Consumer group Choice has revealed Australia’s best dishwashing liquids – and the results are another win for discount retailer Aldi.

Choice said it tested 50 dishwashing liquids to reveal which got dishes sparkling clean and which just left unhappy washers relying on elbow grease.

“This year Aldi wiped the floor with its competitors, taking out the three top spots in our test,” the consumer group’s reviews and testing director, Matthew Steen, said.

Aldi’s Tandil Ultra Power Soak and Tandil Ultra Quick Dry were the clear winners, tying with an impressive score of 90 per cent. Its Tandil Ultra Odour Neutralising came in third with a score of 85 per cent.

“Aldi’s dishwashing liquids are also great bargains at the checkout at just 40 cents per 100 millilitres. That’s around a quarter of the price of other top-scoring detergents from well-known brands such as Morning Fresh and Palmolive,” Steen said.

“These three Aldi detergents are streets ahead in terms of performance and price, which is a win for both your dishes and your pocket.”

Choice put some of Australia’s best-known dishwashing liquids through the wringer with tests that involved scrubbing different foods, including bolognaise and egg yolk, from plates.

“We soak them in each detergent, scrub them a set number of times and then look at how clean the plates are,” Steen said.

“We also look at how well they wash compared to plain water.”

However, the results weren’t all good for the German supermarket chain. It also had the equal-worst product in the test – its Aldi Tandil Ultra Bacterial shared bottom spot with a score of just 60 per cent, along with four other liquids:

• Fairy Ultra Concentrate Antibacterial Dishwashing Liquid
• Earth Choice Undo This Mess With Ultra Mint & Lime Time Dish Liquid
• Earth Choice Ultra Concentrate Lemon Burst Dishwashing Liquid
• Coles Green Choice 2-in-1 Dish + Hand Wash

“Our tests uncovered some wild variation. A number of well-known brands, including Aldi, had products towards both the top and bottom of the leaderboard,” Steen said.

“This goes to show that you should never assume that if one product cleans well, similar ones from the same brand will deliver the same results.”

The organisation says it’s also a warning to shoppers to pay attention as they add products to their trolley.

“It’s worth keeping in mind when you’re shopping – otherwise you could grab an inferior product accidentally,” Steen said.

“Likewise, don’t assume an expensive product will outperform a cheap one – our tests found price is no measure of performance.”

There’s also hope for those who aren’t Aldi shoppers – the study’s other top brands were (scores in brackets):

• Palmolive Ultra Complete Concentrated Dishwashing Liquid (80 per cent)
• Morning Fresh Soft Hands Cucumber and Aloe Vera Ultra Concentrate Dishwashing Liquid (75 per cent)
• Morning Fresh Ultimate Power Original Ultra Concentrate Dishwashing Liquid (75 per cent)
• Orange Power Dish Washing Liquid High Performance Dishwash Concentrate (75 per cent)
• Palmolive Ultra Antibacterial Dishwashing Liquid (75 per cent)
• Palmolive Ultra Eco Coconut And Lime Dishwashing Liquid (75 per cent)

See full details of Choice’s study here.