Why Brands Should Consider Cleaning Tablets

In the world of cleaning products, performance has always been king. But today’s consumers are looking for more than just results — they’re thinking about sustainability, cost, convenience, and even aesthetics. In an increasingly crowded market, simply having an effective cleaner isn’t enough to help your brand stand out. 

If you’re feeling the pressure to keep up, don’t worry — there’s an option out there that can check all of your consumers’ boxes.

Enter: cleaning tablets.

These small but mighty effervescent products are reshaping how consumers (and brands) think about cleaning. In this article, we’ll explore what cleaning tablets are, the advantages they can bring to your brand, and a few challenges to keep in mind before making the switch.

What are cleaning tablets?

Cleaning tablets are solid, concentrated formulations designed to dissolve in water, creating a ready-to-use liquid cleaner. With the right formula, they can offer the same cleaning power as traditional products, but in a compact, sustainable format that’s easy to store, ship, and use.

What are the advantages of cleaning tablets?

For cleaning product brands, tablets can deliver significant benefits to both the business and the customer. These can include:

Sustainability and packaging reduction

One of the biggest advantages of cleaning tablets is their potential to dramatically reduce plastic waste, at least in the household cleaner sphere. With traditional products, consumers often buy a new bottle each time they run out, thus creating an endless cycle of use and discard. Even with recycling, much of that plastic still can still end up in landfills. 

Tablets change that. Consumers can simply refill their existing spray bottles with tap water and drop in a tablet (or two) to make more cleaning solution. For customers that purchase new cleaner around six times per year, for example, that means six fewer bottles headed for the landfill per person.

Plus, this sustainable strategy gives your brand a powerful way to demonstrate environmental responsibility — something today’s shoppers consider when opening their wallets.

Lower carbon footprint and logistics costs

Because tablets are concentrated and lightweight, they’re typically cheaper to ship and store compared to heavy liquid cleaners. This can help reduce transportation costs, as well as decrease your brand’s carbon footprint.

Safety and handling benefits

In the manufacturing space, tablets can eliminate some of the risks associated with liquids, like  tough-to-clean spills and leaks. This translates into safer workplaces and potentially less product waste. 

Product innovation and brand differentiation

Offering a cleaning tablet signals innovation and forward thinking. It helps your brand stand out in a bloated market, while also aligning with the growing demand for sustainable, yet affordable, cleaning solutions.

Potential challenges of cleaning tablets

Of course, transitioning to tablets isn’t without its hurdles. Here are a few key points to consider before you commit:

Formulation and surface compatibility

Not all tablets are created equal. You’ll need to ensure your formula performs well across the surfaces your customers clean most often — balancing pH, residue, and surface safety.

Dissolution and performance

A tablet that dissolves too slowly or leaves residue can frustrate users. Consistent, fast dissolution and equal (or better) cleaning power compared to liquids are critical to earning consumer trust.

Our in-house cleaning tablet brand, DAZZ, underwent rigorous testing with the TURI Laboratory at the University of Mass after we finalized formulas. The goal of the tests was to prove our tablets’ efficacy, and it did just that. Our tablets outperformed traditional liquid cleaners in all tested categories.

Customer education

Change is scary, and consumers often bring that perspective into their shopping habits. Trust and recognition speak volumes in the CPG world, and the simple fact is: shoppers are far more likely to reach for a product they’ve used many times over (or ones recommended to them by others) than take a chance or have to do research on a brand-new product. 

Switching formats means convincing consumers to try something different. This may be challenging, but it’s certainly not impossible. Effective and engaging marketing can do wonders for brand awareness and consumer trust. Additionally, clear instructions on your packaging will be essential for ensuring a positive user experience—and that they’ll purchase again. 

Supply chain and packaging

Tablets require specific ingredients and equipment for manufacturing, as well as moisture-resistant packaging so to avoid premature degradation or loss of effectiveness. You may need to develop new supplier relationships and/or invest in proper equipment, personnel, and training upfront. 

Tips to help you get started

If you’re ready to jump into the world of cleaning tablets after evaluating the associated advantages and challenges, we suggest keeping the following in mind:

1. Be sure you identify target segments of your audience that will benefit most from (or be the most interested in) cleaning tablets. Think: commercial clients looking to lower their costs, eco-conscious shoppers, parents of young children looking for non-toxic products, etc. 

2. Begin the R&D process early (if creating your own formulas) to allow time for trial and error. As you test, prioritize fast dissolution, appropriate pH levels, low residue, and efficacy. Did you know? SunState Laboratories offers formulation services for brands that want something bespoke. 

3. Partner with reputable vendors for ingredients, equipment, packaging, and any other services or supplies you may need. 

4. Be prepared to educated your customers. Develop a library of resources, including guides, blog articles, and videos, to help mitigate their questions and concerns. 

5. Market, market, market. Leverage social media, the resources you created in #4, influencer partnerships, thought leadership, and more in order to reach those target segments of your audience. Building awareness around your cleaning tablet brand is a key component around your launch.

Key takeaways and final thoughts

Cleaning tablets aren’t just a trend — they’re part of a broader shift toward sustainability, efficiency, and innovation in the cleaning industry. With the right planning and execution, adoption of this product format can offer compelling advantages to your company as well as your consumers. 

The end result? Brand differentiation, customer satisfaction, cost savings, and positive environmental impact.

Partner with SunState Laboratories

We understand that launching a brand-new product line is no easy undertaking, particularly when it’s for something as innovative as cleaning tablets. From developing the formula to marketing the final iteration, there’s a whole slew of to-do list items associated with launching a tablet-based cleaner. 

Why not let SunState Laboratories take some of those items off your plate?

For companies with formulas already in their back pocket, we offer contract manufacturing services to help produce and package bulk tablets or retail-ready products. If you’d prefer to start with tried-and-true cleaning tablets from an award-winning brand, our in-house formulas are available for white label manufacturing under your unique branding. Or, if you’d like to develop a new custom formula but aren’t sure how, we also have an R&D department that can help you do just that. 

If you’re ready to begin your cleaning tablet journey, go ahead and give us a call at 720.524.8477 or fill out the contact form on our website.