Can You Use Dish Soap in a Dishwasher?

If you’ve run out of detergent and are wondering if you can use dish soap in a dishwasher, let us warn you before it’s too late.

Never use regular dish soap in the dishwasher.

Why?

Because it bubbles. As a result, you’re likely to overflow your kitchen with loads of foam.

You can watch this short video that captures what happens inside and outside a dishwasher when you put in dish soap.

Definitely not recommended.

But what if it’s too late?

Already used dish soap in the dishwasher?

Okay, so if you’re reading this post because it’s too late, follow the steps below.

1. Turn off the dishwasher.

2. Put some towels on the floor to soak up the foam and use a mop if needed to dry the floor.

3. Using a bowl, scoop as much foam out of the dishwasher as you can.

4. Fetch a clean cloth to get into the nooks and crannies to wipe off any water and foam.

5. Open up the detergent dispenser tray in the door. With a clean cloth, empty out any remaining dish soap.

6. Run the dishwasher once more without any soap or detergent to clean out any leftover soap that might still be inside the dishwasher.

Done.

So, can you use dish soap in the dishwasher?

By now you know that’s a big no-no.

Why does dish soap foam?

Manufacturers of conventional dish soap have conditioned consumers to believe that dishes only get clean when the soap creates massive amounts of foam.

However, it’s not the foam that removes leftover food and dirt. It’s the soap.

Nevertheless, to make soap foam an unnecessarily ridiculous amount, manufacturers add chemicals to their products, like sodium lauryl sulfate (aka SLS).

The issue with SLS is not only that it leads to an unnecessary amount of foam, but also the fact that it is a known carcinogen.

This is not an ingredient that belongs in the soap that you use to wash the dishes you eat from. (If you wanna check out an SLS-free alternative, here’s the most natural dish soap there is).

Even if you use the dishwasher, you need some dish soap anyway for items that are not dishwasher safe, like wooden utensils.

Why not treat yourself to a soap that doesn’t poison your body? (Find it here.)

Chances are if you’ve landed on this post, you’re out of dishwasher detergent, so here’s one more tip.

There’s danger lurking inside dishwasher pods.

In recent years, injuries from dishwasher detergent pods have sent an increasing number of kids to the emergency room.

Here’s why.

Young kids love to play with the pods because they are colorful and have an interesting texture. Since they don’t realize the danger lurking inside them, there have been many cases of children biting or squeezing them.

That can cause the pods to burst, sometimes injuring kids’ eyes severely.

In addition to that, a study found that children are frequently tempted to ingest detergent pods (because the pods resemble candy). This causes internal tissue damage as well as intense inflammation and swelling inside their bodies.

That’s dangerous.

Remember what we told you before about chemicals (like SLS) in conventional dish soap? Dishwasher pods are not the least bit better.

To solve this issue, think about getting some detergent powder instead, which most children seem to find less tempting. Or, alternatively, make sure the pods are stored way out of children’s reach.

Or ditch the dishwasher altogether and start hand washing dishes with a harmless, 100% nontoxic, all-natural dish soap.

Why?

Watch the video to find out:

Check it out here.

Never use dish soap in the dishwasher (again)

Now you know you can't use dish soap in the dishwasher.

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