If I'm out of dishwasher detergent, can I use regular liquid dish soap in my dishwasher?

Answer: No. Using regular liquid dish soap in your dishwasher will severely hamper the wash cycle. The high sudsing that will be produced will quickly fill your dishwasher with suds that may overflow from the appliance to the floor.

Only detergents that are specially formulated for dishwashers should be used in these appliances. These create no suds during the cycle. Always add the proper detergent to the specially-designed dishwasher compartment.

If you have used the incorrect liquid detergent for a cycle, you may need to run the wash or rinse cycle a second time, without detergent, to rinse your dishes and clear out the soap suds and residue.

Likewise, dishwasher detergent is not recommended to manually wash dishes. Although your dishes will come clean, the lack of suds may cause you to add too much detergent to the water and will make it difficult to properly rinse your dishes.