Eco-Friendly Washing-Up Liquid Brands

Most washing-up liquids are made with toxic ingredients that harm aquatic life, are tested on animals and sold in plastic packaging. Here are some better choices.

• Use unscented products for pregnancy/nursing, baby and pet bowls. Citrus oils in particular are toxic to pets (even if rinsed and dried, residue could be licked from paws).
• Use with SEEP plastic-free cleaning cloths and sponges (they also make fair trade rubber gloves in eco packs).
• Replace chlorine bleach with natural oxygen bleach to remove tea/coffee cup stains. never mix any kind of bleach with acid (lemon or cleaning vinegar) as it causes toxic gas.
• Don’t pour plant-based liqueurs down the drain. They should be treated like oil (wrap and bin small amounts or use an oil recycling bin for larger amounts. Or better yet, just drink them up!

Greenscents Washing Up Liquid

Greenscents is a wonderful eco-cleaning company, everything is vegan-friendly with no palm oil, made with natural ingredients, not tested on animals and sold in refillable bottles, which also saves you money! Everything is also made in Somerset with Exmoor water.

Greenscents Organic Washing Up Liquid is a plant-powered powerhouse to clean away grease, grime and baked-on food from dishes, while being kind to the plane and your skin. Avoid handling glass with wet hands. Choose from non-scents (ideal for baby and pet bowls), minty, lavender or citrus.

Use code GSENGLANDNATURALLY for 15% off entire order (minimum purchase £20)

Also in bulk form, there is also a Nonscents range, ideal for pregnancy/nursing, cleaning near babies/pets (or for their bedding and bowls) and for allergies. All scents are naturally derived, and items are also certified organic. 

This concentrated formula contains organic soap nuts (don’t compost soap pods as they contain natural insecticides) and shikakai pods for natural foaming and effecting cleaning. Just a few drops go a long way, ideal for busy family kitchens.

How does the refill scheme work?

You can buy 500ml glass amber bottles (don’t handle with wet hands) for everyday use (and retail sale). Then you can buy refillable items in 5 litre and 20 litre containers. Just return empties for sanitising and reuse, as simple as that! You can buy bundle sets to save money, with the refills included with your first order.

Use with one-time purchase pumps for easy use and refilling.

Miniml Refillable Washing Up Liquids

Miniml Washing Up Liquids are made with natural ingredients and Yorkshire, sold in bottles that can be refilled at stores, or sent back using the QR code, to be washed, refilled and sent back to you.

Greenscents Organic Dishwasher Powder

Greenscents Organic Dishwasher Powder is a first! It’s a unique brand of natural botanicals and probiotics to deliver powerful cleaning in dishwashers using organic ingredients, and even sold in a paper bag that’s easy to recycle.

Use code GSENGLANDNATURALLY for 15% off entire order (minimum purchase £20)

A caveat here: if you live somewhere with very hard water (London, Norfolk and south-east we’re talking to you!), performance may vary. Most customers enjoy excellent results, but this powder may not suit all dishwashers or eco settings. It’s a case of trial and error.

One compostable pouch lasts around 30 cycles, so it’s great value too. You can pair with cleaning vinegar if wished as a rinse aid (or use the brand below).

Never mix any kind of vinegar with bleach, as it causes toxic gases.

To use, just add one heaped teaspoon (no greenwash ‘biodegradable wrappers’, which are usually made from PLA plastic).

Authentic customer reviews

As mentioned above, the few reviews where this powder hasn’t worked are usually for areas with very hard water, so you are likely best using hand-washing liquid. You could have a go at softening the water, with a monthly cycle of cleaning vinegar (fill a dishwasher-safe bowl or mug with 1 to 2 cups on the top rack, and run on an empty cycle. Don’t pour directly into the dispenser, this could damage rubber seals.

Here are some excellent reviews from genuine users (like any dishwasher product, soak baked-on goods beforehand for best results). Also be sure to thoroughly clean and rinse leftover plastic tabs, as some may leave a blue residue:

I’m delighted with this product. We have medium water and all my items came out, just as clean as branded pods, but without the horrible chemical residue. And genuinely only needed a teaspoon of powder.

The dishes are fresh and clean without any feeling of residue, which is fantastic for just one teaspoon! I’m never going back to the horrible chemical ones. Thank you!

I have tried ALL other eco-friendly alternatives and none have been effective, even with vinegar rinse. So when I got this dishwasher powder, I did not expect it to work at all. I was really surprised when the dishes came out clean, especially the glasses (no sign of limescale, I did use vinegar rinse).  For dried food stains, I make to rinse the dishes to remove larger particles, which also prevents clogging my machine.

How does the refill scheme work?

You can buy 500ml glass amber bottles (don’t handle with wet hands) for everyday use (and retail sale). Then you can buy refillable items in 5 litre and 20 litre containers. Just return empties for sanitising and reuse, as simple as that! You can buy bundle sets to save money, with the refills included with your first order.

Use with one-time purchase pumps for easy use and refilling.

Miniml refillable Rinse Aid

Miniml Eco Dishwasher Rinse Aid is the ideal swap to keep on hand, to leave your dishes squeaky-clean and streak-free ((including for restaurants and hotels). Made with biodegradable ingredients (including Yorkshire water – even scents are naturally derived), these are vegan-friendly and not tested on animals, and sold in bottles that you can send back to be refilled.

This Rinse Aid is concentrated, so a little goes a long way. At end of use, you can get the bottles refilled at stores that sell them, or use the QR code to send off empty bottles for refilling, and return.

The starter bottle is 500ml, and the refill bottles will last you ages! To use, fill the rinse aid reservoir of your dishwasher, and follow the machine manufacturer’s guidelines. Check the level of rinse aid regularly. Also suitable for cabinet washers and combi ovens.

Where to recycle cleaning products

If you have some toxic products that you no longer wish to use, don’t pour them down the sink, as this can harm waterways. You can recycle empty containers with household waste. With bottles still containing product, your council should be able to collect via the hazardous waste department. The fact that this is where they should be taken, is good reason to switch to a more natural brand!