The only thing worse than slaving over the stove at this time of year? Washing up the mountain of pots and pans afterwards.
And while the dishwasher can take care of day-to-day plates, most seem unable to tackle the dirtiest dishes, so we end up handwashing or soaking them.
Now Sainsbury’s has launched a new dishwasher tablet called Prism which it claims can tackle even the toughest of stains without soaking first. But does it live up to the hype?
With the help of scientist Julius Hamm, writer Sadie Nicholas put ten brands to the test to see how they performed on the same six hard-to-beat stains — lasagne, scrambled egg, sausage fat, tea, red wine and lipstick. Nothing was soaked or rinsed first and everything went through a one-hour, 50-degree cycle.
Scientist Julius Hamm and Sadie Nicholas tested ten tablets which promise to remove dirt in the dishwasher without hassle
Julius explains: ‘Removing the stains in this test is a difficult task. There are two types of enzymes that are crucial components of dishwasher detergents as they help to break down the food molecules.
‘The first are proteases, which tackle proteins including meat, milk, egg yolks and cheese. The second are amylases which break down carbohydrates. Enzymes start to act immediately and help to remove encrusted stains, in theory reducing the need to soak overnight.’
Get the right balance of enzymes — and other essential chemical ingredients — and you’ll have a tablet that can tackle any stain. So, which have the sparkle factor?
FAIRY PLATINUM ORIGINAL
£12 for a pack of 27
The claim: ‘First time cleaning action; our best for tough challenges and greasy filter.’
JULIUS SAYS: Egg is tricky due to the fact that it dries very quickly and tends to be encrusted on any dish used. In order to effectively remove it, the main requirement is that the dishwasher tablet needs to contain adequate amounts of proteases (the enzymes sensitive to proteins) — this tablet obviously doesn’t.
SADIE’S VERDICT: Disappointing smears on everything, quite a lot of egg left on the bowl and lasagne on two corners of the white dish, but no trace of sausage fat, lipstick, wine or tea stains. I expected more from the most expensive tablet out of the ten. 2/5
Sadie (pictured) found Finish Powerball Quantum Max was able to clean the wine glass but left behind spots of fat on the enamel tray
FINISH POWERBALL QUANTUM MAX
£8 for a pack of 27
The claim: ‘Our best clean and shine.’
JULIUS SAYS: The fact that the dishes weren’t smeared with food, but weren’t clean either, suggests this tablet needs a higher proportion of ingredients called builders — carbonates, silicates and citrates. Their main function is controlling water hardness, as water that is too hard can leave dishes and glasses looking dull. They also help to remove oil and grease, and tough stains such as burnt milk.
SADIE’S VERDICT: Given the price, I had high hopes for gleaming dishes, but was disappointed. Although there were very few smears, the dishes lacked lustre. The wine glass and mug were clean but there was a spot of brown fat on the enamel tray, dregs of lasagne on the dish and quite a lot of egg. 3/5
Julius believes Finish Powerball needs a higher proportion of ingredients called builders to clean dishes
ESSENTIAL WAITROSE ALL-IN-ONE LEMON
£5 for a pack of 45
The claim: Sparkling finish. Cuts through grease.
JULIUS SAYS: A seemingly brilliant product which appears to have a more powerful formulation than many of the other tablets. To get results this good its chemical balance must have been well-designed.
SADIE’S VERDICT: They might be part of Waitrose’s budget range but the results were pretty impressive. There was only a tiny amount of lasagne left in one corner of the white dish and a faint line of scrambled egg. Everything else was streak-free and sparkling. 4/5
Julius advises using a higher dishwasher temperature when using M&S classic tablets
SIMPLY M&S CLASSIC DISHWASHER TABLETS
£2.50 for a pack of 30
The claim: Powerful cleaning and stain removal.
JULIUS SAYS: To get brilliant results on these types of stains and to avoid pre-soaking or rinsing, detergent is very important. For really tough stains like egg and pasta it’s best to select a higher dishwasher temperature of 55-60c for added cleaning power.
SADIE’S VERDICT: M&S doesn’t make any bold claims. To be fair, it states clearly on the box that consumers should ‘remove food scraps and rinse heavily soiled items before loading the dishwasher’. I confess that I didn’t, and I paid the price. There was baked-on lasagne on the base of the ceramic dish and a faint sausage fat shadow, but only a small amount of egg on the glass bowl, and the wine glass and cup were sparkling. 3/5
Sainsbury’s prism rated highly as Sadie compared the results to a fancy restaurant
SAINSBURY’S PRISM
£4 for a pack of 25
The claim: It can remove every stubborn stain on your dishes, without pre-soaking, and works better than any other brand currently available.
JULIUS SAYS: The results suggest this tablet has a good balance of enzymes, providing powerful cleaning while controlling water hardness to avoid water marks and leave a great shine.
SADIE’S VERDICT: The gleam on all five items was the sort you’d find on crockery and glassware in a fancy restaurant. The tea cup, enamel sausage tin and wine glass were spotless. But there was a tiny amount of egg on one side of the glass bowl and a trace of lasagne in the dish. 4/5
Julius believes the Tesco dishwasher tablet lacks chemical bleaching or oxidant power which is needed for removing coloured stains
TESCO ALL-IN-ONE
£4 for a pack of 30
The claim: Ultra stain lifting technology; lifts grease and dried-on food; sparkling glasses and cutlery.
JULIUS SAYS: That this tablet performed brilliantly on the lasagne dish but not on the red wine stain suggests that the tablet lacks chemical bleaching or oxidant power, which is crucial for removing coloured stains such as tea, red wine, coffee and tomato.
SADIE’S VERDICT: This was the only tablet that removed every last scrap of lasagne, but it was also the only one to leave a significant red wine stain in the bottom of the glass. There was egg left on the bowl and a speck of sausage fat on the tin, although the lipstick was long gone and the tea cup was spotless. 3/5
Asda’s dishwasher tablets were rated low as they were unable to remove traces of egg
ASDA Smartprice Dishwasher Tablets
£1.60 for a pack of 30
The claim: There isn’t one! Perhaps the wisest marketing call of them all.
JULIUS SAYS: This tablet made the dishes gleam but had a mixed performance on stains. However, we must remember it is a value product that’s not intended to compete with the leading brands. Typically, there are less enzymes (and other ingredients) in cheaper products. But then consumers’ expectations are probably not as high as if they were buying a premium product.
SADIE’S VERDICT: The biggest splat of sausage fat of the lot, and yet another tablet that was defeated by the ‘scum line’ of egg. But it saw off the tea, lipstick and red wine and there were only two specks in the lasagne dish. Not sure I’d fancy its chances on dishes from a dinner party or Christmas lunch though. 2/5
Lidl’s W5 Classic rated the lowest as Sadie says dishes and bowls emerged looking like they needed to be washed again
MORRISONS All-In-ONE Lemon
£4 for a pack of 30
The claim: Brilliant cleaning performance; rinse aid for streak-free dishes; helps keep your dishwasher fresh.
JULIUS SAYS: Lipstick is a very greasy stain which responds mainly to the alkalinity of the detergent, so the fact that the lipstick remained means these tablets probably don’t contain enough alkalines.
SADIE’S VERDICT: My dishes scrubbed up surprisingly well. The tablet totally removed the lasagne and outperformed the majority of the other brands by obliterating most of the egg. It was therefore a shame that the lipstick on the wine glass remained intact. 4/5
LIDL W5 Classic
£2.95 for a pack of 60
The claim: Only that the tablets are ‘free from phosphates’.
JULIUS SAYS: The reason there is so much egg and lasagne on these dishes is probably that this is a ‘classic’ rather than an ‘all-in-one’ product. This means salt and rinse aid should be added to the dishwasher to make it effective. It’s not a premium product and has less powerful ingredients. Sometimes you get what you pay for!
SADIE’S VERDICT: Although there wasn’t much streaking overall and the tea mug and wine glass were clean, the lasagne dish and glass bowl emerged looking as though they needed another hour in there. There was also fat on the sausage dish. 1/5
ALDI MAGNUM
£2.49 for pack of 50
The claim: Outstanding every-day cleaning.
JULIUS SAYS: Most of the stains in this trial are complex and need enzymes and chemical bleaching in order to come clean, and in that respect this is clearly a well-formulated tablet. But, as before, lipstick is a very greasy stain and the fact that it hasn’t come off shows the tablet isn’t quite alkaline enough.
SADIE’S VERDICT: Does what it says on the box. Although this was only the second brand to be defeated by the lipstick mark, it performed unexpectedly well on everything else. The mug and sausage tray were shining and there were only scant remnants of lasagne and egg on the dish and bowl. The tablets are exceptionally good value, too. 4/5