force Platinum dishwasher capsules and its dishwasher tablets (cheaper but slightly less effective), Woolworths Shine Optimum All in 1 Ultimate Clean dishwashing pods and Eco Planet Automatic dishwasher powder tarata and kaffir lime.

By comparison, the most expensive detergent in the test, Fairy 5 Power Action dishwasher capsules lemon, which was given a rating of 72 per cent, costs $1.35 a wash.

For consumers concerned about the environmental and social record of the companies behind the products, the consumer website notes that Shop Ethical! has awarded Ecostore a rating of A, while Earth Choice, Undo This Mess and Bosisto’s all have a B. Other common brands tested range between C and F.

Interestingly, some dishwasher detergent brands that scored top marks also have other products that were found to be among the worst-performing. They included Earth Choice, whose dishwasher powder lemon fresh scored just 47 per cent, and Finish, which was awarded 44 per cent for its classic concentrated powder.

“The results show that you should never assume all products from the same brand will perform equally well,” Barnes said.

“Choosing the right detergent can make a big difference to your dishwasher results, saving you time and money.”

Using no detergent at all is, not surprisingly, ineffective. Source: Choice

Ultimately, the worst-performing overall was Housebrite’s Brite dishwasher powder (eight cents per wash). It did, however, come ahead of “water only”.

But it’s not just the quality of the detergent that’s important. Barnes said dishwashers, which the consumer website has tested previously, can also affect cleaning performance.

“If you have a good dishwasher, then you won’t necessarily need to buy the best performing detergent – you can opt for a cheaper product instead, or one that aligns with your ethical or environmental priorities,” he said.