Keeping dishes and utensils clean is an important part of practicing good kitchen hygiene and food safety for everyone. While choosing your dishwash Liquid, it’s important to make sure that the dishwash soap/liquid meets all surfaces of the dish to property clean it. You can either create a sudsy solution in the sink or your largest dish or apply directly to the dish or sponge and scrub each one individually ensuring you get all sides, and inside hard-to-reach-items. However, choosing the best brand to clean utensils forms the most important task in hand given the fact that there are plenty to choose from. Therefore, we hand picked seven dishwash liquid/gel brands and tested these products following the Indian Standard IS: 6047:2009 specification for Scouring Products(liquid type) for utensils Cleaning. Read on to know which brand grabbed the top positions based on their performance scores.

A Consumer Voice Report

All the brands were evaluated and graded as per their overall performance based on the comprehensive lab-test reports. The products were tested on parameters including cleaning efficacy, tough soil cleaning, active matter, lather, surface damage, sensory tests, active alkalinity, packing, marking, net volume among others.

Brands tested

The following table is a ready reference to check the number one dishwasher liquid/gel.

The above seven brands were evaluated and graded as per their overall performance based on the comprehensive lab-test reports. It is here to be noted that, brands Dettol and Pitambari claimed to be anti-bacterial.

CV Recommendations

Value for Money

Clean Mate

Key findings

• Brands Clean Mate and Reliance Scrubz secured number 1 position followed by Dettol in overall performance score.
• In performance tests that includes cleaning efficacy and tough soil cleaning parameters, Clean
• Mate and Reliance Scrubz performed exceedingly well.
• Brand Clean Mate was recognized as The Value-For-Money product too.
• However, brands Clean Mate and Reliance Scrubz were found with the highest quantity of Active Matter.
• Vim followed by Dettol and Reliance Scrubz were found with the highest lather content.
• All the tested brands were found free from any harmful skin effect.

COMPARATIVE PERFORMANCE SCORES OF DISHWASH LIQUID/GEL

Rating: >91 – Very good *****, 71-90- Good ****, 51-70 Average ***, 31-50- Poor **, up to 30 – Very Poor *

TEST RESULTS

Cleaning Efficacy| Tough Soil Cleaning| Active Matter| Lather| Surface Damage| Sensory Tests| Active Alkalinity| Marking| Net Volume| Packing

TEST PARAMETERS

Test parameters for comparative testing were decided following the relevant Indian standard IS:6047-2009, which was reaffirmed in 2016.

CLEANING EFFICACY

Cleaning efficacy is the cleaning capability of the dishwash liquid for utensils. A fixed quantity of liquid, in this case 5 gm of liquid/gel was taken from each brand to check the cleaning efficacy. This test was done to evaluate the grease/oil removal efficiency of the product. As per the evaluation protocol, each 5 gm of sample should be able to clean minimum 5 plates. Here, in this test, all the brands could clean more than the minimum number of 5 plates while brands Reliance Scrubz and Clean Mate each had cleaned the maximum number of 20 plates, hence scored 10 out of 10.

TOUGH SOIL CLEANING

To evaluate the tough soil cleaning efficiency test, a soiling mixture consisting of wheat flour 16.5 per cent, besan flour of 16.5 per cent, rice flour 17 per cent and 50 per cent vegetable oil was prepared and spread evenly on the stainless steel plate using a brush. Soiled plates were put on hot plate maintained at temp. Of 325°c for about 2 minutes and was cooled at room temperature. Then using the under-test products (liquid dishwash/gel), the plates were cleaned Thethoroughly. The soil solution was is spread evenly on the stainless steelstainless-steel plate using a brush such that the soil loading could be at is 0.2 g/cm2• The minimum tTough soil cleaning capacity should be at 5 per cent. All the brands were able to clean the tough soil adequately meeting the Indian Standard (IS) requirements. The brands performed well above the minimum requirement as well.

ACTIVE MATTER

Active matter is the major key ingredients as amount of cleansing agent/compound present in the cleaning liquid in the form of detergent or soap for the cleaning purpose. Active matter shall be minimum 12.0 per cent. All the brands were found above the minimum requirement of 12 per cent. Brand Clean Mate (21.41) followed by Reliance Scrubz (21.12) were found with highest amount of active matter while other brands had met the minimum requirement of 12 per cent.

LATHER

Foam/lather is the amount of foam generated after dissolving a fixed quantity of powered utensil bar in a specified quantity of water. This test indicates the foaming efficiency of the product. Lather shall be 70 ml minimum. All the brands passed the test. However, brands Vim and Dettol and followed by Reliance Scrubz generated the highest amount of foam.

SURFACE DAMAGE (Scratches)

The stainless-steel plates were soiled by applying 2 gms of oil and then cleaned using the under-test products. Scratches on plates were examined by visual inspection. As per the national standard, a maximum of 1 scratch is acceptable. All the brands passed this test.

SENSORY/ EFFECT ON SKIN

Sensory tests were conducted in lab for parameters including fragrance, colour and effect on skin. All the brands had lemon/lime fragrance. Colour was green or yellow. No effect was observed on skin from any brand tested. Thus, they were found safe for use.
Active (reserve) alkalinity: The maximum limit for active alkalinity as per the Indian Standard (IS) is 20 ml. All the brands were rated between the balanced levels of alkalinity keeping in mind its effect on the skin of users. All the brands were well below the maximum permissible limit thus found safe to human skin. Brand Vim and Pril had the lowest active alkalinity at 0.10ml.

MARKING

According to the prescribed standards, such product packages shall be marked with the following information:

• Name of the material and type.
• Volume of the material in the package ‘When packed’.
• Name of the manufacturer and trademark, ifany.
• Batch number.6. Date of manufacture (month and year).
• Directions and instructions for usages.
• Precautions.
• Best before.
• Key ingredients in descending order.
• MRP.
• Customer care details.
• It was observed that best before was not mentioned by Reliance Scrubz, Vim, Pitambari. Vim did not mark instruction for use. Whereas brand Dettol had all information recommended by the Indian standard requirements.

Net volume: The net volume for all the brands was measured and compared with the declared value.

Net volume of all the brands was found as per their claim. Dishwash liquid/gel comes in concentrated gel/liquid form. Therefore, it should be diluted before use as per the instruction given on pack.

PACKING

The materials shall be securely packed in plastics, wrappers, paper board containers, cartons as appropriate to the product. Packaging should be recyclable or biodegradable. All the brands except Pitambari were packed in plastic bottle. Pitambari was packed in plastic pouch packaging. Pouch packs are cheaper than plastic bottle pack.

About dishwashing liquid/gel

Dishes and utensils cleaning products are the formulations in powder, bar, paste or liquid form, which contain a cleansing agent like synthetic detergent, soap, SLS etc. along with a powdered mildly abrasive materials (optional in case of liquid). These are used for cleansing of utensils, crockery, and kitchen shelf and at times for wash basin, cooker tops etc. where cleansing is affected by the combined action of detergency and scrubbing.

Two types of dish cleaner are mainly used for dish washing:

Dishwash Bars: Bars which are commonly used
for the purpose of cleaning the utensils.

Dishwash Liquid Washer: Liquid utensil washers are the liquid-based soaps which are more convenient to use as well as gives a good washing and reduces surface damage. Liquid soaps are more expensive and cause less wastage in comparison to bars as they do not have mushiness content.

Should you use a dishwasher?

Dishwasher can help save your time, water and energy. It is more water and energy-efficient than washing dishes manually— since a running sink uses more water, and the dishwasher uses less water in an entire cycle. Dishwashers are designed to clean at high temperatures, and yours might include a sanitization cycle. If you are busy or have a large household, a dishwasher will save you the time and effort of having to wash your dishes manually. Dishwashers can also clean more efficiently and are more hygienically. Water in dishwashers is heated to high temperatures to help kill any lingering bacteria, leaving your cutlery, dishes and glasses hygienically clean and ready to use again.

CONCLUSION

Based on the overall performance of the utensil liquids tested in the laboratory, a few brands have performed slightly higher than the others possibly due to higher quality of ingredients used in their compositions. The performance tests were conducted using the recommended stainless steel fresh/new plates as per guidelines of Indian standard. For tough soil cleaning test, the stainless- steel plates were kept in the oven for a specific time and performance of all the brands was found satisfactory. Thus, keeping into the overall test performance, brands Clean Mate and Reliance Scrubz attained the number 1 position followed by Dettol. On the other hand, we also found Clean Mate as the Value-For-Money brand in our test.

A Consumer Voice Report

Brands tested

CV Recommendations

Value for Money 

Patanjali

Key findings

• Based on the overall test findings, Lizol and Clean Mate are the top performers and are followed by
Vow and Patanjali.
• The value-for-money brand is Patanjali.
• All brands passed in tests for cleaning properties and stability.
• QAC content in all the QAC-based brands met the minimum requirement specified in the Indian
Standard.
• All QAC-based brands met all requirements specified in the standard except in the case of pH.
• Mr Muscle met the specified limit for pH.

WHAT THEY CLAIM

TEST RESULTS

FOR PHYSICOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS
QAC Content | Cleaning Properties | Non-Volatile Matter | Stability | pH | Odour | Colour

QAC content

QAC content in surface cleaner shall be a minimum 0.40 per cent.
• All QAC-based brands had more than the minimum required amount of the compound.
• As for the other types of surface cleaners, Mr Muscle was found to have 0.16 per cent QAC. CIF did not claim to have QAC.

Cleaning properties

The material, when applied either neat or diluted with water by means of a clean lint-free cloth or a cotton mop, will clean as described in the Indian Standard.
• All brands were found to clean the surface effectively.

Non-volatile matter

Determination of non-volatile matter or residue is an important qualitative test for products in which the presence of any residue may affect product quality and performance, or process efficiency. Non-volatile matter is the soluble, suspended, or particulate material remaining following evaporation of the volatile solvent that contains the material. For surface cleaners, this shall be a minimum four per cent as per Indian Standard.
• Clean Mate and Lizol scored highest among the QAC-based surface cleaners.
• Non-volatile matter in all the QAC-based brands was above the minimum requirement. As for the non-QAC brands, it was 1.51 per cent in Mr Muscle and 45.32 per cent in CIF.

Stability

his is to know if the product will remain effective during its life period.
• All brands cleared the test.

pH

pH value of surface cleaners shall be in the 5–7 range. This is considered to be neutral value since it will not adversely affect either the surface or the person who is using the cleaner.
• All brands except Mr Muscle were above the specified limit (5–7).

Odours and Colours

◆ Odour
The material shall be odourless or with a pleasant fragrance.
• All tested brands had acceptable odour and pleasant fragrance.

◆ Colour
The material shall be colourless or with a suitable colour. The product, when applied for cleaning and subsequent wiping out with wet mop, should not leave any coloration or stain on the floor or any other surface. On dilution with water as recommended, the colour shall be faint to colourless.
• All the brands were light-coloured.

PHYSICOCHEMICAL SCORES 

Packing and Marking

Packing should be proper because it protects the product from deterioration and increases its shelf life. The material should be packed in glass bottles or suitable plastic containers, provided with a pilfer-proof cap made of either metal or plastic. The size of the container should be 200 ml, 500 ml or 1 litre.
Each pack should feature the following details about the product:
a) Indication of the source of manufacture
b) Net content of the material
c) Name of the material
d) Month and year of manufacture, and Batch No. and Code No.
e) Direction for use
f) Cautionary label stating ‘do not mix with household soap & detergents’
g) MRP
h) Customer-care details

• All the brands were packed in plastic bottles.
• Patanjali did not feature both cautionary label and the ‘best before’ date.

QAC-based surface cleaners versus phenolic compound-based floor cleaners