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Cleaning with natural soap vs. detergent

I have many posts talking about how much I love my homemade bar soap, my homemade liquid soaps, and all the products I make with these soaps.  But I was recently reminded that, in this day and age, natural soap is not the solution to all cleaning needs. 

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when I use natural soap vs detergent
Natural soap

From my experience, the natural soap works very well for cleaning natural dirts and oils.  I love my natural liquid soap for hand soap, face wash, dish soap, dishwasher detergent, clothes washing.  This works well for me because the oils I am trying to clean are natural – sweat on my body or clothing, food oils on dishes.  My bar soaps work great for me as a shower bar, for cleaning body oils. 

liquid castile soap finished product

Detergent “soap”

From my experience, natural soap is not effective in cleaning synthetic oil or oils derived from petroleum products, such as machinery grease, sewing machine oil, bicycle chain grease, and motor oil.  For those synthetic and petroleum based oils, I need to use a detergent instead of soap.  

I honestly haven’t done much research on gentle, environmentally friendly detergents.  My use of detergent is so infrequent that I still have the small bottle that I bought about 10 years ago, before I was as environmentally- and synthetic chemical-conscious.  I use Dawn original dish detergent for those synthetic stains on laundry, or if I get grease on my skin.  While I do not like the ingredient composition or EWG rating (D), I use Dawn so infrequently and sparingly that, like my use of BarKeeper’s Friend, I am not terribly worried about its negative impact on me and the environment.  I still want to find a more environmentally friendly detergent for these infrequent needs, and will report back to you when I find one!

dawn original dish detergent

One exception to my soap vs. detergent use

Poison ivy.  Its (natural) oils cause contact dermatitis (skin irritation) in unlucky people like me.  According to what I have written above, natural soap should clean poison ivy oils from skin and clothing.  However, I am super-sensitive to poison ivy and other skin irritants, and I don’t want to take any chances.  I elect to use detergent – Dawn – when cleaning skin, shoes, and clothing that have contacted poison ivy.  It’s worked well for me at preventing contact dermatitis, or from it spreading, after I have contacted poison ivy.  I have heard a rule of thumb saying that if the oils are washed off the skin within about 20 minutes of touching poison ivy you won’t get a reaction (contact dermatitis) and for me this has been true.  

poison ivy on stone wall
I have nightmares about this stuff
What is a soap vs. detergent?

This article explains the difference between soap and detergent.  One thing that makes this a bit confusing is that what is commonly marketed as “soap” – bars of body “soap,” dish “soap” – are not really soap but detergent.  

Real soaps are organic compounds. (Think back to chemistry class – organic in the chemistry sense, not the pesticide free sense where we normally hear “organic.”)  Soap is made from mixing fats with a strong base (typically lye) and allowing a chemical reaction – saponification – to occur.  Soaps are made of a combination of entirely naturally occurring  ingredients.

Detergents are typically synthetically derived – they are created in a lab.  Ingredients that make up detergents are either synthetic or a combination of synthetic and natural.  

In my mind the difference is simple – soap is natural and detergent is engineered.  In general, I think soaps are better for the environment, and for my body, because they are natural.  I use soap wherever it works, and (sparingly) use detergents only when soap won’t cut it.  (ha, ha.  My awful sense of humor is slipping out…)

 

Do you know of a good detergent soap that is more gentle on the environment?  Please share in the comments below!

Everyone likes food – Notes about my cooking style and recipes on this site

Pretty much everyone likes food, right?  I know I do!  So far, I have barely scratched the surface of food and recipes on this blog.  But that is about to change.  I have gotten several requests to share food recipes and how food and meal prep fits into my frugal lifestyle.  You are in luck.  I love cooking and baking, and am excited to share my recipes and tips with you!

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.  See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

colloage cooking & baking from MyGreenerLiving. photos of chocolate banana bread, stevia, mixed grain and veggie casserole, sourdough bread

First, a few things about my cooking and baking:

Vegetarian cooking

I am a vegetarian, so most of my recipes will be vegetarian.  I am not vegan but often substitutions can be made in my vegetarian cooking recipes.  

Healthy baking

Is healthy baking even possible?  That is debatable.  Everyone has a different definition of “healthy,” so you will have to use your own discretion.  In my “healthy” baking, I aim to reduce or eliminate added sugars, avoid artificial sweeteners, add protein, and reduce what I consider “bad fats” (such as vegetable oils).

dried dates

I like to use pureed dates as a natural sweetener, and I often substitute about half of the sweetness in a recipe with stevia, a highly concentrated natural sweetener that comes from a plant.   This small container of Kal brand pure stevia extract powder and has lasted me about 3 years.  I typically remove about half the added sugar recommended in recipes, and replace with stevia.  For each cup of sugar removed, I add about 1/2 teaspoon of pure stevia extract powder.  That’s right:  I feel that the sweetness from 1 cup sugar = 1/2 TEASPOON pure stevia powder.  That’s how the tiny jar lasts so long for me!

pure stevia powder container

Soaking nuts, seeds, and grains

I soak most of my nuts, seeds, and grains before consuming.  I follow a soaking process to reduce the amount of phytic acid in my foods.  Put simply, phytic acid is present in all seeds, grains, and nuts.  It makes it so our bodies cannot absorb all the great nutrients present in these foods.  This is particularly relevant to people who are iron deficient, and to vegetarians, since humans don’t produce enough of the enzyme needed to break down the phytic acid.  Basically, when I soak my seeds, nuts, and grains before eating them, it allows my body to get the most nutritional benefit from my food.  

Here’s the more scientific explanation.  Phytic acid is naturally present in seeds, grains, and nuts – foods that we eat that are the “seed” part of plants.  I think it’s a great adaptation that these plants have  evolved to protect themselves.  Phytic acid prevents the seed part of the plant from starting to grow until it is in the ground.  It also binds to nutrients like iron, zinc, manganese, and calcium, so when that seed does begin to germinate in the ground, it has the nutrients it needs to grow healthily.  This means our bodies can’t absorb all the great nutrients from the “seed” without the presence of phytase, an enzyme needed to break down phytic acid.  Soaking, sprouting and fermenting allows the enzyme phytase to break down some of the phytic acid, therefore reducing the amount of phytase that enters the body when these foods are eaten. 

soaking quinoa

Important Note:

There are also benefits to phytic acid, so you should evaluate your own health and needs to determine if soaking grains, nuts, and seeds is something that you want to do. 

If I was NOT vegetarian, I probably would only soak the foods that I regularly eat without eating meat at the same time – like nuts/peanuts (for snacking and making peanut butter) and bread.  

For more information:

There are a lot of great articles and posts that explain more about phytic acid.  If you’re interested in learning more about this, I recommend reading the articles from the Weston A Price Foundation,  Precision Nutrition, and The Nourishing Home.  

This article from the Weston A. Price Foundation talks in depth about preparing foods for consumption with reduced phytic acid, and I use both this page and The Nourishing Home as references when I am soaking my nuts, seeds, and grains. 

Check back tomorrow for my first recipe: mixed grain and veggie casserole.

Do you have questions, requests, or tips relating to cooking or baking?  Please share in the comments below!