Seventh Generation– Dish liquid

I know that I already panned Seventh Generation’s automatic dishwasher detergent.  But that’s not to say that I think that none of their products are good.  I really like their natural dish liquid, for example.  I buy the lavender scented variety, but it is also available in free and clear and citrus scented, as well.

I think that the natural dish liquid cleans well.  If I run a bit of water in something that is dried on and leave it sitting while I load the rest of the dishwasher, it generally cleans out quite easily.  There is plenty of foam, too, when I use Seventh Generation’s product.  And it’s easily available at my grocery store which, let’s face it, is always a plus. 

Side note–  did you know that you can use dish liquid to clear a clogged toilet?  For a while, we had to call a plumber on a semi-regular basis for our toilets (small children learning not to use a whole roll of toilet paper at one sitting being one of our largest problems).  Then I read a suggestion that for really clogged toilets you first put a generous squirt (and I do mean generous) of liquid dish soap into your toilet, wait a bit, THEN plunge.  You know what?  It works!!  I’ve used Seventh Generation for this purpose and not only did it get rid of the clog, but my bathroom smelled like lavender   Do be careful if the water is near the top, as the plunging of water containing dish soap will result in lots of suds.

From a natural point of view, what does Seventh Generation have to offer?  Their dish liquid is non-toxic, biodegradable, hypo-allergenic, contains no petroleum-based cleaners, no phosphates, it is safe for septic and greywater systems and is not tested on animals.  My bottle is also certified kosher and says that it contains no animal ingredients.

So, what difference does using a natural dish soap make?  Really, it’s not tremendously more expensive, considering how long a bottle lasts.  Even if you wash everything by hand, it couldn’t cost more than a couple dollars more per month.  And this is what you get for your money:

If every household in the U.S. replaced just one 25 oz. bottle of petroleum based dishwashing liquid with a vegetable based product, we could save 118,700 barrels of oil, enough to heat and cool 6,800 U.S. homes for a year!

Not to mention, less demand for petroleum products brings down the price of oil, which brings down the cost of gas at the pump.  So, see, you could actually save money in the long run by spending a bit extra on your dishwashing liquid.  Plus, less dependence on foreign oil can’t help but be a good thing, all around.

Overall, I think Seventh Generation’s dish liquid is a good way to lessen your impact on the natural world, while still using a product that is effective.