Composition of dishwasher tablets

Often, dishwasher users do not even think about what their household chemicals, which they regularly use to wash dishes, are made of. This is not a critical mistake, but it is still much better to know the chemical composition of the products that could potentially enter our body if for some reason they settle on the dishes after the working cycle. Knowing the composition of dishwasher tablets, you can determine both how much household chemicals can harm you and your family members, and how effectively the product will cope with its task, that is, wash dirty dishes. Let's look in detail at what modern tablets for dishwashers consist of.

What are Ecover tablets made of?

To begin with, let’s look at environmentally friendly Ecover tablets as an example. Experts assure that no harmful substances are included in this product, so their contact with the skin or the human body is completely harmless. This does not mean that they should be used for food, but you definitely shouldn’t be afraid of chemical residues on the dishes after the working cycle. What are the components of the product?

Sodium citrate, endowed with antibacterial action. This preservative stimulates foam formation and also regulates the ph factor. It is thanks to this that the tablets bubble strongly in water. You can find it everywhere, from carbonated drinks to instant medications.
Sodium percarbonate helps whiten dishes and remove heavy stains.To obtain the substance on an industrial scale, specialists evaporate hydrogen peroxide with sodium carbonate until a crystalline state is obtained.
Sodium carbonate, necessary for softening hard tap water. Thus, it also helps to preserve the resource of the ion exchanger, which is still restored by specialized salt for PMM. In nature, it can be found in salt lakes, where it exists in the form of hydrate.

One of the main components of environmentally friendly detergents, sodium carbonate is most mined in the United States of America, where there are rich natural sources of trona.

Sodium bicarbonate, baking soda, is actively used in baking, where it is needed to make bread, buns and other products more fluffy. This chemical can be obtained from natural salts by passing ammonia and carbon dioxide over a solution of halite. Basically, soda, like sodium carbonate, is produced in the United States.
Sodium disilicate is added to form granules and bind the substance together. This component is successfully extracted from minerals of the earth's crust. A solution of sodium disilicate is also often called liquid glass, from which the powder is evaporated.
Sodium polyaspartate is needed in the composition to retain dirt.
Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid helps dissolve scale in the dishwasher.
Isooctyl glucoside, required in tablets to destroy proteins and microbes. This element, extracted from plants, is commonly used in mouthwashes along with other detergents.
D-glucitol (sorbitol) is a sweetener also extracted from higher plants and various algae.
Methyl esters of rapeseed oil are included in rinses and help reduce the surface tension of water. This useful element is extracted from rapeseed.
Glycerin, obtained from starch and other substances, is needed to increase viscosity, as well as for the manufacture of various gels.
Amylase and protease are included in detergents to break down proteins and carbohydrates. Both components are natural enzymes primarily used in detergents.
Subtilisin, another natural element necessary for the effective breakdown of fats.
Limonene, the last component on the list, is needed as a natural flavoring agent so that the dishes acquire a natural smell after washing.

This was a detailed description of the composition of one single type of environmental tablets for dishwashers. These tablets are 4-in-1 cleaning chemicals, which in addition to elements for cleaning dishes also contain components for careful care of your “home helper”. It is also worth considering the fact that there are no ingredients aimed at caring for glass, so products with this additional effect should be studied further.

What are the different tablets made of?

In the last section, we studied in detail what is included in the 4 in 1 tablets of the Ecover brand. Now we will carefully analyze the compositions of other types of products, as well as from other manufacturers, in order to get a complete picture of the current situation with the presented tablets.

First of all, let's look at the composition of the most popular household chemicals from the manufacturer Finish. This product is called “Finish All in 1 Max” and is the undisputed leader on the Russian market of dishwasher products.Its composition can be called absolutely standard: 30 or more percent of the chemistry consists of phosphates, 5 or more, but less than 15 percent is oxygen-containing bleach, slightly less than 5 percent is occupied by polycarboxylates, nonionic surfactants, phosphonates, enzymes, and flavors, in which includes linalool and hexylcinnamal.
As the second point, we’ll look at a product from one of Finish’s main competitors in Russia – Somat. These tablets, called “All in 1”, consist of the following components: from 5 to 15 percent acid bleach, phosphonates and polycarboxylates, less than 5 percent of the tablet is made from nonionic surfactants, enzymes, and fragrance, including benzyl alcohol and limonene.
Now let’s study the composition of dishwasher tablets from the Synergetic company, which pays special attention to the environment and the creation of clean, harmless household chemicals. Their classic biodegradable, phosphate-free tablets for PMM contain: more than 30 percent sodium citrate, from 15 to 30 percent sodium carbonate, from 5 to 15 percent sodium percarbonate, up to 5 percent complex of plant H-tensides, sodium metasilicate, TAED, enzymes , sodium polycarboxylate, and less than 0.5 percent food coloring.
Another product whose manufacturing company positions itself as the creator of the safest and most environmentally friendly products is the “BIO-TOTAL 7-in-1” tablets from the BioMio brand. The detergent consists of 15-30 percent oxygen bleach, less than 5 percent polycarboxylates, non-ionic surfactants, natural eucalyptus essential oil fragrance, enzymes and limonene.
Finally, let’s study the description of “All in 1” tablets from Clean&Fresh. A super popular detergent, the winner of the TV show “Test Purchase” boasts the following composition: more than 30 percent sodium tripolyphosphate, from 15 to 30 percent sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate, from 5 to 15 percent sodium silicate, polycarboxylates, non-ionic surfactants, TAED, enzymes, phosphonates and fragrances, as well as up to 5 percent dye.

As you can see from the list above, most dishwasher tablets are created from the same ingredients, so there is no point in spending a lot of time searching for the safest and most harmless detergent. Today, all popular household chemicals are created in such a way as to be as safe and environmentally friendly as possible, so users often do not need to worry about their composition.