How Safe Are Dishwasher Tablets?

Commercial dishwasher powders and tablets often contain a variety of harsh chemicals that are not only unnecessary but also harmful. These chemicals can wash down your drain, polluting water systems, and leave residues on your dishes, posing health risks to your family.

It can be difficult to find out what’s actually in dishwasher tablets online, in this article we look at some of the ingredients.

Our natural Citrus Dish Powder, on the other hand, is free from these harmful substances, providing a safer, eco-friendly alternative for your home.

Some ingredients to look out for are:

Sodium silicate: Toxic if ingested and corrosive to the skin and eyes.

Alcohol ethoxylates: Has acute aquatic toxicity, skin irritation/allergies/, damage to vision.

Enzymes (e.g. amylase, protease and subtilisin): Most enzymes in dishwasher detergents aren’t dangerous if ingested, but they can affect the respiratory system if inhaled, and can irritate the skin and eyes.

Fragrance: This is pretty scary stuff, and very hard to get to the bottom of. To avoid toxic chemicals it’s best to choose natural products that are actually natural and do not have ‘fragrance’ listed anywhere. An array of toxins can be hidden under the fragrance ingredient.

Sodium Polyacrylate: Aquatic toxicity, general systemic/organ effects, skin irritation/allergies/damage, respiratory effects, damage to vision.

Propoleyne Glycol: Possibly can cause cancer, developmental/endocrine/reproductive effects, damage to DNA, general systemic/organ effects, respiratory effects, nervous system effects, skin irritation/allergies/damage, damage to vision.

Why use our dish wash powder:

Our powder is so simple because it contains nothing but borax, citric acid and lemon essential oil. And when I say borax I mean the simple salt sodium borate, not boric acid which is a completely different story. If you’re concerned about borax have a look at our blog post here.

Borax has been used for generations as a great cleaner. It is an alkaline mineral which is a very effective anti-bacterial, fungicidal cleaning and bleaching agent. It is widely regarded as being better for the environment than bleach.
I’ve been using this with our white vinegar in the rinse aid compartment and everything comes out sparkling, including glassware.

Ingredients in Finish All In One Powerball:

Sodium Carbonate

Sodium Carbonate Peroxide

Sodium Bicarbonate

Sodium Citrate

Sodium Disilicate

Sodium Polyacrylate

Sodium Silicate

TAED (Tetraacetylethylenediamine)

Subtilisin

Amylase

Lipase

Microcrystalline Cellulose

Magnesium Stearate

Sodium Sulfate

Fragrance

Limonene

Titanium Dioxide

Polyethylene Glycol

Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose

Kaolin

Acid Blue 182

Benzotriazole

Ultramarine (Synthetic)

Pigment Red 57 (Uncertified D&C Red No. 6 or 7)

Alcohol Ethoxylates (C12-13)

Manganese Oxalate, Dihydrated

Glycerin

Water

For a full run down of all ingredients and what the health and environmental issues may be click here to read all the information from ewg.org and select each ingredient for the full list of harmful – or not so harmful qualities.