Updated 12 Sep 2017
Active
Ultimate Citrus Zest
Snapshot: The Active Ultimate Citrus Zest is a tablet detergent that has a dissolvable wrapper and costs 40 cents per wash. How well does it clean your dishes?
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Test results
Overall score
Egg yolk
Rice starch
Baked-on cheese
Red wine
Coffee
Good points
- Excellent at removing egg-yolk stains.
- Good at removing rice stains.
- Very good at removing baked-on cheese stains.
- OK at removing red wine stains.
- OK at removing coffee stains.
- Very good at removing minced-meat stains.
- Dissolvable wrapper.
But
No obvious bad points.
How we test
Overall score is the average of 6 scores for stain removal.
We test in a controlled lab environment using plates that are pre-stained. We get the plates from the same company that supplies consumer organisations and dishwasher manufacturers globally. We set the dishwasher to a standard cycle at 60°C and test each detergent 4 times. To see how well the detergents have cleaned the plates, we measure the reflectance with a spectrophotometer before and after cleaning.
Key data
Extra test results
Minced meat
Model
Avg price
Type
Pack size
Cost per load
Specifications
Washes per pack
pH
Origin
Features
Dissolvable wrapper
Claims
Contain rinse aid
Septic safe
Phosphate free
Cruelty free
More Info
Notes
Member reviews
"Does not do as well as Finish powder on Tea stains"
08 Apr 2018, Mike S.
Product use: 6 months or more
Pros:
It's a tablet and easy to use
Cons:
Not sure it cleans well as Consumer claims. I switched to it and have had an accumulation of tannin stains on our teapot and its wire tea leaf holder. Switching back to Finish "powder" removed them all over three to four washes. Other things seem OK but I think I will be going back to Finish. The Active "powder" alternative was awful and kept not being removed from the detergent holder. So at the end of a wash a clump of yellow powder had to be removed with a spoon.
Recommend it?
No, this product has too many drawbacks.
"Silver cutlery"
22 Dec 2017, Robin Z.
Product use: 1 month or less
Pros:
I was too alarmed with my silver to note any pros
Cons:
My silver cutlery has become really tarnished using this product. I also have concerns about the plastic wrap supposedly dissolvable that it is wrapped in.
Recommend it?
No, this product has too many drawbacks.
"Best I've used"
12 Nov 2017, Jean M.
Product use: 1 month or less
Pros:
Stainless steel cutlery comes out a lot brighter than with other dishwashing detergents, including other tablet detergents. I was actually amazed at the job it did. It is the best I've come across. Everything comes out super clean.
Cons:
None
Recommend it?
Yes, I recommend this product.
