Why Your Dishwasher Is Leaving Dishes Dirty

Doing the dishes by hand isn’t for the faint of heart, which is why homes have a dishwasher in the center of their kitchen. Most of them look (and operate) the same: you fill it, insert your pod (or liquid detergent), and select your cycle. It runs, chimes incessantly, and then your dishes are sparkly clean, ready to be used again. Right? Right? Too often, dishes that go into your dishwasher dirty come out the same way — cleaner but not completely clean.

So, what are you supposed to do? Well, you shouldn’t scrub dishes by hand before putting them in: Though it seems counterintuitive, modern detergents and dishwashers are designed to work more effectively with some food residue. It’s true; the enzymes in your detergent need food particles to activate, and the dishwasher’s sensors may adjust the wash cycle based on the level of dirtiness. (Smart, huh?) But if that isn’t your problem, it could be a dirty filter or the detergent you’re buying.

Dropps Ultrawash Plus (64 Pods)

You see, dishwasher detergent has become an oddly crowded category. You can buy pods that promise streak-free glassware, powders that insist they’re safer for the planet, liquids engineered for “tough jobs,” or tablets wrapped in materials no one can pronounce. Somewhere in that mix sits Dropps, a brand that built its name on sustainability long before it was a trendy marketing move. Their latest product, the UltraWash Plus pods, is the company’s most confident attempt to move from “eco-friendly alternative” to “everyday essential.”

The UltraWash Plus is a pod-style detergent with a biobased certification from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That certification means most of the ingredients come from biological sources rather than petroleum, making it ideal for shoppers who care about environmental impact but don’t have the patience to decode ingredient lists. The pods themselves use a chambered design — separate compartments that hold detergent, enzymes, and a degreasing liquid. This isn’t just for show, though it looks cool. Dishwasher detergents rely heavily on enzymes to break down food, and when those enzymes mingle with the wrong ingredients too early, they lose their effectiveness. By isolating them until the wash cycle begins, UltraWash Plus aims to deliver better cleaning power without relying on harsher chemicals.

Of course, your detergent ultimately has to work, and while the UltraWash Plus pods don’t surmount the strongest, most aggressive pods on the market, they sit comfortably near the top. They clean standard daily messes without drama, handle proteins and sauces effectively, and don’t require pre-rinsing dishes. And that last point matters more than people realize: pre-rinsing wastes water and time, and needing to do it undercuts whatever a detergent claims about convenience or cleaning strength. So, if you want a pod that aligns with your sustainability goals without feeling like a step backward, Dropps makes that decision easy.

Featured Image Credit: Maria Korneeva/Getty