Dish Washing Challenge

CHALLENGE: Dish Washing Liquid

I try to avoid washing dishes by hand as much as I can. But there are some things that can't be helped. Some dishes do not fit in the dishwasher. Others just shouldn't go in there. A few will not come clean or will break.

And for this, we need dish soap.

Soap is one of those funny things, green-wise. I've always thought of soap as being clean. After all, it's soap. It gets rid of dirt. But soap is actually made of chemicals and all sorts of things I can't spell or pronounce, and even if I could I have no idea what they actually are.

According to the label in my Seventh Generation Dish Liquid, "If every household in the U.S. replaced just one bottle of 25oz. petroleum-based dish liquid with one of our 25oz. plant-derived product, we could save 129,000 barrels of oil."

Now, I have no idea if this is true. I have no idea how much dish liquid out there is petroleum based. If I had more time and didn't have my kids shouting in my ear for snack right now, I might actually do some research. Or maybe I wouldn't. But that isn't going to change this challenge.

You probably have dish liquid in your house. If not, you should eat out less and stop washing your dishes with shampoo. CHECK THE LABEL. It should tell you if it is petroleum based. Now, try switching to a greener brand. I'm not talking about every soap you use, just your dish soap, here. We're starting small. Just dish soap. Try to find an eco-friendly alternative to the one you currently use.

It might not work as well, and that's OK. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. But my brand seems to work just fine. You can always try another kind. Change takes effort, but this can be done. Let me know how it works out.