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Dish soap is something that most people use and on a daily basis especially with a dish soap dispenser being located right next to the kitchen sink. So with how often people use dish soap, it’s important to not only know what’s inside your dish soap and the products you’re using inside your house but also it’s important to find the best soap in terms of quality and price.
To get a better idea of the meaning of different soap, it’s important to understand soap, especially dish soap a little bit more. Below, we’ll go through not only what dish soap is but also the difference between handwashing soap and dish soap.
What is Dishwashing Soap
Dishwashing soap or dishwashing liquid is also known as dish detergent, and is used to assist in dishwashing. It normally is made from a highly-foaming mixture of surfactants with low skin irritation ingredients since you are using your hands to scrub plates, glasses, cutlery, and cooking utensils in your kitchen sink.
The formula is specifically made to create bubbles and create tough stains on dishes and clothing but also gentle enough to clean oil-affected birds from oil spills.
What It’s Made Of
The main ingredient of dish soap in water and is also the main ingredient in many detergents as well. Other ingredients include surfactants, hydrotrope, salts, preservatives, fragrances, dyes, and other active ingredients.
Since cooking involves a lot of grease and oil, it’s important for dish soap to be extremely tough on those types of surfaces which can make it a little bit complicated with being gentle enough for hands during washing but tough enough on grime and grease.
The Need For Eco-Friendly
Eco-Friendly products have been getting more and more popular every day. People are starting to get more conscious about their environmental impact with the products that they’re purchasing and therefore shifting for more eco-friendly products that are a bit kinder to the planet but also being mindful of the products that they’re bringing into their home and ingesting through their skin.
Luckily, there are a lot of eco-friendly options on the market today when it comes to dish soap. Below, we’ve included some of the most popular eco-friendly dish soap options. These formulas tend to have a powerful plant-based formula that works hard to break up grime and stubborn baked-on food particles.
Eco-Friendly products also tend to be fragrance-free and dye-free since most dyes and fragrances have a lot of chemicals that are not eco-friendly. The products are also graywater-friendly and biodegradable as well so they’re safe to use regardless of if you live with your own graywater system or public water.
The Difference Between Dish Soap and Hand Soap
Soap is soap regardless if it’s in a soap dish or a soap dispenser, but there are some differences when it comes to dish soap and hand soap. Liquid hand soap or soap in a soap dish is a lot milder than dish soap and dissolves a lot easier. It also foams a lot better in a hot dishwasher. Hand soap also contains a lot more glycerin than traditional dish soap which in terms makes it a bit more gentle on your skin.
There are a lot of dishwashing liquids that are actually specifically formulated so that they are non-drying. A lot of dishwashing detergent is a bit more drying than hand washing liquid since they have to be a little bit stronger. If you have dry skin or eczema, you will definitely want to look for a gentler option such as eco-friendly dish soap or non-drying formulas.
While it won’t be the end of the world to wash your hands with dish soap, it doesn’t necessarily simplify your soap and make the switch to everything to dish soap.
The only thing that should be noted is that staying away from antibacterial soap may be the best option. These types of soap may be toxic chemicals present in dish soaps and could pose potential health risks and disrupt the balance of the bacteria in your skin on our skin that is beneficial and these soap could diminish that bacteria. For sensitive skin people, using mild soap, soap in a soap dish and dish detergent is your best option.
The Best Dishwashing Soap
Palmolive Ultra Liquid DishSoap
Palmolive is one of the most popular brands when it comes to dishwasher detergent. This Ultra Liquid Dish Soap is designed to be ultra-powerful and remove tough grease and clean even the most difficult of dishes, pots, and pans with ease. It’s residue-free so you don’t have to worry about unpleasant streaks on your dishes, glasses, and utensils. The original scent from Palmolive is one of their most popular features and that is why they kept that original Palmolive scent.
You may be wondering, with such a tough formula, how will this make my skin react. That’s another thing about Palmolive, they mention the olive as in olive oil to show you that their products are designed to leave your skin soft and prevent any cracking from happening on your hands.
Although it’s not completely eco–friendly, it is phosphate-free which if you’re trying to eliminate some chemicals into your household, this is definitely a good thing to note.
4.0 out of 5.0 stars
Dawn Ultra Dishwashing Liquid
Dawn is some of the most popular dish soap on the market today. It’s noted as some of the best of the best when it comes to dish detergent. In fact, Dawn has produced commercials of them cleaning up ducks after the oil spill because their formula is so strong but gentle at the same time.
Dawn Ultra liquid is also great for laundry and getting out oil stains on shirts. At the end of the day, Dawn Ultra Dishwashing Liquid can handle just about anything and everything. With its ultra-concentrated formula, you can use less soap, in fact, one drop allows you to wash twice as many dishes as a lot of other soap companies on the market today.
This dish soap does not contain chlorine, ammonia, and therefore is a lot safer in the environment. The dish soap gives it a clean, fresh smell which provides your home with a beautiful, clean aroma. All these factors and features really make Dawn the leading manufacturer when it comes to dish detergent.
4.0 out of 5.0 stars
Seventh Generation Natural Dish Liquid
Seventh Generation is one of the more predominant eco-friendly dish soap on the market today. It’s not only extremely effective when it comes to eco-friendly dish detergent, but it’s also an affordable option as well and very similarly priced compared to another standard dish detergent on the market today. This soap solution contains water, sodium, lauryl sulfate, glycerin, and a few more ingredients. What should be noted is the chemicals not included in the product. There is no fragrance, dyes, phosphates, or triclosan in this dish soap. It’s safe and effective and made with plant-based ingredients. It’s noted from the EPA as a safer choice certified product and USDA certified biobased product 95%.
If you’re wondering how the eco-friendly product will react with your skin, the product is dermatologist tested, features a hypoallergenic formula that is specifically designed to be gentle enough for sensitive skin.
Best of yet – even with the gentle formula, it’s tough enough to power through grease and tough residue leaving your dishes sparkly clean. The only down side to this dish soap, you may find your hands getting a little dry after using it. That being said, at least you know that it’s a natural, plant-based formula so it’s not bad for your hands to be exposed to it!
4.0 out of 5.0 stars
Method Liquid Dish Soap
Another eco-friendly product, Method provides a variety of eco-friendly cleaning products including dish soap. Their soaps feature a powerful plant-based grease-cutting formula that leaves dishes and glasses sparkly clean. The formula is also biodegradable and made without nasty chemicals like parabens, phthalates, or dyes. It leaves your hands super soft and sublimely scented through their variety of different fresh and clean scents.
Their packaging is also very on-trend and stylish and something that you definitely won’t mind having out on the countertop. The bottle itself is actually made from 65% recycled plastic and features a sleek silhouette. If you have a cute dish soap dispenser that you’re wanting to use, Method is definitely a great option. To make less of an eco-impact, Method also sells their soap in larger containers so you can refill your soap as it runs out and refill your dish soap dispenser without any issues.
You can purchase individual bottles or buy a pack of 6 18 FL OZ bottles for just a little over $20.
4.5 out of 5.0 stars
Mrs. Meyer’s Cleaning Day Dish Soap
Just like the other eco-friendly soap option, Mrs. Meyer’s is an eco-friendly or more eco-friendly line compared to a lot of other cleaning products on the market today. Their dish soaps is one of their more popular products as it comes in a very large 16 Fluid ounce container and will last you quite a long time.
It effectively removes grease, eliminates any stains, cleans, removes dirt and residue from dishes and clothing! It’s from 97% naturally-derived ingredients which include soap bark extract – one of nature’s best degreasers.
Mrs. Meyers is definitely a popular option and has seen to get more popular as time goes on and people are researching more about the everyday products they are bringing into their own house. It’s hard to believe that we not only digest things through out mouth but also through our skin so all the toxins and chemicals are actually getting digested through your pores every time you wash your hands or do the dishes. This is why more and more people are opting for eco-friendly, no-toxic chemical products in their home.
If you’re looking to make that kind of switch too, Mrs. Meyers is definitely a great option to look into.
4.5 out of 5.0 stars
Overall Thoughts
When it comes to choosing something like dish soaps or what to fill your dish soap dispenser with or put in your soap dish, it may not be something that you would usually put a lot of thought into. We hope that this post helped give you some vital information when it comes to what’s in dish soap, why it’s necessary, and the benefits of opting for eco-friendly dish soap as well.
The dis washing liquid mentioned above has hundreds of thousands of reviews and is well-loved by many households around the world. We are confident that if you try out any of the dish soaps above for yourself, you’ll be happy with the results.
