Dishwashing Debates: The Soapy Science Behind Everyone’s Favorite Chore

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Next week, the US celebrates the dishwashing Olympics—also known as Thanksgiving. But how best to tackle the washing-up after the big meal can cause as much conflict as your uncle’s hot takes at the table. Do dishes get cleaner when they’re hand-washed or run through the dishwasher? Which is better for the environment? Are those convenient little detergent pods poisoning our oceans with microplastics? And who do we have to thank for that most glorious of inventions, the dishwashing machine? This episode, we’ve got answer to all these crucial questions and more, as we dive into the sudsy story of dishwashing through the ages and across cultures. Listen in now to make the most mundane household chore 100 percent more fascinating, guaranteed.

Meet Dreft, a synthetic detergent introduced in 1933, and promoted as a solution to the scum left behind by natural soaps. It was designed as a laundry detergent (and is still marketed for that purpose today), but, in an era before Joy, Ivory, or Fairy Liquid, it quickly found its way to the sink.

Episode Notes

Susan Strasser

Historian Susan Strasser is an emeritus professor at the University of Delaware and the author of Never Done: A History of American Housework.

An advertisement for the dishwashing machine invented by Chicago socialite Josephine Cochran, who was miffed by the fact that the hired help kept chipping her dishes.

Allen Clauss

Allen Clauss is a chemist who led research and development at Procter & Gamble.

Lotta Kinitz

Lotta Kinitz is the editor for technology and consumer topics at Funke Media Group, as well as a lecturer at the University of Hamburg. Her PhD research on the science of dishwashing efficiency led to her 2022 review paper, "What science knows about our daily dishwashing routine."

Dan Souza

Dan Souza is the chief content officer at America's Test Kitchen, which evaluates the best recipes, tools, and techniques for everything in the home kitchen. ATK is currently celebrating the 25th anniversary of its television show.

Ads for Dreft from 1948, left, and Fairy Liquid from 1960, right, emphasized their gentleness on hands as well as their lack of soap scum, two lasting complaints around the harsh detergents of previous years.
Whether in 1930 (left)—when it was only sold as a bar, for both bathing and shaving into dishwater—or in 1970, Palmolive has used gentleness on hands as a selling point.

Peter Miller

Peter Miller is the author of How to Wash the Dishes and proprietor of Peter Miller Books in Seattle.