I have a dishwasher, but there are certain dishes I prefer to wash by hand such as pots, pans, bamboo spoons, and a French press. A SLS-laden soap is not an option anymore especially since I found Dishmate by Earth Friendly Products. First, I tried the uplifting grapefruit scent and it is fabulous. Currently, I’m using Dishmate pear and oh my goodness, it smells divine, too – warm and spicy. Both soaps make our dishes squeaky clean (even crusty pots and pans) and did not dry out my sensitive skin. In fact, Dishmate is so gentle on my hands that I often use it as a simple hand soap. The other winsome aspect is that Dishmate is very concentrated so I only need a tiny squirt making an inexpensive product last a long time. Since I’m quite olfactory, I can hardly wait to try the other Dishmate aromas: almond, lavender, and apricot.
Simple is a perfect description of Dishmate since it merely contains water, coconut oil-derived surfactants, salt, and real fruit oil such as grapefruit or pear oils. When I first read the label, I thought it sounded like THE perfect product. But then I realized I didn’t really know what a surfactant was or if the fact that it was derived from seemingly safe coconut oil was healthy or potentially dangerous. Who else could I turn to except Earth Friendly Products? They replied to my e-mail the very next day and put my doubts to rest. A kind customer service representative enlightened me with this information: a surfactant reduces the surface tension of water against the object being washed. You might have noticed that when you dampen an object, the water seems to remain, but a surfactant cuts through that tension to clean. I also learned that their ingredient purity is of the highest standard. Read for yourself:
As for ingredient purity, we test our ingredients ourselves, and
send them out to be what’s called third-party testing, for the most
objective results. A large distributor in Japan wanted to import our
products, and in order to do so, the Japanese government tested them
for purity rigorously. There is a much higher standard for product
purity in Japan and in the EU. For example, there can only be <4.5
parts per million of formaldehyde. Formaldehyde can be
naturally-occurring (a potato has a surprising amount of formaldehyde),
and unfortunately many natural cleaners are laced with carcinogenic
amounts of formaldehyde. Ours passed Japan’s tests, as well as the
EU’s, and is sold in both places.
In addition
to constant testing of ingredients, we also require our sources to sign
agreements not only for purity, but against animal testing. Every
ingredient needs to be made from plants, every product has to be in the
neutral pH range, and if you look on our web site for Freedom Code, you’ll see a very long list of ingredients we never use. It might be helpful for you!
People
should know what they’re using against their skin, don’t you think?
Skin absorbs, and if you’re going to immerse your hands in hot soapy
water for the 20 minutes it takes to wash dishes, it really should be
in a detergent that is made from plants, neutral, and formaldehyde-free. With all the transdermal patches being used, let’s hope the
message starts to sink in! [Val Osakada, Ecos]
After reading the representative’s e-mail, I was completely sold not only on Dishmate soaps, but the entire line of Earth Friendly Products, many of which you can find at Whole Foods or buy online. Knowing that the company is that forthright about Dishmate gives me confidence to try their other products or even send an e-mail if I sense a questionable ingredient. It also seems that Earth Friendly Products selected the quintessential name for their company. They are truly friendly to the Earth as well as the human beings and animals who inhabit our planet. And the rep was friendly to me, an inquiring stranger. All of this and Dishmate works great, too. What more could a girl ask for?
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