Dish Soap Can Help Save the World, Environment

Let's be honest - most eco-friendly cleaning products don't do a very good job. I have yet to find a single dishwashing detergent made by an environmentally friendly company that gets my dishes as clean as some good old fashioned high chemical Cascade. And, as a cloth diapering mommy, most conscientious laundry detergents just don't cut it.

However, Seventh Generation Natural Dish Liquid (for hand-washing dishes) actually works. It really does cut grease with only one squirt into the sink. On top of that, it is scented with natural essential oils that smell divine.

The best news, however, is the amazing claim written on the back of the 25% post-consumer recycled plastic bottle: "If every household in the U.S. replaced just one bottle o 25 oz petroleum based dishwashing liquid with our 25 oz vegetable based product, we could save 81,000 barrels of oil, enough to heat and cool 4,600 U.S. homes for a year!"

Could this be true? Am I fighting global warming when I do my dishes?

What Is Petroleum?

Petroleum is essentially crude oil used primarily for fuel. It is also used in cosmetics, cleaners, plastics, and, if you can believe it, pharmaceuticals.

Health Problems Connected to Petroleum Based Cleaners

According to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), "Products that contain petroleum distillates should be used carefully. Wear gloves to avoid skin contact and avoid breathing vapors of volatile compounds."

When we inhale something as basic as dishwashing liquid or the cleaner we use to wipe down our counters, we are inhaling something that the EPA considers volatile. When inhaled, this chemical weakens the lungs and can lead to pneumonia. Petroleum based aerosol cleaners are linked to asthma and other severe allergic reactions. Some petroleum based solvents are known carcinogens (cancer causing agents).

In addition, a 1999 study printed in the American Journal of Epidemiology (Am J Epidemiol.1999 Apr 15;149(8):761-70) concluded that exposure to petroleum based solvents increased the risk of connective tissue diseases, a class of conditions that includes arthritis.

They are also flammable.

Environmental Problems Connected to Petroleum

The production of petroleum causes pollution, destroys ecosystems and contaminates groundwater.

It was a crude oil spill from an Exxon tanker that caused on of the most damaging environmental accidents in Prince William's Sound, Alaska, in 1989. (Click here for full story)

Burning oil produces carbon dioxide, considered the primary cause of global warming.

Seventh Generation Uses No Petroleum

The company Seventh Generation bases its business on a mandate from The Great Law of The Iroquois Confederacy, which states, "In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations." None of their cleaners use petroleum, and are all non-toxic, biodegradable, and hypo-allergenic. They use no animal ingredients and do not test on animals.

According to their website:

"To quantify how much of a positive impact Seventh Generation's products have on the environment, we work with an independent group to track the amount of petroleum, trees, landfill space, water, and pollution saved as a result of the purchase of our natural household products.

In ten years, we have saved:

327,800 trees

233,000 pound of greenhouse gases (the kind that contribute to global warming

1,313,700 gallons of petroleum

123,642,500 gallons of water"

Dish Soap Really CAN Save The World

In addition to doing an outstanding job of cleaning my dishes, I really am contributing to saving the environment by using this product. That feels good, and it doesn't cost as much as solar panels or a hybrid car. Plus, as I mentioned before, it smells really good, and isn't that the most important part of a dishwashing liquid, anyway?