Washing the dishes with a zero waste dish soap is a big part of zero waste cleaning. In this article I listed all the zero waste dish soaps I could find online. Together with my other lists of Eco friendly sponges and plastic free dishwasher detergents you can achieve a 100% sustainable dish washing operation.
My personal favorite zero waste dish soap is Cleancult’s liquid dish soap refill. Primarily because of its impressive cleaning qualities with organic ingredients. The packaging is biodegradable, Even the cap is plant-based, making it a 100% zero waste product.
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Top 5 Zero Waste Dish Soap
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What zero waste dish soap options are available?
If you’re looking for zero waste dish soaps for your kitchen or business, you have a choice of powdered dish soaps, liquid dish soaps, dish soap concentrates and dish soap blocks and bars. It all depends on how you prefer to wash your dishes and your preferences of scent and texture – all the products on the list below are chosen according to their zero waste qualities, cleaning effectiveness and lastly, their ease of use.
15 best zero waste dish soaps
If you’re looking to create a zero waste kitchen and household, an Eco friendly dish soap can really reduce your negative environmental impact.
1. Cleancult Liquid Dish Soap
The Cleancult liquid dish soap refill comes in compostable colorful packaging made from recycled milk cartons, which makes it attractive right off the bat.
It’s not all about how it looks however, as the concentrate dish soap inside the box contains organic ingredients which are super tough on any mess and tackles your dirty dishes with relative ease while being oh-so-gentle on your skin. It cuts through dirt, grease and grime to reveal the shine and sparkle on your dishes every single time.
It comes in 4 different scent profiles, which are Blue Sage, Sweet Honeysuckle, Grapefruit Basil, and Lemongrass – and all of them leave your hands, dishes, and kitchen sink smelling fresh and clean without the use of any harsh chemicals whatsoever. The plant-based resealable cap ensures that you can easily store any unused excess dish soap away without worrying about leakage.
Cleancult also has a refill program, in which you can purchase their sleek looking, shatter-resistant, and refillable dish soap dispenser that dispenses the perfect amount of soap with every pump, helping you get the most value out of every drop of Cleancult’s eco friendly dish soap.
The Cleancult brand has always been at the forefront of zero waste dishwashing and makes products that appeal to everyone, from those who are just taking their first steps into sustainability to those who are fully immersed in the zero waste lifestyle.
Reviews
The comments on this Cleancult dish soap show how satisfied customers are with the clean, pleasant smell and easy lathering that leaves their dishes super clean and produces zero waste.
2. Blueland Dish Soap Starter Set
This starter set from Blueland gives you everything you need to dive right into a more sustainable lifestyle. It comes with a reusable silicone shaker and 16oz of fragrance free powder dish soap.
The soap can be shaken onto a wet sponge or directly on wet dishes and immediately foams into a natural dish soap that cleans all kinds of dishware, glassware, silver and porcelain effectively. It also works just as well in the dishwasher as it does on a wet sponge.
The biodegradable dish soap itself is made without any triclosan, parabens, phosphates, ammonia, VOCs, petroleum, phthalates or artificial dyes and fragrances. Basically – it is free of any nasty stuff, and is certified USDA BioPreferred and Leaping Bunny to contain good stuff only.
The concept behind Blueland’s silicone Forever Shaker is the fact that once you purchase it, you will never have to deal with another single-use plastic dishwashing soap bottle ever again – all you need to do is order the refill pouches which come in a fully compostable paper bag.
Reviews
Customers love the fact that this contains no plastic and is gritty and foamy enough to clean out their dishes effectively.
3. Shopetee Unscented Liquid Dish Soap Concentrate
If you’re looking for an easy to use concentrate dish soap to clean your dirty dishes, the Etee Unscented Liquid Dish Soap Concentrate should be on your list. Each one of these dish soap refill packs comes in biodegradable pods that is made with 100% plant-based ingredients.
The natural dish soap itself is free from any nasty stuff like SLS, phthalates, sulphites, sulphates, synthetics, colorants and artificial fragrances.
All you need to do to use this dish soap is to squeeze the concentrate out of the pod into an unused jar, and fill it up with 12.7 oz of water. Then use a pump lid to squirt this dish soap into your sponge or cloth and let this dish soap make quick work of dirty dishes in your sink.
The pods can be disposed of in the compost or garbage where they’ll biodegrade naturally.
Every single item in the pack is handmade in Toronto and sourced from local workers and materials, so you can always trust that their employees are treated fairly.
Reviews
Some customers have said that this soap is a little pricey, but compared with the other comments about plastic-free packaging and a perfect amount of suds, it evens out to a great eco friendly dishwashing experience.
4. Etee Plastic-Free Dish Soap Bars
A Dish soap bar just gives you that classic feel when it comes to keeping things like your hands or dishes clean – and the Etee plastic-free dishwashing soap bar does just that while being surprisingly easy to use.
The plant based formulation is soft and gentle on hands while being tough on grease on your wraps, bags, dishes or pots and pans. The mellow scent of coconut and lemon essential oil leaves your dishes and hands with a long-lasting pleasant scent that elevates the dishwashing experience to new heights.
You simply have to rub this bar soap on your wet sponge, scrub or towel, ensure that you have enough soap transferred, and you can immediately get started with dishwashing. This organic dish soap is entirely plant-based and includes ingredients such as organic coconut oil, organic castor oil, organic cocoa butter, organic cane sugar and lemon essential oils.
It is free of plastic, synthetic fragrances or preservatives of any kind, and the plastic free packaging gives you a complete zero waste dishwashing experience.
Reviews
The customer reviews show us that customers love the mild and soothing scent of this bar soap, its effective yet gentle-on-skin cleaning power and that it lasts a long time.
5. Earth Hero Handmade Castile Solid Dish Soap
This solid dish soap from Earth Hero is the zero waste kitchen solution you never knew you needed. The vegan formulation on this dish soap block is a great alternative to plastic dish soap bottles, which are single-use and contribute to landfills and pollution.
The ingredients include Olive oil, water, coconut oil, sodium hydroxide, french green clay and pacific sea salt – with none of the harsh chemicals and bad stuff. The soap itself is manufactured with energy from renewable solar power and is hand made in the USA.
Additionally, all of the bestowed essentials products (including this one) are Vegan and certified cruelty free by PETA – and with each order of this natural dish soap, the company collects and recycles 1lb of beach trash through their partnership with the Ocean Blue Project.
Reviews
Reviewers have mentioned that this dish soap comes in a big size for the price paid, which makes it great value for money, and its aesthetic appeal and the plastic free packaging it comes in.
6. Ecoroots Zero Waste Dish Soap
For those looking for a great organic dish soap to use for your dirty dishes, the Ecoroots zero waste dish soap is a great choice. The dish soap block produces an impressive lather that is more than enough for your dishwashing needs, and it works effectively against grease and grime on your dishes.
While cleaning, the unscented and fragrance-free qualities of this dish soap ensures that sensitive noses aren’t overwhelmed, and the aloe vera in this plastic free dish soap keeps your hands from getting too dry after washing the dishes.
The Ecoroots zero waste dish soap is also multi-purpose and can be used on carpet stains or to clean kitchen counters, or a variety of other applications. Each block easily lasts you 2-3 months, which means this is great value!
Reviews
The reviews on this product are fairly mixed, with some saying that it cleans well and good comments about the plastic free packaging, while the other half thinks it doesn’t clean as well as conventional dish soaps.
7. Meliora Castile Dish Soap
Dirty dishes are easily tackled with the power of nature inside the Meliora Castile Dish Soap. Packed full of organic ingredients such as coconut and sunflower oil, this concentrated kitchen dish soap works hard to efficiently loosen and clean off grease and food residue to leave your dishes clean and sparkling.
The plastic-free and non-toxic qualities of this soap make it a great option for those looking for a sustainable dish soap in their lives.
It is a MADE SAFE Certified product, meaning that it is third party tested to ensure that it contains non-toxic ingredients which do not pose any harm to the environment and is safe on human skin.
The cruelty free leaping bunny certification proves that no animal testing was conducted in the making of this product. It contains no synthetic fragrances, dyes and preservatives, and is SLS-free – while shipping in 100% recyclable and plastic free packaging.
Reviews
Reviewers love the fact that it is unscented, and is plastic free. There are however, a few comments that talk about how it stops sudsing as effectively over time.
8. Grove.co High Performance Dish Soap
The Grove.co high-performance dish soap is a liquid dish soap that is formulated to tackle dirty dishes and remove grease without the use of any harsh chemicals. It is infused with aloe vera that moisturizes your hands as you use it to wash your dishes and ensures that your hands are never dried out after.
Grove.co High Performance Dish Soap is free of parabens, phosphates, and triclosan, and is certified B Corp and Cruelty-free.
The plant-based formula of 95% plant-derived ingredients and 100% natural fragrances means that this environment friendly dish soap is gentle on your skin while being tough on dirt, grime and grease to leave your dishes clean and shiny.
This sustainable dish soap by Grove comes in 100% plastic-free packaging that is designed to refill the reusable hand soap bottle. Using it this way effectively eliminates plastic waste and the reliance on single-use plastics commonly found in conventional dishwashing soap packaging.
The 16 oz size means that you can wash over 1000 dishes before having to buy a new infinitely recyclable aluminum bottle – and the company is committed to being 100% plastic-free by 2025. Read more about it here.
Reviews
Comments on this product are mainly good reviews regarding the plastic free, aluminium containers and the fact that it smells great and gets the job done efficiently.
9. Grove All Purpose Hand & Dish Bar Soap
Dish soap bar users will find this Grove all purpose hand & dish bar soap handy for just about every cleaning application in their lives.
This dish soap is plastic free and produces high lather that degreases dishes effectively while leaving your hands and skin feeling soft and moisturized thanks to the aloe vera and shea butter formulation.
Grove hand & dish bar soap contains no sulfates, parabens, phthalates, silicones, or synthetic and artificial colors, fragrances, and dyes.
The packaging of this 100% plastic free dish soap is an FSC-certified paper box made out of recycled paper and responsibly harvested wood. The natural fragrances of Ginger and lime are derived from essential oils and plant-based ingredients, leaving your kitchen smelling pleasant after every wash with notes of fresh citrus, mandarin leaf, clover, and white grapefruit.
Reviews
The plastic free packaging on this dish soap is one of the key sentiments reviewers share, and the fact that this soap is non-drying on hands and skin.
10. Eco Girl Zero Waste Dish Soap Bar and Pot Scrubber
This full set of zero waste dishwashing products from Eco Girl is pretty much all you need to get started on your zero waste kitchen journey. The organic dish soap is vegan and cruelty free, containing no parabens, sulfates, preservatives, artificial colors or fragrances.
The pot scrubber is a great tool to scour away all that grease and dirt from your pots and pans, and everything in this set, from shipping to product, is plastic-free and packaging-free, making it an ideal zero waste dishwashing product for your sustainable kitchen.
Which zero waste dish soap to choose?
The Cleancult Liquid Dish Soap is a great zero waste dish soap to use as an overall dishwashing product with an amazing Eco-friendly refill program.
For ease of use, the Eco Girl Zero Waste Dish Soap Bar and Pot Scrubber package comes with all you need to start scrubbing those dirty dishes in a more eco-friendly way.
The Blueland Dish Soap Starter Set is also another great option with a refill program.The starter set comes with everything included for you to start your zero waste kitchen journey.
Choose the Grove.co High Performance Dish Soap if you are looking for a durable soap that will do every dish cleaning job you will throw at it.
What is the most environmentally friendly dish soap?
If you’re looking for the most environmentally friendly dish soap, you should look for those with all natural ingredients, and don’t contain things like parabens, phthalates, sulfates, SLS or synthetics. It has to be certified biodegradable and is ideally packaging and plastic free.
What dish soaps are biodegradable?
The Cleancult dish soap, Blueland dish soap, and Etee dish soap pods are some of the best biodegradable dish soaps on the list.
What is the healthiest dish soap?
Healthy dish soaps are those that contain no toxic ingredients and is unscented, like the Etee unscented liquid dish soap pods and the Ecoroots zero waste dish soap.
What is the least toxic dish soap?
The Cleancult dish soap, Earth hero Castile dish soap and the Grove all purpose hand & dish soap are a few of the least toxic dish soaps on the list.
Does dishwashing liquid kill bacteria?
Yes. Dishwashing liquid is designed to remove all bacteria, viruses, and any other kind of pathogen from sticking to food residue on your dishes. It lifts the germs and pathogens up off the surface of your dishes so that they can be easily rinsed off with water – ideally, hot water.
Can dish soap be used as hand soap?
Most conventional dish soaps contain harsh chemicals that can really wreck the moisture levels of the skin on your hands and dry them out in a flash. The answer is yes, you can but you run the risk of having consistently dry hands which may be an uncomfortable feeling. However, the natural dish soaps on the list above all contain moisturizing ingredients that keep your hands soft and supple during and after cleaning.
How to use less dish soap?
There is a little trick you can use to reduce your consumption of dish soap every time you need to wash the dishes. First, get a small bowl and fill it up with 1 cup of water, then add a tablespoon or equivalent of your natural dish soap and swirl it around to create a dishwashing liquid mixture that you can use to wash a big batch of dishes without wasting any dish soap.
What’s more Eco friendly, dishwashers or washing by hand?
When it comes to washing dishes, it is true that the dishwasher is much more efficient than hand washing. Because they use scalding hot water in an enclosed space, dishwashers tend to use less energy, water, and soap as compared to hand washing. When we talk about being eco-friendly, modern dishwashers exceed handwashing, even in zero waste hand soap in terms of water used, energy expended, and cleanliness of dishes.
My favorite zero waste dishwasher
Washing the dishes is a daily routine, and it’s always best to have a high-quality product that is both sustainable and effective in getting your dishwashing tasks done.
The Cleancult liquid hand soap does just that and is just one of those products that you know you’ll have a good feeling about at first glance. The recycled milk cartons idea is a pretty genius one, and the plant-based cap makes it easy to store and fully compostable when it comes to the end of its life cycle.
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