Dishwashing liquid ( washing-up liquid or fairy liquid in British English), also known as dishwashing soap, dish detergent, or dish soap, is a type of detergent used in dishwashing. It is usually a highly- mixture of with low skin irritation that consumers primarily use for washing glasses, plates, cutlery, and kitchen utensil. In addition to its primary use, dishwashing liquid is also used for various informal applications, like creating bubbles, clothes washing, and cleaning off wildlife affected by oil spills. Dishwashing detergent for dishwashers is also available in various other forms such as cartridges, gels, packs, powder, and tablets.
Dishwashing liquid has been in use for a long time in various compositions and under different usage conditions.
History
Before the invention of detergents in Germany during World War I,
consumers used
Sodium carbonate for dishwashing.
Liquid detergent manufacturing for dishwashing began in the middle of the 20th century. Dishwashing detergent production started in the United States in the 1930s–1940s.
, the first dishwashing detergent in Europe, began its production in 1942.
Composition
Dishwashing liquid may contain
bleach,
, and rinsing aids.
The main ingredient is water and the main active ingredients are detergents. Dishwashing liquid uses detergent instead of soap because the soaps are likely to react with minerals in the water to form
soap scum. Dishwashing liquids also use thickening and stabilizing agents.
Other ingredients may include
, salts, preservatives, fragrances, antibacterial ingredients, and
Dye. Preservatives prevent the proliferation of microorganisms within the liquid. Antibacterial ingredients make it difficult for bacteria to survive on surfaces.
Some alternatives for dishwashing detergents may be homemade, using ingredients such as borax, essential oil, eucalyptus oil, leftover cooking oil, and bar soap, among others.
Items that can be damaged by certain dishwashing liquids (especially with the use of hot water or when put into a dishwasher) include household silver, fine glassware, Gold leaf objects, disposable plastics, as well as objects made of brass, bronze, cast iron, pewter, tin, or wood.
Hand dishwashing detergents utilize Surfactant to play the primary role in cleaning.
Surfactant design
There have been comparisons of different surfactants that reduce the surface tension of water to determine the most efficient dishwashing liquid.
Lowering of surface tension helps with the cleaning processes.
A study showed that anionic surfactant combined with non-ionic surfactant worked better than other combinations.
Another study found that cationic and anionic surfactants combined worked better than non-ionic and anionic surfactants combined.
Anionic and amphoteric surfactants combined are the least effective out of the three.
Safety concerns
In 2010, the United States FDA raised health concerns over
triclosan, an
antibacterial substance used in some dish liquids.
Elsewhere, triclosan has been found to create problems at wastewater treatment plants, whereby it can "sabotage some sludge-processing microbes and promote drug resistance in others."
As of 2025, triclosan has been banned in the United States, the European Union, Canada, and Australia, among others.
Some dishwashing products contain phosphates. Phosphates make dishes cleaner but can also cause harmful algal bloom as the wastewater goes back to the natural environment.
Many dishwashing liquids contain perfume which can cause Irritation or allergic contact dermatitis.
Primary uses
Dishwashing liquid is primarily used for removing food stains and grease from dirty dishes and tableware.
Consumers usually scrape heavy soil (large food particles) from the dishes before applying the dishwashing liquid.
Hand dishwashing
handwash dishes in the absence of a dishwashing machine or when large "hard-to-clean" items are present.
Automatic dishwashing
Automatic dishwashing is when consumers use a
dishwasher or other apparatus.
It is generally preferred for convenience, sanitation, or personal preference.
The cleaning is less reliant on the detergent's surfactants and more so on the machine's hot water as well as the detergent's builders, bleach, and enzymes.
Automatic dishwashing detergents' surfactants generally have less foam to avoid disrupting the machine.
Other uses
Domestic Usage
Reader's Digest notes that dishwashing liquid may be used to kill ants and weeds, help spread water-borne fertilizer, and wash human hair.
suggests using it to attract and drown
Drosophila by mixing with vinegar.
Oregon State University's Cooperative Extension Service notes the use of dishwashing liquid to get rid of spider mites.
with dishwashing liquid]]Some other uses of dishwashing liquid include:
-
Cleaning mirrors and windows.
-
Cleaning delicate clothing fabrics such as hosiery and lingerie.
-
Making and vinyl graphics easier to position when applying.
-
Making homemade garden pest deterrents.
-
Removing coffee, tea, olive oil, soda and fruit juice stains from fabrics.
Industrial Usage
Dishwashing liquid for inspecting equipment under pressure for leaks, such as
propane fittings.
It can also be used for inspecting
Pneumatics for
Flat tire, as well as for quality assurance during the installation process, and as a mounting
Tire bead lubricant.
Dishwashing liquid can also treat birds in
.
Market share
Currently, market research companies like Euromonitor and Grand View Research collect data on different brands' market share.
Euromonitor International collects market trends of many big brands like Procter and Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive, Henkel, Reckitt Benckiser, Unilever, Ajax.
For example, according to Euromonitor International, in 2013, Reckitt Benckiser held the highest retail value share percentages in nine countries:
As of 2025, the global dishwashing liquids market is approximately valued at US$18 billion.
See also
Further reading
External links
