Green Dish Washing Tips & Tricks

Go Green in 2014: Week 25

I apologize that this is late...I am traveling and have limited internet access. In this post, I will go over a few ways we have gone green with dish washing.

I hadn't really given my dish washing products a second thought until I started "going green", and even then, they weren't at the the top of my list of things to switch out.

After all, we rinse the soap off our dishes and it just goes down the drain, never to be seen again...right?!

Not quite. Even if there is no soap residue left on the dishes, it doesn't just disappear into thin air...it has to go somewhere after leaving your plumbing. That means if you are using products with harsh chemicals, those chemicals are contaminating every place them come into contact with.

Well, when we moved into our new house, I finally had a dishwasher again. The dishwasher, however, wasn't doing a great job of washing the dishes and rinsing at the end of the cycle.

We were advised to use Finish dish washing tablets, which worked well with our city's hard water. However, my mom later gave us a bottle of Melaleuca gel dishwasher detergent (affiliate link). So we gave it a try, and it seems to work just as well; plus, it is safer for both us and the environment.

...meanwhile, I had read that apple cider vinegar (ACV) could be used as a rinse aid, so we decided to give it a try. We simply filled it up with ACV and gave it a try. To our surprise, it worked really well! As a bonus, it is cheap, natural, and doesn't contain yucky chemicals that will contaminate our dishes.

Finally, when we used up the last of our green apple scented dish soap, I decided to try out Dr. Bronner's liquid castile soap (affiliate link) for hand-washing some of the dishes. Although my husband complains that it doesn't cut the grease very well, I find that it works just fine to place a few drops of diluted soap directly on greasy pans before wiping them down. We dilute it one part soap to approximately four parts water and keep it in a soap pump next to the sink. This way, it can be used both for dishes and washing our hands.

Caroline Bach / https://www.flickr.com/photos/carolinebach/

Tips for dish washing...the green way

1. Switch to non-toxic products. Choose eco-friendly dish soap and dishwasher detergent, and consider using apple cider vinegar as
2. Choose an energy efficient dishwasher. These days, most appliances are energy efficient, but if you are ever in doubt, look for the Energy Star logo a rinse aid.
3. Wait until the dishwasher is full before running it. Doing so will help to save water, energy, and detergent.
4. Use as little water as possible when hand washing. Rather than filling up the sink right away, I like to start out with about an inch of hot water with soap, then let the sink fill up as I rinse the dishes.
5. Minimize laundry by letting dishes air dry. Plus, damp towels can harbor bacteria, which can transfer to the surfaces of the plates, glasses, and utensils you use for eating.

These are just a few ideas to go green when washing dishes. What are some ways you save water and money or avoid harmful chemicals while dish washing?

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*Disclaimer: I bought all of these products with my own money, and have not received compensation of any kind to review them. All opinions in this article are my own.

**Disclosure: Although this post may contain affiliate links, all opinions are my own.

Your challenge: This week, consider using green methods and products to wash your dishes.

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**This post is part of a weekly challenge {Go Green in 2014}, during which the author has challenged herself - and you - to find 52 ways to lead a greener life in 2014. You can follow the weekly posts on this page.**