A dishwashing liquid is a detergent that has been specially made for washing dishes. Not all products are suitable for this purpose and some could be very harmful or even poisonous. So, it is important that we identify the best dishwashing liquid for our purposes and learn what ingredients are included in each one. This is all to make you aware of the types of chemicals in dishwashing liquids and how they affect your health.
Types of Dishwashing Liquids Detergent
When choosing a dishwashing liquid, you may notice that there are different kinds of soaps in the supermarket. The following are some of them:
- Liquid Dishwashing Detergent It is a dishwashing detergent in liquid form, but it contains no surfactants. All it contains is water and cleaning agents. Usually, this type of product is used to rinse small objects, such as glasses and cups. When choosing a dishwashing liquid, we have to consider all of the above types. We should take into account what kind of cleaning agent we need and choose the appropriate product. Besides, there are some other important things to consider when we buy one.
- Other additives In normal circumstances, dishwashing liquids have several ingredients including surfactants and solvents (Dow Chemical).
- Liquid Automatic Dishwasher Detergent It is basically a liquid dishwasher detergent that is designed to be used in automatic dishwashers. It comes in a concentrated form and must be diluted with water before using. This type may contain more surfactants than a regular liquid dishwashing detergent since it needs to keep the dishes clean in automatic machines where they are cleaned in standing water without being agitated.
Dishwashing Liquid Detergent Forms
Dishwashing liquids are available in different forms such as gel, powder, or tablets. Which type is best for you depends on a variety of factors including the frequency of use, your budget, and the amount of space you have to store it. Gels are perfect for modern dishwashers. Gels are good for your hands and dishware, leaving everything spotless. They're a little more expensive than liquids, but worth every penny! Dishwasher tablets are great for people who don't use their dishwasher all that often as the tablet won't get used up too quickly and still works just as well when dissolved in a pot of water. The downside with this form is that you have to buy new tablets each time you run out which can be costly over time. Powder dishwashing liquids are best for the frequent use of a dishwasher. They work well and don't dry out. The only downside is that they require a large amount of storage space as they take up more space than gel and tablets. 
There are many different types of dishwashing liquids and to make sure that you get the right ones you need to ensure that they meet certain criteria. This means that they should be:
- Eco-friendly – When we talk about eco-friendly products we don't just mean they are made from recycled materials but also that they don't contain harmful chemicals. There are several ways to do this with dishwashing liquid namely by using natural ingredients such as tea tree oil and lemon peel oil. Or by using environmentally friendly surfactants.
- Economical – Dishes are used repeatedly in the same place so it's important that you get a product that is cost effective. Dishwashing liquids come in different forms but most of them have a similar price range. As long as there are no unnecessary additives or chemicals then you should be able to afford one without spending too much.
- Easy – It's important to have dishwashing products that are easy to use and store, this means that the bottle needs to be easy to open, pour and close back up again after use.
Dishwashing Liquid Detergent Ingredients
The ingredients in dishwashing liquid detergent are sodium laureth sulfate, cocoamidopropyl betaine, sodium lauryl ether sulfate, sodium chloride, and citric acid. The purpose of these compounds is to clean dishes by breaking down the fat and protein molecules through a process called saponification. This converts them into soap which easily rinses away with water. The best dishwashing liquid detergent will have an ingredient list that is as short as possible while still meeting the requirements of a good dishwasher cleaner; this usually means including something like tetrapropylene glycol monobutylether or PEG 150 pentaerythrityl ether.. Products with ingredients in large type, small amounts or both occupy a lot of space on the bottle; they also provide less information. 
A better choice is a product with an ingredient list comprised entirely of short-chain linear ethoxylated surfactants, comprising PEG propylene glycol ethers and anionic block polymers. These products clean effectively and do not strip away any of the 'good' oils from your dishes. These sorts of ingredients are also known as polyethoxylated blocks because there are hundreds of different polyethoxy block copolyesters (PEO) available commercially, all produced from polyoxyethylene and polypropylene blocks. As with many consumer products, dishwashing liquid detergent manufacturers add to their product by adding fragrances, dyes, and other ingredients which have no bearing on the cleaning capabilities of the product. The purpose of these other ingredients is to provide an additional marketing advantage for these products. Fragrances are included as a marketing strategy to promote a sense of cleanliness or freshness in our kitchens. Dyes are added to make the product look more attractive than those sold by competitors. These sorts of additives are not required for the cleaning process, but they can help sell a product in a crowded market.
Difference between Hand and Automatic Dishwashing Detergent
The main difference between hand and automatic dishwashing liquid is the ingredients. Hand dishwashing liquids are more natural and are usually made from a combination of water, soap, and glycerin. Automatic dishwasher detergents can be made up of many different chemicals. Hand dishwashing liquids are usually more expensive than automatic dishwashing liquids but they are also better for the environment. They can be used to clean dishes in a more thorough way. Automatic dishwashing liquids are cheaper and can be used with a dishwasher. The downside is that they don't provide as good of an experience as hand washing does because it doesn't do a thorough job of cleaning the dishes and it needs to be rinsed off. Hand washing has been proven to be a better way to clean dishes. Automatic dishwashing does use less water than hand washing as it is pumped through the machine with a push-and-lock pump action, so less water is wasted and less energy is used. The main problem with automatic dishwashing is that there's no way for the user to know how much detergent will be left in their machine until the next time they use it.