Final Verdict. For the best performance and value, there's no beating Dawn Ultra Original Dish Soap. It's incredibly effective at cutting grease and removing stains using as little product as possible.
Think all dish soaps are the same? Think again. Dawn Ultra has 3X more grease-cleaning power per drop,* so you can get through more dishes with less. No matter what you've got cooking in the kitchen, Dawn dishwasing liquid will leave your dishes squeaky clean every time.
Dawn Original Dish Soap
This classic pick is the best overall dish soap because it requires less scrubbing than other dish soaps. It's also a versatile choice since it can be used on more than just dishes.
Dawn® Platinum
As you can see, the difference between these two is the Platinum version has an extra cleaning agent and water softener! This makes it more powerful for stuck on stains or food.
But, put simply, there is a secret ingredient. While the complete “recipe” is inaccessible for the masses, a Dawn spokeswoman has pointed the magic to uniquely powerful surfuctants—or, the chemical compounds that reduce the surface tension of a liquid when it's dissolved, aka the stuff that cuts the grease.
Expert cleaners at Classic Cleaners confirm that original blue dawn can be used for many things, not just the dishes, because of it's grease dissolving properties. It's also non-toxic, not harmful to your skin, it's biodegradable and it contains no phosphates.
Your toughest every day messes are no match for Dawn Platinum Dishwashing liquid with 4x grease cleaning power*. Available in liquid, spray, and foam.
Dawn Platinum Powerwash Dish Spray, Dish Soap is the faster, easier way to clean as you go. The spray activated suds cut through grease on contact, without water for 5X Faster* Grease Cleaning. Just Spray, Wipe, and Rinse to stay ahead of the mess and get done faster.
Even your toughest dishes get clean with ease.
Dawn Powerwash is almost the same as regular Dawn, but it also has rubbing alcohol. This helps it remove more stains. It also spray in a foam, so it's easy to dispense and small amount.
The two detergents seem to be equivalent in performance, but it is not clear whether they are the same detergent with different labeling or not. The consensus seems to be that the two are either identical or functionally identical. On this site, when we talk about Dawn Pro, we mean either.
No matter what you've got cooking in the kitchen, Dawn Ultra Antibacterial dishwashing liquid dish soap will leave your dishes squeaky clean every time. Get your ultimate clean and be the kitchen hero with the Grease Cleaning power of Dawn dishwashing liquid dish soap.
Hand Wash Dishes
See how just a bubble of Dawn Ultra cuts through grease.
Bottom lineDawn Ultra Dishwashing Liquid is a powerful cleanser that cuts through grease and foods quickly, making washing dishes by hand that much easier.
Though dish soap is great as a stain pretreatment option, it's not meant for direct use in a laundry washing machine. That's because dish soaps are uniquely formulated to break up grease and stuck-on food particles with foamy suds—something you don't want to happen in your washing machine.
Tools and outdoor supplies can get super greasy, and Dawn cuts that grease like a champ! Everything from wrenches to tires to bike rims can be cleaned with a teaspoon of the dish detergent in a gallon of hot water. Scrub with a sponge and rinse thoroughly, you'll be shocked how easily the grime is scrubbed away!
But Procter & Gamble is making it easier anyway. Dawn, the top-selling dish soap brand, has unveiled a redesigned bottle with “patented no-flip cap technology.” That means the bottle stands, upside-down, on its cap and dispenses from the bottom. A self-sealing valve prevents the soap from leaking.
It's all because the powerful suds are created in the spray chamber, which means it doesn't even require water to lather up suds the way regular dish soap does. Dawn Powerwash instantly clings to the surface, so it can do all of its magical grease- and dirt-busting work — minus the scrubbing effort.
It might sound counterintuitive, but it really works! The pure soap of Dawn Powerwash adheres better when cleaning glass shower doors and to ceramic sinks than soap mixed with water, allowing the solution to sit a little longer before scrubbing.
I have used Dawn platinum for years and it works great but the new change in scent is so overpowering that I will consider a new brand in the future. This is not a 'clean' smell, rather it smells like I bathed my dishes in perfume. Tempted to toss the current bottle because I can't stand the smell.
But above all, get this: You can use Dawn Powerwash for a lot more than just washing dishes. Reviewers say it's equally handy for cleaning stove tops and common kitchen appliances (like your air fryer). It can even be used on stainless steel.
Considering the above analysis of some of the key ingredients of Dawn dish soap, we would have to conclude that no, Dawn is not an environmentally friendly product. It contains one or more ingredients that are potential groundwater contaminants. They can pollute the water system and can harm fish or marine life.
You might sometimes think that diluting it will make it last longer, however, this may not be a good idea. By diluting it, you will be diluting the strength of the active ingredients which can cause dishes to not be as clean as you would like them to be.
Yes, Dawn Dish Soap is toxic because it contains harmful ingredients like Triclosan, 1,4-dioxane, synthetic dye, fragrance, and the dreaded methylisothiazolinone. These ingredients can cause mild to severe health conditions like nerve and liver damage, skin irritation, and allergic reactions.