Environmental Friendly Dish Soap Bars: Top 6 Picks
- Olga Shavrina
- Apr 29, 2024
- 4 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
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In my campaign of getting rid of plastic at home, I reached kitchen. A washing machine already works on eco-friendly detergent pods, sponges are plant-based, now it’s time to find a sustainable and eco-friendly alternative to plastic bottles with toxic liquid dish detergent. A solution is plant-based, zero-waste environmental friendly dish soap bars.
When I was a kid I remember my grandma used a solid dish soap that was natural, lasted for years and worked just fine. How come we traded it for ugly plastic bottles with green or pink liquid that lasts less than a month, damages our skin and harms wildlife?
I recently switched to a solid dishwasher soap and am pretty happy about it. Let me answer the most common questions that arise around this topic.
How Well Do Environmental Friendly Dish Soap Bars Clean Compared to Traditional Liquid Soaps?
There’s usually no doubt that a soap bar works on light stains like those on coffee cups or cutlery. But what about grease and tough stains? The answer is yes, a solid soap bar is effective at cleaning hard stains and greasy pans, which makes it a better alternative to conventional dishwashing liquids due to added environmental benefits
What Are the Ingredients in Environment Friendly Soap Bars?
Truly environment friendly soap bars contain natural and organic biodegradable ingredients like coconut and olive oil, essential oils for scent, and natural glycerin. They are free of sulfates, parabens, synthetic fragrances, and dyes. Make sure you check the packaging to avoid greenwashing and misleading “green” labels.
Eco-friendly Zero-Waste Dishwasher Soaps:
Author's Take
I really like when a soap has a lemon scent. Both Tieralia and ZeroWastely have it, so they’re my top choices. Overall, zero-waste dishwasher soap works surprisingly well – it does its job, lasts forever, and lets me get rid of plastic bottles cluttering the kitchen. Besides being zero-waste and eco-friendly, it always looks clean and natural, adding an natural vibe to the space.
Sometimes I need liquid soap, for example, to wash a bottle. For these cases, I have a little life hack: I reuse an old plastic soap bottle filled with a dissolved dishwasher detergent pod. I store it under the sink so it’s out of sight and stays clean.
Are Environmentally Friendly Bar Soaps Safe for People with Sensitive Skin?
Most eco-friendly dishwasher soap bars contain only natural ingredients that are suitable for sensitive skin, which is especially important for people with allergies. Make sure to check the ingredients list to ensure there’s nothing unexpected there. Even if you don’t have allergies, but wash dishes manually several times a day, you wouldn’t want to expose your hands to toxic substances that dry, irritate, and age your skin. Therefore, using natural soap without harsh chemicals and additives is a good idea.
Are Environmental Friendly Dish Soap Bars More Expensive Compared to Traditional Soaps?
On a supermarket shelf, a soap bar might seem more expensive than the liquid soap next to it, but it often lasts much longer, which makes it more cost-effective over time. I don’t remember when I bought the bar of soap I’m using now – maybe it was last year. But I vividly remember buying liquid dish soap every other month.
How Long Does a Dish Soap Bar Last Compared to Liquid Soap?
A dish soap bar can last a very long time (several months or more). The key is to keep it dry between uses. Find a dry place away from water splashes and use a well-drained soap dish to prevent the soap from sitting in water, where it can dissolve quickly.
Do these Soap Bars Have any Environmental or Safety Certifications?
Many environment friendly soap bars have certifications such as EcoCert, USDA Organic, etc. Some of the products are also verified as 'Cruelty Free.' I personally prefer certified products as they guarantee a certain standard. However, the absence of labels doesn’t necessarily mean that a product is hazardous; it means that consumers should pay attention to the list of ingredients and make their own decision about its quality.
Are the Ingredients Safe for Local Waterways and Marine Life?
The whole point of using environmental friendly dish soap is to reduce harm to the environment in terms of both hazardous ingredients and plastic packaging. As environment friendly soaps contain natural ingredients instead of phosphates and harsh chemicals, they are safer for marine life and waterways when they rinse off and enter local rivers and oceans.
I hope I've convinced you to try a solid dish soap. One more benefit that I haven’t mentioned is that it looks cozier than plastic bottles and makes the kitchen look and feel more nature-friendly. A cute bamboo brush and a natural fiber cloth or an eco-friendly natural sponge helps complete the picture.
#️⃣ Tags: Eco-friendly packaging, Green cleaning, Zero-waste solutions
I switched to solid soap too. The only problem is when I need to wash a bottle or a jar (like a peanut butter jar). So I keep a bit of liquid soap made by dissolving dishwasher detergent in water for those cases 😄.