Posted By: Truly Free Home
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Posted On: 8/18/2025
Life’s about appreciating the little things—and for me, one of them is my dishwasher. I didn’t always have one, so I know firsthand what a lifesaver this kitchen cleanup assistant can be. But even with a dishwasher, handwashing dishes is still part of my daily routine.
My cast-iron skillets never go near the dishwasher, and my stainless steel pots and pans often need a little more TLC than a machine can provide. (Cooked-on brown bits are no joke!) Plus, sometimes it’s quicker and easier to wash a favorite coffee mug or a couple of plates by hand after a simple dinner.
That means I find myself at the sink most nights, cleaning cookware and utensils. In the past, I reached for liquid dish soaps loaded with harsh, toxic chemicals because I thought they were the only way to tackle grease and stubborn food residue. Unfortunately, that came with the tradeoff of headache-inducing fumes and dry, irritated hands.
What I didn’t realize then is that non-toxic dishwashing soap can be just as tough on grease—without exposing your home to harmful chemicals. Today, Truly Free Home’s safe dishwashing soaps and cleaners make it possible to keep dishes sparkling while protecting your health.
If you’ve ever wondered whether switching to non-toxic dishwashing is worth it, the answer is yes! Here’s your complete guide to non-toxic dish washing that’s tough on grease and actually works.
Most people don’t know that harsh fumes, irritated skin, and dry, cracked hands can often be red flags that their dish soap contains hidden toxins. In fact, the Environmental Working Group evaluated 326 dish soap brands—many familiar names from grocery store shelves—and found that roughly 65% received a D or F rating.
Even more concerning, some of these low-rated dish soap brands are marketed with misleading claims like “ultra soft” or “naturally derived,” designed to make consumers think they’re safe, when the opposite is true.
In the U.S., it’s easy to get away with greenwashing because cleaning product labels aren’t required to list all ingredients. You have a right to know what’s in the products you use every day.
To help you make safer choices, here’s a list of common toxic ingredients in dish soaps.
Ethanolamines or MEA, DEA, and TEA: These chemical compounds are used as surfactants and emulsifiers that help soap and water mix, as well as foaming agents. Because of this, they’re often found in dish soaps, laundry detergents, and all-purpose cleaners. The issue? They’re known carcinogens linked to eye and skin irritation and respiratory problems. Regular exposure can also cause potential long-term effects like liver and kidney damage or even cancer.
Phthalates: When it comes to toxic dish soaps, phthalates are typically used as fragrance carriers. But this class of chemicals has endocrine-disrupting properties that interfere with the hormone systems that are crucial to our body’s core functions, including growth and development, metabolism, reproduction, sleep, stress, and immune response. Recent studies have also linked exposure to a higher risk of breast cancer and infertility in women.
Formaldehyde: Another known carcinogen and skin and respiratory irritant, formaldehyde is used in toxic dish soaps as a preservative to help keep these products shelf-stable. You’ll find this ingredient hiding behind names like bronopol, diazolidinyl urea, disteardimonium hectoride, imidazolidinyl urea, methylene glycol, nitromethylidynetrimethanol, and quaternium-15.
What’s worse is toxic dish soaps don’t rinse away. They often leave behind a thin, invisible residue on the very dishes, cups, and cookware your family eats from every day.
When that residue is exposed to heat from freshly cooked food or hot liquids, the chemicals can reactivate. So, in addition to coming into contact with these toxins through your skin when you wash dishes, you and your family may also ingest these toxins, doubling your exposure and potential health risks.
Choosing non-toxic dishwashing detergents, dish soaps, and cleaners isn’t just about avoiding harsh fumes or protecting your skin; it’s about safeguarding your family’s long-term health. By making the switch to safe dishwashing products—like Truly Free Home Dish Soap and Heavy Duty Pot & Pan Spray—you can keep your kitchen truly clean, without the hidden risks.
One of the biggest reasons people hesitate to switch from the toxic dish soaps they’ve always used to non-toxic alternatives is the worry that they won’t work as well or cut through grease, grime, and burnt-on food. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.
At Truly Free Home, our non-toxic dishwashing products are specifically formulated to cut through food particles and oils without leaving a toxic film behind—or sacrificing the foaming experience you’re used to.
Here’s a breakdown of our grease-cutting dishwashing products and the plant-powered ingredients that do all the dirty work.
Truly Free Home Dish Soap. Lightly scented with basil extract for a garden-fresh aroma, our non-toxic dish soap relies on two coconut oil-derived compounds that gently clean and help loosen dirt and impurities on dishes. Its grease-fighting power comes from citrus and a naturally occurring surfactant that together dissolve grease, oil, and stubborn stains.
Truly Free Home Heavy Duty Pot & Pan Spray. Say goodbye to soaking your pots and pans overnight and scrubbing until you sweat. This foaming grease and grime fighter melts away burned brown bits and dried grease with ease. It’s all thanks to the plant-based cleaning agent citric acid, which effectively removes mineral and metal deposits, kills bacteria, mold, and mildew; decyl glucoside, a coconut- and sugar-derived cleaning agent that breaks down dirt and stains, and two naturally occurring surfactants.
At the end of the day, clean dishes shouldn’t come at the cost of your health. That’s why Truly Free Home is committed to creating safe, effective, non-toxic dishwashing products that give you sparkling clean dishes and a healthy, happy home.
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