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Dropps UltraWash Unscented dishwasher detergent pods cardboard box

Dropps Dishwasher Pods

Not recommended

The eco-marketed dishwasher pod - plastic-free box, but the pod itself is PVOH plastic film. The dishwasher parallel to the "plastic-free" laundry sheet.

We don't recommend this one

The eco branding is about the cardboard box - the pod itself is a PVOH (polyvinyl alcohol) plastic film, which Dropps discloses. For a genuinely plastic-free option, a loose powder or a PVA-free tablet (Blueland, Green Llama).

The verdict: Minimal plastic contact

Dropps is the dishwasher version of the "plastic-free" laundry sheet: it ships in plastic-free cardboard and markets an eco identity, but the pod is a polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) film - a water-soluble plastic - which the brand discloses and defends as biodegradable (the disputed position). The plastic-free claim is about the packaging, not the pod. To its credit, Dropps has said it's researching a plant-based film to replace the PVOH - but today the pod is dissolvable plastic. Rated minimal-contact (the film is a binder, not the bulk); a powder or PVA-free tablet avoids it entirely.

Verification: Manufacturer confirmed

What it's made of

PartMaterialWater contact
pod film
polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) film - disclosed by the brand
Polyvinyl Alcohol
PVA/PVOH
Yes primary

Pre-measured dishwasher pods sold by subscription in cardboard packaging. Documented here not because it's a bad detergent but because the "plastic-free" identity rests on the box while the pod film is plastic - covered in the verdict.

Pros

  • Plastic-free cardboard packaging; effective detergent
  • Unusually honest - discloses the PVOH and says it's seeking a replacement

Cons

  • The pod film is PVOH, a water-soluble plastic, in every load
  • "Plastic-free" refers to the box, not the pod

Categories: Dishwasher Detergent

Sources

Every material claim above is backed by these. This is the scattered info we centralized.

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