Koh Dish Spray – Product Review

Koh, popular for its eco-friendly universal cleaner, have returned with a brand-new dish spray product. We see how it fairs as a dishwashing product, against tough dirt and stains whilst being gentle on the environment. Keep reading below to find out more about my experience with Koh and my honest and comprehensive review of the product.

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What is Koh Dish Spray?

Koh started out with their now popular product, Universal Surface Spray. I wrote a product review post about it back in 2020, and since then Koh has released two additional review-worthy products.

Koh’s initial Universal Cleaner laid the foundation for future products in the Koh family. Formulated in Australia, Koh products are free from harsh chemicals that often leave strong fumes and are harmful to the environment.

Koh Dish Spray follows suit by performing with high impact on those dirty dishes, saving you water, time and reducing plastic waste with its Australia-first kerbside recyclable refill pouch. The Dish Spray forumla foams without the use of water and can be cleaned without dishes being soaked in a sink full of soapy dish water.

Simply spray, wipe and rinse – it’s that easy.

First Thoughts on Koh

I placed an order on 19 October 2022 and the package arrived on 1 November 2022 (within Australia). This delivery did take a little longer than my very first Koh purchase back in 2020 which took only three days however this time the delay was caused by floods on the other side of the country. I purchased the ‘Dish Clean Kit & Surface Refill’ for $66.60 that came with free delivery (limited time).

The Dish Clean Kit & Surface Refill comes with:

1 x Dish Foam Liquid
1 x Foamer Spray Bottle
4 x Dish Sponges
1 x 4 Litre Universal Cleaner

Buying this bundle saves you 25% off the total price compared to purchasing these products individually!

The back of the Dish Spray pouch does indicate that the dish foam liquid must be used with the former spray bottle. It is part and parcel of the Koh Dish Cleaning method and so far does an excellent job of dispersing the right amount of product and foam to make dishwashing a breeze.

I never thought I’d say this about sponges, but I love these Dish Sponges! These come in a 4 pack but you actually get two different types (2 of each) of sponges: a cellulose sponge and a cellulose sponge with a natural loofah backing. Keep reading below to find out why these sponges are so great.

Lastly, if you already use the Koh cleaning method at home, you can save a bit of time and money by getting the extra 4L Universal Cleaner Refill with this bundle. Alternatively, if you’re just starting out with Koh, it’s also a good opportunity to test out the award-winning (Canstar Blue’s 2022 Top Multipurpose Cleaner as voted by most satisfied customers) Universal Cleaner. Just remember to purchase the Atomiser Spray Bottle.

is Koh Dish Spray eco-friendly?

Koh was designed and created to be a tried and tested eco-friendly alternative to conventional domestic cleaning products that often contain abrasive and harsh chemicals. Koh Universal Cleaner, Surface Protect, Dishwashing Tablets and now Dish Spray, have all been independently tested by Good Environmental Choice Australia (GECA).

GECA certification of products undergoes rigorous independent of the ingredients and manufacturing, ensuring the formulation and the production process is low impact on human health and the planet.

How is Koh Dish Spray eco-friendly?

Koh Dish Spray reduces water usage, and soak time, uses less product and is packaged in recyclable materials.

Reduce your water output

Traditional dishwashing detergents require water to create enough foam to thoroughly clean dishes. This usually means a sink full of hot water, endless amounts of detergent on the dish sponge (a small amount never seems enough) and water to re-wet the sponge each time.

Thanks to the Dish Spray Foamer (a must with the Koh Dish Spray!), Koh Dish Spray always dispenses enough foam even after just one spray. This means no more trying to figure out the water-to-detergent ratio where you usually end up with too much of either.

Reduce soak time

Now here’s the ultimate time saver! Thanks to the reliable Koh formulation, Koh Dish Spray can easily cut through tough built-up grease and grime without having to leave dishes soaked overnight.

For daily bakeware and pans, apply an even coat of Koh Dish Spray to the surface and leave for 10-15 minutes, then wipe and rinse. More stubborn buildup, like oven trays, may need another rinse and repeat with a scrub brush.

Less product. Less waste.

With some dishwashing detergents, do you ever feel that you use large quantities but you’re never really getting enough foam to sufficiently clean your dishes? You can end up with greasy dishes that you have to rewash anyway and seem to go through bottles and bottles of detergents.

Not only do you waste time rewashing dishes but you also waste a whole lot of product down the drain whilst creating more plastic waste.

With the Dish Spray Foamer, the perfect amount of foam is dispensed each time, using minimal product. And because the Koh formulation works well on tough stains and grease, you’ll get perfectly clean dishes the first time around.

User friendly packging solutions

Whilst recycling is one way to reduce plastics going to landfill, it is still not the solution to the solid waste problem. Going zero waste is undoubtedly the one sure way and with companies like Koh providing an avenue to refillable products in their production line, it’s refreshing to see how it can be a better experience for the end user.

Take their new packaging solution for example. In an Australian first, the Koh Dish Spray refillable pouch can now be recycled through kerbside collection. Currently, conventional pouches or soft plastics have to be separated from recyclable kerbside and recycled through other soft plastic participating programs.

However, the latest situation with REDcycle™ has now left Australians in a lurch with the popular soft plastics recycling program temporarily put on hold. With the ability to recycle the Koh Dish Spray refillable pouch straight to kerbside collection, users can confidently avoid plastic waste in landfill, at least until an alternative soft plastic scheme is developed.

To recycle, simply roll the finished pouch and secure with the attached Roll ‘n’ Recycle® sticker.

Does Koh Dish Spray work?

Koh Dish Spray can be used for handwashing dishes and as a replacement for soaking dishes overnight. Whilst it made light work of dishwashing, the dish spray was also a surprisingly good product to use on stainless steel surfaces and in the oven.

Remove stains

Being a big coffee and tea drinker, our double stainless steel sinks end up with unsightly brown stains, even with daily cleaning. I noticed that using the dish spray and leaving it on the stainless steel surface for about 15 minutes really helped to remove those tough stubborn stains with minimal scrubbing.

Odourless Oven Cleaner

The Koh Universal Cleaner does an effortless job of cleaning the oven but sometimes needs a few goes on those really tough areas. Check out my review of Koh as an oven cleaner. Before I discovered Koh, the trick of using a dishwashing tablet to clean the oven glass door did seem to work well. But using it to clean the rest of the oven was a messy job and the dishwashing tablet often broke apart before I could finish it.

To make an easy job even easier, I now use the Koh Dish Spray on all oven surfaces before going back in with the Koh Universal Cleaner.

Koh Dish Sponges

Koh dish sponges are biodegradable and made from FSC wood pulp. The Dish Clean Kit & Surface Refill includes a full size 4 pack of Koh dish sponges. Each pack comes with 2 cellulose sponges and 2 cellulose sponges a with natural loofah backing.

How is Koh Dish Sponge eco-friendly?

Koh dish sponges are made from biodegradable cellulose material which means at the end of its life, you can simply cut it up into small pieces and place it in your home compost.

The dish sponges are shipped as a dehydrated product for a dual action purpose:

They are more compact and take up 75% less space during shipping resulting in a lower carbon emission footprint
Does not require a fungicide in the sponge to prevent mould – which can often occur in regular sponges during transit, this means no chemical nasties

And there’s more…

Yes, there is more to love about these sponges! The dish sponges dry out super fast after dishwashing which helps to reduce bacteria and eliminate nasty odours.

In my experience so far, the dish sponges are longer lasting compared to regular sponges and are reusable, machine washable and home compostable.

Are Koh Dish Sponges worth it?

If you’re purchasing the Dish Clean Kit & Surface Refill like I did, then trialing the dish sponges are definitely worth it. The Koh dish sponges can be purchased separately and retail online for $23.95 for a 4 pack.

For regular everyday cleaning, I actually didn’t need the whole sponge so after rehydrating it, I just cut it in half and found that this size was perfect for me. It was also a better size for getting into smaller items like drink glasses and cutlery.

I kept the loofah backed sponge intact which was a better size for larger items that had tougher stains on them anyway like trays and serving dishes.

The cellulose sponges work well for everyday dishwashing that are lightly soiled and they dry a lot faster than the loofah backed sponges. The natural cellulose material gives the sponge a nice flexibility that makes it easy to use and hold.

It might not seem like it at first glance but the combination of the Koh dish spray and dish sponge really do generate more than enough suds to thoroughly clean dishes without the need for water.

On the other hand, I found the loofah backed cellulose sponge to be a little cumbersome and awkward to hold for everyday use. The bulkiness of the loofah seems to get in the way and it was a little annoying to switch back and forth between the sponges to get the same dish clean. As such, people with hand ailments such as arthritis may find this type of sponge difficult to use.

Given the high price point, I was a bit disappointed to find that only one of them worked well for me. At the time of this article, unfortunately the dish sponge pack is only sold with both types of sponges. But fingers crossed there are more options in future.

Tips and tricks for easy cleaning with Koh

To rehydrate sponges for the first time, submerge them in room temperature water until fully expanded.
Rehydrate sponge between uses with a bit of water – no need to submerge every time.
Leaving the sponge to dry upright in a well ventilated area, rather than wet and face down will allow it to dry faster and prevent odours from forming.
Clean the dish sponge in a short dishwashing cycle or in a washing machine.
Simply place in your home compost bin at the end of its life.
Use half a sponge for smaller washes.
Remove thick sauces or wipe down heavily soiled surfaces first.
It’s easier to fill the sink with dishes first and spray on all exposed areas rather than spray dishes one by one.

The final verdict on Koh

One of the things I like about the Koh dish spray is that dishes do dry faster and streak-free. I found that regular dishwashing liquid left some sort of filmy residue after washing that prevented them from drying thoroughly and also seemed to be the cause of white streaks on wine glasses.

There’s something about the Dish Spray formula that reminds me of the Universal Cleaner, that allows moisture to evaporate easily for a streak-free finish. Previously, I would have to fill the sink with hot soapy water and rinse with hot water to achieve the same result.

Although I’m not to keen on the cellulose sponges with the loofah backing, I think the regular cellulose sponges work really well with the dish spray. It generates a decent amount of suds for a effective and efficient clean every time. The problems that I encountered with conventional sponges were a thing of the past with the Koh dish sponges.

They dry quickly, are odourless and most importantly retain their suds-forming sponginess even after a heavy dose of greasy dirty dishes. My previous sponges wouldn’t stand a chance against a Thai green curry!

The final verdict is a confident yes from me. The Koh Dish Spray and Dish Sponge system has evidently saved me a ton of water, time, energy and has even slightly lowered my electricity bills from not having to use hot water when I wash dishes now.

I also like the clever innovative kerbside-recyclable design that is not often seen with many liquid packaging products.

There could be some improvements made with the availability and more alternative options for the range of dish sponges otherwise I think this system is another great product to add to the Koh family!

Inspired by the Koh journey? Follow them on Instagram for more ideas and projects! @cleanedbykoh

Koh Dish Spray – Product Review

What is Koh Dish Spray?

First Thoughts on Koh