I tried supermarket own-brand dishwasher tablets and one was better and cheaper than Fairy

A HOUSEHOLD staple for most of us, dishwasher tablets will often do the heavy lifting when it comes to cleaning crockery and glassware.

But the last thing you want when you open your dishwasher is to find gritty residue left on cups so you have to hand wash them anyway. If that’s happening to you, it’s time to swap brands.

A good dishwasher tablet should cut through grease, remove tough stains like tea and coffee and leave your glasses gleaming and free of watermarks.

But are supermarket own brands as good as big brands Finish and Fairy?

To help you choose, mum-of-three Lynsey Hope, 40, from West Malling, Kent, put six supermarket brands to the test against the market leaders.

Here’s what happened:

Aldi Magnum All In One Original Dishwasher Tablets (40)

• £3.29
• 8.2p per tablet

Lynsey says: “We got brilliant results from these budget tablets which removed even the toughest stains and grease by the end of the wash.

"They lifted grease off well. Their overall efficiency was let down a tiny bit by cloudiness and water marks left on some glasses and Tupperware but at 8.2p a wash I don’t mind giving glasses a quick wipe afterwards.

"Overall they did a great job for a great price.”

• EFFICIENCY: 7/10
• VALUE: 10/10
• OVERALL RATING: 9/10

Asda Ultimate All in 1 Dishwasher Tablets (50)

• £5.95
• 11.9p per tablet

Lynsey says: "A little more money if you want the ‘ultimate’ ones from Asda but they worked really well and will still save you money compared to leading brands.

"They are just as good too. No gritty residue left on cups and they did a good job of removing tougher stains including coffee and tea from cups and some burnt egg.

"I noticed a tiny bit of clouding on glasses but otherwise, a great option from Asda."

• EFFICIENCY: 8/10
• VALUE: 7/10
• OVERALL RATING: 7/10

Tesco All-in-One Dishwasher Tablets (40)

• £4
• 10p per tablet

Lynsey says: "The Tesco tablets did a great job of cleaning. Some mugs had a few tea stains remaining but on the whole these did an impressive job.

"Cutlery and crockery came out sparkling no matter what cycle I tried. A great budget friendly option."

• EFFICIENCY: 7/10
• VALUE: 9/10
• OVERALL RATING:8/10

Morrisons All In 1 Dishwasher Tablets (30)

• £3
• 10p per tablet

Lynsey says: "No stains proved too stubborn for these all in one tablets. Glassware came out sparkling with no chalky residue.

"If I was being very picky I might have said there was the odd speck left on crockery.  Great price for a great product at Morrisons."

• EFFICIENCY: 9/10
• VALUE: 9/10
• OVERALL RATING: 9/10

All In One Dishwasher Tablets Lemon by Sainsbury’s (30)

• £3
• 10p per tablet

Lynsey says: "Sadly these were the only supermarket tablets I wasn’t terribly impressed with.

"The tablet seemed to break apart quite easily when I tried to put it in the machine and even though it wasn’t a heavy load, there were quite a few stains left on bowls and plates when I came to empty the dishwasher.

"Glasses had a bit of gritty residue on the outside which I had to wipe off."

• EFFICIENCY: 3/10
• VALUE: 3/10
• OVERALL RATING: 3/10

Essential Waitrose 45 All-In-One Dishwasher Tablets

• £4.35
• 9.7p per tablet

Lynsey says: "These Waitrose tablets show just how good own-brand cleaning products can be.

"Beaten only on price by Aldi, these did an excellent job of cleaning the dishes. They successfully cleaned off jam, rice, porridge.

"All my crockery came out pristine and the glasses were sparkling and bright. Fantastic product from Waitrose. I’ll be stocking up on these."

• EFFICIENCY: 10/10
• VALUE: 10/10
• OVERALL RATING: 10/10

Finish Powerball All In 1 Max (46)

• £6
• 13p per tablet

Lynsey says: "They do the job ok but they are very expensive. Everything came out clean and they did a good job of removing stains.

"One piece of Tupperware in particular was quite stained but these cleaned it up well. Nothing much to complain about other than the price."

• EFFICIENCY: 9/10
• VALUE: 6/10
• OVERALL RATING: 7/10

Fairy Platinum All In One (25)

• £7
• 28p per tablet

Lynsey says: "The most expensive tablets in our test. Even if you pick them up on offer for a fiver, they still cost 20p per tablet.

"I’m not sure they are worth it either. They were great for cleaning glassware with no visible clouding left on tumblers or wine glasses.

"But tougher stains such as porridge and tea stains remained after cleaning. I would have expected better given the price."

• EFFICIENCY: 5/10
• VALUE: 3/10
• OVERALL RATING: 4/10