Dish Soap

I know that the people who read my blog come from a lot of different places in their eco journeys. Some are pretty far along, making their own shampoos and cleaners at home and commuting to work on their bikes. Others are, let's face it, skeptical of the changes that they have to make as we face "peak everything." Most of us are, of course, somewhere in the middle.

So, for those of you who are too far along to need anyone to talk you out of your chemical-laden brands that you've become attached to, skip ahead to a different article. For those of you who are at the beginning of your journey still, I bring you scientific proof that these changes are going to be ok. You will survive. You will not be making sacrifices in cleanliness, utility, or happiness. Promise.

The following article is from the TreeHugger blog. It’s about how environmentally-friendly dishwashing soap works just as well as the chemical-laden brands you’re used to!

“Earth Friendly Product's 'New Wave High-Performance Auto Dishwasher Gel' held its own against Cascade in an independent study showing that these phosphate-free cleaners can perform just as well as conventional cleaners. Most cleaners give the impression that they add enough toxic chemicals to make them ultra strong and therefore able to obliterate any germ they come in contact with. Now its becoming more apparent that not only do we not need toxic chemicals near our family and in our homes, but they also don't necessarily provide any additional benefit.

“The test looked at ph-levels, solubility and anti-suds formation. Both solutions performed equally well when it came to removing dirt and grime from dishes. Then dishes were inspected for spotting and filming and both received high scores. Cascade had a higher ph-level: 11 compared with a 7 for New Wave (their site states that the ph level is 4-5). Plates and bowls were covered with egg yolks, buttermilk, tomato juice, butter, powdered milk, and spaghetti sauce and then run through a dishwasher.

“Conventional dishwashing detergents can contain phosphates, 1.4 dioxane, chlorine bleach, formaldehyde and caustics. Several states, including Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, Vermont and Washington all have legislation banning phosphates in products by 2010, and Massachusetts and Michigan (along with Canada) are also considering similar legislation.

“The Wave High Performance Auto Dishwasher Gel dish detergent is formaldehyde/caustic/chlorine-free, and is plant-based and 100% biodegradable. Earth Friendly Products Co. has four manufacturing facilities strategically spread throughout the US to reduce the distance traveled from production to the customer. The company also has what it calls their 'Freedom List' which is a list of all of the items that their products do not contain. The line has also won several awards, including Natural Home Magazine's 'Readers Choice Award' for Best Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products and the 2007 PETA Proggy Award for Best Line of Cruelty-Free Household Products.”