An Honest Review of Branch Basics Dishwasher Tablets

If you’ve been keeping an eye out for sustainable cleaning products that are safer for your home and for the environment, you may have come across Branch Basics. This post specifically breaks down details and my thoughts on the Branch Basics dishwasher tablets, but I do plan to share more thoughts about their other cleaning products in the future. I’m looking forward to sharing my experience with their dishwasher tablets with you, so without wasting anymore time, let’s get started!

How I Discovered Branch Basics dishwasher tablets

Lately, I’ve been on a kick with trying out new eco-friendly cleaning products. It started out with cleaning tablets and then moved on to laundry sheets. And then the powders decided to make a long-awaited come-back and join the party not too long after that.

For the past few months, I have been experimenting with several different dishwashing cleaners particularly to see which ones 1) cleaned the best, 2) were easiest to use, 3) were easiest to store, and 4) were made with the cleanest ingredients. I came across Branch Basics on the Shop app, and decided to give them a try! After browsing their selections, I decided to purchase the Branch Basics dishwasher tablets ($15) and laundry detergent ($39). I wanted to compare the dishwasher tablets to the Seventh Generation liquid soap and the Blueland dishwasher tablets I had been using.

After using the dishwasher tablets for numerous loads of dishes and studying the ingredients list, here is my take on them.

The Overview

What are the Ingredients in Branch Basics Dishwasher Tablets?

Sodium Carbonate, Sodium Percarbonate, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Poly (itaconic acid-co-AMPS) Sodium, Salt, Sodium Gluconate, Protease, Sodium Metasilicate, Amylase, Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate, Potassium Caprylate

The ratings below are based off of EWG ingredient ratings. I’ll be doing further research in the future to make rating details even more informative. Ratings of D and F come with references so you can have a better idea why they may be problematic.

Quick Disclaimer

I want to preface the below section with a quick disclaimer. First, I am not a chemist or other relevant scientist. I don’t do official research and studies on substances like the following ingredients in-depth. Furthermore, although I do my best to gather as much valid and reliable information as I can, I definitely don’t have all the answers!

Sodium Carbonate (A)

Sodium Percarbonate/sodium carbonate peroxide (A)

Citric Acid (A)

Sodium Citrate (A)

Poly (itaconic acid-co-AMPS) Sodium Salt (B)

Sodium Gluconate (B)

Protease (B)

Sodium Metasilicate (F) Irritation to the skin, eyes and respiratory tract¹

Amylase (B)

Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate, SLSA (D) Irritation to the skin, but less irritation compared to Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS)^{2 3}

Potassium Caprylate (B)

Branch Basics Dishwasher Tablets Packaging

These tablets come in an easy-to store velcro resealable bag. Although I’m not a fan of the plastic packaging, the ease-of-use and storage is a packaging pro. They also use smaller amounts of plastic compared to other dishwasher cleaners stored in bottles and tubs.

How Much do Branch Basics Dishwasher Tablets Cost?

1. Cost of the Tablets

As of today (September 2024), you can buy a package of Branch Basics dishwasher tablets for $15 per bag, each bag containing 40 tablets. At $0.38 per load of dishes, they are a bit pricier compared to other standard dishwasher cleaners such as Cascade pods (about half the price). To me, it’s well worth it to pay $0.10-$0.20 more per load for cleaner products to use in the home!

2. Shipping Costs

I am always a fan of lower free shipping minimums, and Branch Basics offers that. If you place an order over $35 and are based in the contiguous U.S., you get free shipping! At $15 per bag, you can buy three of these and score free shipping or pair a bag with one or two other products they offer. In the event that you need to make a purchase smaller than $35, there is a flat $8 fee.

If you happen to live outside the contiguous (U.S., AK, HI, U.S. Territories, and Canada), there is a $15 flat shipping fee.

Storage & Ease of Use

These tablets come in a convenient storage bag that can be easily resealed with an embedded velcro closure. If you’d rather store them in your own container, they are also easy to transfer and store in various enclosed containers.

As far as usage, they fit perfectly in our dishwasher dispensing compartment. They have never gotten stuck like the pods do or left any residue like other tablets sometimes do.

How well do Branch Basics Dishwasher tablets work?

After using Branch Basics dishwasher tablets in several loads, I can say that these tablets do an amazing job cleaning!

One of the gauges I use for how well a dishwasher cleaner works are the baby bottle parts cleanliness. With an ineffective cleaner, the baby bottle nipples always come out cloudy and filmy looking. But a good cleaner has these coming out completely clear and transparent. Every time I have washed baby bottle nipples using these tablets, they have come out squeaky clean every time.

One important thing to note is our dishwasher settings. We do clean our dishwasher filter and also use the “sanitize” and “heated dry” settings most times with our dishwasher. However, we use these same settings for most loads of dishes, including loads with baby bottles and baby bottle parts. that is a constant with all of our loads of dishes regardless of cleaner.

How Are Branch Basics dishwasher tablets a Green Cleaning Solution?

Branch Basics dishwasher tablets are 100% biodegradable, fragrance-free, PVA-free, plant and mineral-based, and non-GMO. Additionally, they are EWG-verified with relatively fewer irritating ingredients compared to many competitors.

What are some negatives of Branch Basics dishwasher tablets?

Ingredients: Sodium Metasilicate & SLSA

As you can see from the ingredients list above, there is one 1 D-grade ingredient (Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate, SLSA) and 1 F-grade ingredient (Sodium Metasilicate).

A lot of factors go into considering the effects of these ingredients, ranging from the amounts used, what other ingredients they are combined with, how they are processed, etc. That being said, when choosing cleaning products to use, I try to balance the potential negatives (e.g., possible skin irritation) with the positives (e.g., effectiveness, convenience, relative higher quality compared to competitors).

Some customer experiences

If you read a handful of reviews, you will see some people stating the tablets didn’t clean their dishes well. I personally never had this issue. In fact, I was actually surprised how well they cleaned all of our dishes, including baby bottle parts! In my experience, their effectiveness was comparable to and in some cases even better than other big name cleaners.

Would I recommend Branch Basics dishwasher tablets?

The short answer is, it depends. As with any product out there, I’m always trying to balance effective results (e.g., cleaning ability) with long-term effects (e.g., pollution, long-term health effects). In general, my approach is to use a minimization approach vs. an all-or-nothing approach. This means I try to balance using non-toxic cleaners with other factors such as effectiveness and convenience.

Although the ingredients list for Branch Basics dishwasher tablets isn’t 100% non-toxic, it is a somewhat reasonable balance of mostly non-toxic ingredients and good cleaning ability. That being said, with the ingredients sodium lauryl sulfoacetate (SLSA) and sodium metasilicate, I am not 100% satisfied with it. In all honesty, these dishwasher tablets give a me a hint of greenwashing vibes. However, compared to many to other dishwashing agents out there, Branch Basics is a relatively good option. Overall, I am still on the look-out for a dishwasher cleaning option that is even better for the environment and for long-term health.

My 5 Reasons for Using Branch Basics Dishwasher Tablets

1. They offer a greener cleaning solution compared to other products of its kind. Thee Branch Basics dishwasher tablets are 100% biodegradable, fragrance free, PVA-free, plant- and mineral-based, non-GMO, and EWG certified with relatively smaller amounts of skin irritants compared to competitors.

2. They are easy to use and store.

3. They clean dishes and other items including baby bottles and bottle parts well.

4. At $0.38 per load, the cost is not too bad.

5. The minimum for free shipping at Branch Basics is only $35—not bad at all!

Reasons NOT to Use Branch Basics Dishwasher Tablets

• They contain sodium lauryl sulfoacetate (SLSA) which can cause irritation to the skin, albeit less irritation compared to sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS).
• They contain sodium metasilicate which has been found to cause irritation to the skin, eyes and respiratory tract and is rated an F on EWG.

Sources (Footnotes):

1. Sodium metasilicate (PIM 500). (n.d.). International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS). Retrieved September 27, 2024, from here ↩︎
2. Bondi, C. A., Marks, J. L., Wroblewski, L. B., Raatikainen, H. S., Lenox, S. R., & Gebhardt, K. E. (2015). Human and Environmental Toxicity of Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS): Evidence for Safe Use in Household Cleaning Products. Environmental health insights, 9, 27–32. https://doi.org/10.4137/EHI.S31765
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3. Konefal, P. (2023b, June 1). What is the difference between SLS and SLSA? HD Chemicals LTD. Retrieved September 27, 2024, from here ↩︎