When washing dishes in your home, you probably use Dawn or Palmolive liquid dish soap. But did you know there is a more eco-friendly alternative that is cheaper in the long run too? This alternative is known as solid dish soap, typically made with a high concentration of coconut oil and a very low superfat percentage, making it highly cleansing and all natural. In this blog post, I'll explore why solid dish soap is a better choice than liquid alternatives. As a bonus, solid dish soap has so many other uses as well, described in further detail in this other blog post, How to Use Solid Dish Soap as Your All-Purpose Natural Cleaner in your Home.
Environmental Impact
One of the biggest reasons to use solid dish soap instead of liquid dish soap is the environmental impact. Liquid dish soap typically comes in plastic bottles that contribute to the ever-growing problem of plastic waste. Solid dish soap, on the other hand, is typically sold bare or sold in a reusable ceramic or tin container. Solid dish soap is more concentrated so less water weight means less transportation costs.
Local pickup from nearby soap makers is most ideal but shipping in cardboard packaging that can be recycled or composted is second best. Choosing local sources for your home products means less transportation costs, less pollution from cross-country distribution and less wear and tear on roads. Additionally, solid dish soap tends to last longer than liquid dish soap, which means less packaging waste in the long run.
Cost-Effectiveness
Another benefit of using solid dish soap is the cost-effectiveness. While the upfront cost of solid dish soap may appear higher for such a small package, solid dish soap is highly concentrated, meaning it will last longer and require less product per use. My solid dish soap will last several months (4-6 months) at at a time with typical use. Thus, it will actually save you money by switching to all natural solid dish soap. And the multiple uses described in this other blog post means you no longer need to have six or even ten different household cleaning products under your kitchen and bathroom sinks.
Cleaning Power
But what about the cleaning power? Can solid dish soap really clean dishes as well as liquid dish soap? The answer is yes! In fact, I formulated this solid dish soap with mostly coconut oil (for cleansing oil, grease, and dirt) and a tiny bit of castor oil (for extra bubbliness and lather stability) as well as citric acid to fight soap scum. The citric acid reacts with the sodium hydroxide during saponification to become sodium citrate, which is a biodegradable chelator to bind with the calcium and magnesium ions found in hard water, thus reducing soap scum when used frequently to wash dishes.
It has full cleansing power with no harsh chemicals or smells. You can use this dish soap with bare hands and no mask. Most of the other cleaners on the market are synthetic detergents but solid dish soap is made of real soap, meaning its made from oils and lye. As the Meriam Webster dictionary explains, real "soap is a cleansing and emulsifying agent made by action of alkali on fat or fatty acids and consisting essentially of sodium or potassium salts of such acids". Seriously, this is the best cleansing soap I have ever used for just about everything.
Solid dish soap is concentrated, all natural, eco-friendly, biodegradable, and longer lasting than liquid alternatives. Cleans pots, pans, dishes, laundry stains, dirty shoes, car mats, oven surfaces, carpets and more.
Versatility
One of the best things about solid dish soap is its versatility. While liquid dish soap is specifically designed for washing dishes, solid dish soap can be used for a variety of tasks around the house. For example, you can use solid dish soap to do laundry, clean countertops and surfaces, or even as a spot treatment for stains on clothing. Clean your oven top, car mats, carpet stains, poop accidents, dirty shoes, and even macaroni cheese stains from your favorite white shirt.
Overall, there are many reasons to consider switching from liquid dish soap to solid dish soap. Not only is it better for the environment and more cost-effective, but it's also just as effective at cleaning dishes and has a wide range of other uses around the house. So are you ready to switch to solid dish soap yet? Give it a try. Your budget (and the Earth) will thank you!
