Summary A technique utilizing a common household washer for the evaluation of the foaming properties of hand dishwashing detergents has been developed, which has been shown to correlate well with blind‐product consumer‐testing. In contrast with many tests now in use this procedure incorporates the use of a variety of soil ingredients which may be present in actual home and institutional dishwashing practice, namely, fats, egg, vegetable juice, starches, etc. The design of the test equipment makes possible the simultaneous observation of two products or formula variations, thereby permitting the use of a standard of measurement for relative comparisons. Photographing the test at designated time‐intervals makes it possible to study the character of the foams after the completion of the evaluation. The test measures the properties of initial foam build‐up and stability to soil and has shown good reproducibility.