Dishwasher detergent
A strongly alkaline, low-foaming formulation with a bleaching system. Nothing about it is interchangeable with washing-up liquid, in either direction.
What not to do
Dishwasher detergent is unsafe on Aluminium
Unsafe
Do not do this. The risk is established, and it is described below.
Why we say this
Supported
Two indirect routes rather than one direct statement, which is why this is supported rather than strongly supported. The outcome — aluminium bakeware and pan bases permanently dulled and pitted by a dishwasher — is consistent, well known and mechanistically accounted for by the alkalinity.
Sources
Right to Know Hazardous Substance Fact Sheet: Sodium Phosphate, Tribasic (RTK 1724)
New Jersey Department of Health · Government or regulator
Relied on for: That alkaline phosphate solutions react with aluminium to produce hydrogen and corrode it. (cleaninghq's interpretation of what it says)
Verification: a person has read the passage relied on.
Read on — The 'IDENTIFICATION' paragraph and the 'HANDLING AND STORAGE' reactivity list. Supports the claim as stated. Adds the alkaline builder family to the agent records, and gives the catalogue a fourth independent regulator statement that alkalis attack aluminium — which is now sourced from sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, trisodium phosphate and sodium carbonate rather than from one sheet.
Care and Maintenance: Caesarstone Surfaces
Caesarstone Ltd. · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That dishwasher detergent is on the manufacturer's prohibited list for a hard surface because of its aggressiveness. (states this directly)
Verification: a person has read the passage relied on.
Read on — The prohibited-products list and the accidental-exposure instruction. Supports the claim as stated.
Last reviewed by a person on .
Precautions
- Keep away from children and pets
- Check the manufacturer's instructions
- Never mix with other cleaning products
In detail
Automatic dishwashing detergent is built for a machine rather than a sink and every difference matters. It is strongly alkaline, because the machine supplies heat and circulation but no scrubbing and the chemistry has to do the work a hand and a sponge would. It is deliberately low-foaming, because foam cushions the spray arms and stops them reaching anything. And most formulations carry an oxygen bleaching system and enzymes. Three consequences are worth knowing. Washing-up liquid must never be substituted in the machine: it foams, and the foam floods out of the door. The tablet must not be substituted into other jobs either — the carpet trade excludes automatic dishwashing detergent from spot removal by name, because many contain bleaching agents that destroy dyes and some fibres. And the alkalinity plus the bleach is why aluminium pans, some glazes and hand-painted decoration come out of a dishwasher permanently dulled while the ceramic beside them is unharmed. The etching of glassware is a related but separate process, and it is not reversible once it has happened.
Properties
- pH
- Strongly alkaline
What works
Dishwasher detergent is effective against Grease Supported
Dishwasher detergent is safe on, in specific conditions, Extractor grease filter
Safe only in specific conditions
This is only appropriate within specific limits. Outside those limits, CleaningHQ makes no claim.
Only within these limits:
- Check the owner's manual for the specific model FIRST — the permission is not universal
- Only as additional cleaning, not as a replacement for the monthly soap-and-water clean
The manufacturer says MOST grease filters can go in the dishwasher and directs the reader to verify. A maker declining to generalise about its own products is the honest answer, and it is the one the internet does not give.
Precautions
- Check the manufacturer's instructions
Why we say this
Supported
The most-asked question about this component, answered by the manufacturer with the qualification intact rather than flattened into a yes or a no.
Sources
Cleaning the Filters (Grease and Charcoal) — Over-the-Range Microwave
Whirlpool Corporation · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That most grease filters can be placed in the dishwasher for additional cleaning, and that the owner's manual should be verified first because not all models permit it. (states this directly)
Verification: a person has read the passage relied on.
Read on — The grease filter and charcoal filter sections in full. Supports the claim as stated. Opens the extractor hood as an object with two distinct filter components and a manufacturer behind each. The grease filter gains a positive clearance; the charcoal filter gains a prohibition on cleaning it at all.
Last reviewed by a person on .
Why
- Dishwasher detergent is explained by pH in cleaning
- Dishwasher detergent is explained by Alkali attack on light metals
- Dishwasher detergent is explained by Oxidation and bleaching
Hacks and claims involving this
Sources for this page
Sources
Spot Solver: spot and spill removal procedures
The Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) · Trade or professional body
Relied on for: That automatic dishwashing detergent is excluded from carpet spot removal because many contain bleaching agents that destroy dyes and some fibres. (states this directly)
Verification: a person has read the passage relied on.
Read on — Sprint 5-10: fifteen entries, stain by stain. Sprint 30: enumerated at 296 from the publisher's own sitemap, 134 more read plus 'Unknown'. Sprint 38: 56 more, chosen against stains the catalogue lacked. 192 of 296 read. Supports the claim as stated.
Owner's Manual: Dishwashers GSD4500, GSD4800
GE Appliances · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That the manufacturer specifies detergent formulated for automatic dishwashers. (states this directly)
Verification: a person has read the passage relied on.
Read on — 'Caring for the dishwasher' and the film, cloudiness and marks entries in Troubleshooting Tips. Supports the claim as stated.
Last reviewed by a person on .