Best Non-Toxic Dish Soap: Picks for Hand Washing, Dishwashers and the Sink
Best Non-Toxic Dish Soap: Picks for Hand Washing, Dishwashers and the Sink
The best non-toxic dish soap in our catalogue is ECOS Free & Clear Dish Soap. It carries EPA Safer Choice certification, lists nine ingredients, and leaves out fragrance, dyes, phthalates, parabens and 1,4-dioxane. If you want one bottle that does more than dishes, Branch Basics is the runner-up.
We are being plain about the shortlist. Only two products here are liquid dish soaps. The rest cover the other half of washing up: the dishwasher, the scrubber, the hand soap and the towel. A short, honest list beats a padded one, and every pick below was checked against the household rubric, not against brand reputation.
For the wider picture, see our room-by-room guide to the best non-toxic cleaning products, and browse every vetted pick on the household recommendations page.
What counts as non-toxic dish soap
Dish soap sits on surfaces that touch your food and on your hands for minutes at a time, so the label matters more than it does for a toilet cleaner. We looked for the things the household category rubric rewards and penalizes:
- Seek: EPA Safer Choice certification, plant-derived surfactants, a full ingredient list, and minimal packaging.
- Avoid: phthalates, triclosan, 2-butoxyethanol, ammonia and chlorine bleach. Phthalates and triclosan are the two the rubric flags most often in dish and hand products, because they are associated with hormonal and thyroid effects.
- Fragrance: an unspecified "fragrance" line can hide dozens of components, and phthalates are one family sometimes used in fragrance blends. Fragrance-free removes the question.
- Dyes: color has no cleaning job. We prefer dye-free.
EPA Safer Choice is worth a sentence. Under that program, EPA scientists review every ingredient in a certified product, and certification applies to a specific product, not to a whole brand. Always check that the exact bottle carries the mark.
The picks, ranked
1. Best overall: ECOS Free & Clear Dish Soap
ECOS Free & Clear Dish Soap is a hypoallergenic, fragrance-free liquid built mostly on coconut-derived surfactants. The full ingredient list is short: water, sodium coco-sulfate, cocamidopropylamine oxide, lauramine oxide, coco betaine, tetrasodium glutamate diacetate, citric acid, phenoxyethanol and ethylhexylglycerin.
It is EPA Safer Choice certified and Leaping Bunny certified.
The trade-offs. Phenoxyethanol and ethylhexylglycerin are synthetic preservatives, not plant-derived. It comes in one size only, a 25 fl oz bottle, with no concentrate or refill. ECOS also sells several scented Dishmate variants under similar names, so confirm the listing says Free and Clear before you buy.
2. Best concentrate: Branch Basics Cleaning Essentials Kit
Branch Basics is a single plant-based concentrate that you dilute for dishes, counters, bathrooms and laundry. The ingredient list is seven items: water, coco glucoside, decyl glucoside, chamomile flower extract, sodium phytate, baking soda and washing soda. It has no added preservatives and no fragrance, and it is MadeSafe and Leaping Bunny certified.
The trade-offs. The upfront cost is higher than a bottle of conventional soap, though the cost per use is competitive. You also fill and label your own bottles, which some people find tedious.
3. Best for the dishwasher: TrulyFree Dishwasher Detergent
TrulyFree Dishwasher Detergent is a plant-based powder with four ingredients: sodium carbonate, citric acid, plant-based enzymes and sodium percarbonate. It has no phosphates and no chlorine, and it carries EPA Safer Choice certification.
The trade-offs. Sodium percarbonate is an oxygen bleach. It is a different compound from chlorine bleach and breaks down into washing soda and hydrogen peroxide, but it is still a bleaching agent, so keep the powder dry and out of reach of children.
4. Best plastic-free scrubber: SUBEKYU Dish Brush
SUBEKYU Dish Brush uses natural sisal bristles with zero plastic and no microplastics. Soap is only half the job, and a plastic scrubber sheds fibers into the water every time you use it. Treat the head as a consumable and replace it when the bristles flatten.
5. Best sponge swap: Natural Home Plant-Based Kitchen Sponges
Natural Home Plant-Based Kitchen Sponges are 100% biodegradable cellulose made from wood pulp, with no microplastics. They suit glasses and non-scratch surfaces. Use the brush for pans.
6. Best for the sink area: Blueland Foaming Hand Soap Refill Tablets
Blueland Foaming Hand Soap Refill Tablets are not dish soap, but most kitchens keep a hand soap at the sink, and this one is fragrance-free, dye-free, and carries EPA Safer Choice, Leaping Bunny and Cradle to Cradle certification. You need a foaming dispenser, and it contains two preservatives, sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate.
7. Best for counters: ATTITUDE All Purpose Cleaner
ATTITUDE All Purpose Cleaner is EWG Verified and has four ingredients: caprylyl/myristyl glucoside, sodium citrate, sodium gluconate and purified water. Use it on the counters around the sink. It is not for unsealed wood or natural stone, and it is not a dish soap.
8. Best towel: HONEST WEAVE Organic Cotton Kitchen Towels
HONEST WEAVE Organic Cotton Kitchen Towels are GOTS certified organic cotton in an absorbent waffle weave. They finish the job without paper towels.
Comparison table
| Product | Key attribute | Certification | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| ECOS Free & Clear Dish Soap | Fragrance-free, dye-free, plant-derived surfactants | EPA Safer Choice, Leaping Bunny | 25 fl oz liquid |
| Branch Basics Cleaning Essentials Kit | Seven ingredients, no preservatives | MadeSafe, Leaping Bunny | Dilutable concentrate |
| TrulyFree Dishwasher Detergent | No phosphates, no chlorine | EPA Safer Choice | Powder |
| SUBEKYU Dish Brush | Natural sisal, zero plastic | None listed | Brush |
| Natural Home Plant-Based Sponges | Cellulose, no microplastics | None listed | Sponge |
| Blueland Foaming Hand Soap Tablets | Fragrance-free, plastic-free refill | EPA Safer Choice, Leaping Bunny, Cradle to Cradle | Tablets |
| ATTITUDE All Purpose Cleaner | Four ingredients | EWG Verified | Spray |
| HONEST WEAVE Kitchen Towels | Organic cotton | GOTS | Towel |
What did not make the list
Antibacterial dish soaps. Anything marketed as antibacterial is a hard no under the rubric when the active ingredient is triclosan, which the rubric flags for contributing to antibiotic resistance. Check the drug facts or ingredient panel. A plain soap and hot water do the work.
Any dish soap with an unspecified fragrance or colorant. We are not naming a brand here. The rule is simple: if the label lists "fragrance" or "colorants" and offers no breakdown, it fails the transparency test. Read the bottle, since formulas change.
How to use this list
If your priority is the simplest swap, buy ECOS and replace your sponge. If you want to cut the number of bottles under the sink, Branch Basics covers dishes, surfaces and laundry from one concentrate. For laundry specifically, our guide to clean laundry without the chemicals picks up where this one stops.
FAQ
Is dish soap residue a concern on dishes?
Rinse everything under running water. Simpler, shorter ingredient lists mean less to rinse off, and fragrance-free formulas leave no scent behind.
Does EPA Safer Choice mean a dish soap is chemical-free?
No. Everything is made of chemicals, water included. Safer Choice means EPA reviewed each ingredient against its criteria. It describes the formula, not a guarantee about every use.
Can I use castile soap or a concentrate for dishes?
Yes, a diluted plant-based concentrate such as Branch Basics is designed for dishes. Follow the dilution instructions on the bottle.
Why does non-toxic dish soap seem to foam less?
Foam is a feel, not a measure of cleaning. Plant-derived surfactants like coco betaine and coco glucoside clean well with less lather than formulas built around sodium lauryl sulfate.
The takeaway
Start with the soap on your sink. A fragrance-free, dye-free formula with a full ingredient list, ideally with EPA Safer Choice on the exact bottle, is the whole standard. ECOS meets it in one purchase, and Branch Basics meets it while replacing several other bottles. Add the dishwasher powder and plastic-free scrubbers as you run out of the old ones.