Rinse aids are probably mis-named, because in fact they help dry your dishes faster in a dishwasher, and help reduce water spots and mineral deposits too, particularly helpful if you live in a hard-water area.
Although some dishwasher detergents and pods contain a small amount of rinse aids, many consumers like to use a separate product because they can be dispensed into the washing cycle later in the program, when they are far more effective.
Trouble is, finding an isothiazolinone-free rinse aid isn’t always straightforward, as you might imagine.
Many rinse aids use MI / MCI or BIT, especially, and ingredients aren’t always fully declared. There’s also the dreaded ‘fragrance / parfum’ issue which could in theory be hiding a small amount of isothiazolinone.
Here are some suitable products you may wish to look at:
365 by Whole Foods Market, Rinse Aid for Automatic Dishwashers (US)
This is (natural) orange scented, and full ingredients are viewable on Amazon.
Bio-D Dishwasher Rinse Aid (UK)
An Allergy UK ‘friendly’ product, available in 750ml and 5 litre versions. A simple fragrance free formulation with alcohol, salt, citric acid and surfactants.
Eco-Me Dishwasher Rinse Aid Fragrance Free (US)
Sold Out at the time of writing, but hopefully will be back in stock. Ingredients not available on site, but it’s an isothiazolinone-free brand.
ECOS Lemon Rinse Aid (US)
This one is preserved with phenoxyethanol. The lemon ingredient is essential oil, not artificial fragrance.
Ecover Rinse Aid (UK) / Ecover Rinse Aid (US)
Ecover’s isothiazolinone policy seems to have varied over the years, but this product is safely free from methylisothiazolinone and its relatives, and appears to be preserved with alcohol. Fragrance free. (I’ve not been able to find a reliable sales link to the US for the product, but from what I can see, it is the same formulation available.)
Ecostore Lemon Rinse Aid (Australia) / Ecostore Lemon Rinse Aid (New Zealand)
A fragranced option from this Antipodean MI-free brand — the lemon is naturally derived, not synthetic.
EcoZone PowerAction Rinse Aid (UK)
A bit reluctant to include this one, due to an extremely vague and incomplete ingredient listing on the product itself, and previous difficulties in dealing with the brand in order to try to solicit ingredient information, but confirmation from their website confirms it is free from MI, MCI and the rest, and has no fragrance either.
Great Value Dishwasher Unscented Rinse Aid (US)
This affordable option from Walmart does contain artificial blue colouring, but otherwise looks safe from an isothiazolinone allergy perspective.
Kit + Kin Dishwasher Rinse Aid (UK)
A very straightforward non-toxic formulation product, and decent value for an all-natural option.
Lemi Shine, Shine + Dry Dishwasher Rinse Aid (US)
Several of this brand’s products do contain isothiazolinones (methylisothiazolinone and benzisothiazolinone — including their ‘Gentle on Hands’ Dish Soap!) although their Dishwasher Rinse Aid does not — although I could only find full ingredients declared on Walmart, not on Lemi Shine’s website. Fragrance free too.
Nature Clean Dishwasher Rinse Agent (Canada)
Not all Nature Clean products are isothiazolinone-free, but this one is. “Removes spots and film from dishes, glassware, and cutlery without the use of phosphates, EDTA, NTA, alcohol ethoxylates, dyes and fragrances.”
Seventh Generation Fragrance Free Power+ Rinse Aid (US)
Contains ethoxylated ingredients, but no isothiazolinones.
Truly Free Home Dishwasher Booster and Rinse Aid (US)
Provide a long list of ‘Made Without’ ingredients, and although the isothiazolinones are not among them, a check of the ingredients suggest that all ingredients are highly rated by EWG and there is no MI / MCI / BIT among them.
NOT SAFE
A bad example of a promising looking product which turns out to be unsafe is the Finish Rinse Aid Regular Shines & Dries 0%, which carries the EU Ecolabel logo and describes itself as “free-from environmentally harmful preservatives”. It has both MI and MCI.
Amazon Basics Rinse Aid is unsafe, as are various other Finish Rinse Aids, and the UK supermarket own brands don’t fare well either — M&S Dishwasher Rinse Aid and Waitrose Dishwasher Rinse Aid are both isothiazolinone containing.
Be on your guard, as always.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Thanks to reader Jenny for some pointers included in this article.
SUGGESTIONS
As always, suggestions for other products to include and personal experiences with products are welcome.