6 Best Liquid Dish Soap For Septic Systems in [2023]

Everyone wants to use the most effective dish soap to cut-through greasy and cheesy food residue.

Though some dish soaps are good for cleaning sticky food leftovers, they are not friendly to the bacteria that keep your septic system functional.

Bacteria are necessary as they help break down the solid waste and kill pathogens. But if you go with dish soaps that contain harmful chemicals, it will kill the bacteria that let your septic system work properly by breaking down the solid waste.

It’s recommendable to go for the green cleaner or dish soaps made of naturally-derived ingredients. They are not only effective in cleaning sticky food residue but also safe for the septic systems.

And this will help you find the best liquid dish soap for septic systems. So, let’s dive in.

Is Dish Soap Bad For Septic Systems?

It actually depends on what type of dish soaps you pick. Most dish soaps on the market contain antibacterial ingredients. In this case, if these soaps enter your septic tanks, they will surely destroy or kill the essential bacteria and enzymes that help break down solid waste.

You can find several types of dish soaps. Some soaps produce suds when you agitate, indicating they contain low antibacterial contents. They affect the minimum level of bacteria.

However, dishwashing detergents use chemicals like phosphates, sulfates, or triclosan that can impact your septic systems. These harmful chemicals can kill the useful bacteria or enzymes inside your septic systems.

Luckily, many brands produce natural or eco-friendly dish soaps that include none of those harmful chemicals. Below, we enlisted some of those liquid dish soaps that are friendly to your septic tank. So, continue to read to check them out.

What Are The Best Liquid Dish Soaps For Septic Systems?

Here is the list of the best liquid dishwashing soap for septic tanks.

• Ecover Dish Soap, Lime Zest – Best Overall
• Method Naturally Derived Dish Soap – Best Non-Foamy Soap
• ECOS Hypoallergenic Dish Soap – Best Budget
• Molly’s Suds Natural Liquid Dish Soap – Best Skin-Friendly Dish Soap
• Puracy Dish Soap – Best Natural
• Lemi Shine Natural Liquid Dish Soap – Best for Cutting Grease

Table of Contents:

Comparison Chart:

This comparison chart will help you compare each product with another and let you make a decision within a short time.

Best Liquid Dish Soaps For Septic Systems	Best For	Ingredients	Pack No.	Volume
Ecover Dish Soap, Lime Zest	Best Overall	Water (aqua), Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Lauryl/Myristyl Glucoside, Ethanol, Sodium Chloride, Glycerin, Sodium Citrate, Citric Acid, Fragrance	6	24 Oz (each pack)
Method Naturally Derived Dish Soap	Best Non-Foamy Soap	Naturally-derived	3	18 Oz (each pack)
ECOS Hypoallergenic Dish Soap	Best Budget	Water, Sodium Coco-Sulfate, Cocamidopropylamine Oxide, Lauramine Oxide, Phenoxyethanol, Coco-Betaine, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Natural Fragrance, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sorbitan Oleate Decylglucoside Crosspolymer, Triethyl Citrate, Citric Acid	2	25 oz (each pack)
Molly’s Suds Natural Liquid Dish Soap	Best Skin-friendly Dish Soap	Deionized Water, Sodium Lauroamphoacetate, Glycerin, Sodium Bicarbonate, Benzyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Caprylate, Glyceryl Undecylenate, Citric Acid, Polysorbate 20, Natural Fragrance, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Xanthan Gum	2	16 Oz (each pack)
Puracy Dish Soap	Best Natural	Purified water (Aqua, eau), Lauryl/myristyl glucoside, Cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine, Sodium lauroamphoacetate, Lauramine oxide, Sodium chloride, Vegetable glycerin	3	16 Oz (each pack)
Lemi Shine Natural Liquid Dish Soap	Best for Cutting Grease	Citric Acid and other naturally-derived ingredients	3	22 oz (each pack)

6 Best Liquid Dish Soap For Septic Systems  Reviews

Once you decide to go for a specific dish soap from the above list, it’s time to check the details of that product. And this chapter will break down every insight of the product we included on the table.

1. Ecover Dish Soap, Lime Zest – Best Overall

Gentle on skin & the planet but tough on stuck-on food! This line perfectly resembles the plant-based dish soap named Ecover Zero Dish Soap. We ranked it as best overall for its improved grease-cutting & sudsing action, friendly to allergy-sensitive people, and of course, it’s gentle on your skin and brings no performance issue to your septic tanks.

Let’s start with breaking down why it’s friendly to your septic systems. Every ingredient Ecover uses to make this cleaning formula is biodegradable and contains no phosphates, hydrocarbons, and other septic-problem chemicals.

This liquid dish soap is specially formulated with plant-based and mineral ingredients like water, SLS, ethanol, glycerin, sodium citrate, citric acid, and fragrance. Indeed, all the ingredients it uses are natural and contain no harmful chemicals. So, it isn’t only friendly to the environment & humans, but also your septic tanks.

When it comes to grease-cutting ability, you can barely find a dish soap that can beat this Ecover Dish Soap. This non-toxic and biodegradable dish soap delivers superior grease-cutting ability, which is tough on grease and stuck-on food.

Just add a small squirt of this soap and water to the sponge, and squish until bubbles form. Then, scrub the utensils like plates and frying pan. It will cut through grease like a charm. Finally, rinse with water to get rid of grease that leaves your pan or dishes sparkling clean. And the best part is- it leaves no weird film or bad taste on dishes.

Though it’s tough on food leftovers or oil, it’s gentle on the skin. It causes no dyes or itchiness, or skin irritation as this dish soap uses natural ingredients as its built-in element. On top of this, it includes no isothiazolinone preservatives, which are a lifesaver for people who are allergic to artificial fragrances.

Specifications:

• Brand: Ecover
• Item Form: Liquid
• Surface Recommendation: Tableware
• Scent: Lime Zest
• Included Packs: 6
• Volume: 25 oz (each pack)

Quick Facts:

• Plant-based dish soap
• Biodegradable formula
• Advanced grease-cutting & sudsing action
• Recycled plastic bottle

Why Should You Buy It?

It’s the best liquid dish soap for septic systems as it contains no harmful chemicals like hydrocarbons, phosphates, or other chemicals. Plus, its biodegradable and non-toxic formula delivers superior grease-cutting ability to cut through grease or stuck-on food like a champ.

2. Method Naturally Derived Dish Soap – Best Non-Foamy Soap

A non-foamy liquid dish soap that helps you eliminate stuck-on food particles from dishes! This is what we can say about the naturally-derived dish soap. It’s a thick gel, and the soap doesn’t pump out foamy.

Your dishes deserve good cleaning after you leave a chunk of greasy and cheesy food leftovers. And this liquid dish soap from Method will meet the cleaning requirements your cheesy casserole demands. Its ultra-grease fighting ability gets from naturally derived ingredients that can cut through grease and cheese in no time.

Just pump the gel dish soap on the dishes and use a dish-cleaning scrubber to remove every speck of grease to leave your dishes sparkling clean.

Now, let’s discuss how this dishwashing soap is safe. As it can cut through sticky or hard-to-remove grease from dishes, you may ask- Is it safe for skin? Yes, it’s completely safe and contains no chemicals. In other words, it is gentle on your skin and won’t leave your skin dry and itchy.

Due to the same reason, this dishwashing liquid soap is also safe for your septic systems as it’s biodegradable and uses natural ingredients. So, it will never bring any damage to your septic systems by killing essential bacteria like other chemical-based cleaners.

Despite having these upsides, this Method liquid soap has also some downsides. Though it has a nice scent, it’s a bit strong. The smell seems to linger on plastic when washing plastic stuff with it. To avoid this issue, we recommend you rinse the plastic stuff like bottles evenly to ensure there is no soap left.

Turns out, we don’t like the pump system. We feel comfortable with the traditional squirt top.

Specifications:

• Brand: Method
• Item Form: Liquid
• Surface Recommendation: Tableware, Sink
• Scent: Lemon Mint
• Pack Included: 3
• Volume: 18 Oz (each pack)

Quick Facts:

• Made of naturally-derived ingredients
• 100% recycled plastic packaging
• Ultra-grease fighting and biodegradable formula

Why Should You Buy It?

This liquid dish soap will be your best trait to treat the greasy and cheesy food leftovers that remain on your dishes. Its ultra-grease fighting formula cuts through grease and cheese in no time. Despite having this extra-cleaning ability, it brings no damage to your skin or the septic tanks as it is formulated with naturally-derived ingredients.

3. ECOS Hypoallergenic Dish Soap- Best Budget

ECOS Hypoallergenic Dish Soap is another best dishwashing soap for septic tanks. It uses a list of sparkling clean ingredient lists. All of those ingredients are naturally derived. This power of natural formula is tough on grease or food residue to leave your dishes crystal clean. And the best part is- you will enjoy all these benefits at an affordable cost.

Like other dishwashing soaps on this list, it also uses natural ingredients like water, sodium coco-sulfate, Cocamidopropylamine Oxide, Lauramine Oxide, Phenoxyethanol, Coco-Betaine, and a lot. All of the ingredients are plant-derived and a few of them are minerals or preservatives.

Indeed, the Ecos Hypoallergenic Dish Soap contains no harmful chemicals. So, you don’t need to worry about dry skin or itchiness while using it to wash your dish.

Due to the same safety reasons, it also brings no performance issue to the septic systems as this soap is formulated without dyes, parabens, phosphates, and other nasty chemicals. Indeed, the ingredients this soap uses will not kill the essential bacteria inside your septic systems that help to break down waste.

Now, it’s time to let you describe how efficiently it helps us remove greasy or cheesy food residue from our dishes. Ecos incorporates coconuts as the featured ingredients blended with other plant-derived products, which produce a 100% vegan and Kosher formula. As a result, the dish-soap has naturally-powered cleaning muscles.

For a squeaky cleaning, we just add a quart-sized drop of formula on a sponge. Then, we start scrubbing the grease spot. It dissolves those tough greases and helps get rid of them in the process. Finally, we just wash the dishes evenly. If there is a large chunk of grease on the frying pan or plates, increase the amount to tackle those heavy greases.

Specifications:

• Brand: ECOS
• Specific Uses For Product: Dishes
• Scent: Grapefruit
• Item Form: Liquid
• Pack Included: 2
• Volume: 25 oz (each pack)

Quick Facts:

• 100% vegan and Kosher formula
• Dish soap is specially designed to cut grease & food residue
• No harsh chemicals
• Dermatologist-tested hypoallergenic & pH-balanced

Why Should You Buy It?

If you want to clean grease and food residue at minimum cost, go with the Ecos Hypoallergenic Dish Soap. This budget-friendly liquid soap uses natural ingredients for its formulation to remove greases like a charm. As it contains no chemicals, the residue water that runs from sink to the septic system causes no damage to the septic pipe or tanks.

4. Molly’s Suds Natural Liquid Dish Soap – Best Skin-Friendly Dish Soap

Molly’s Suds Natural Liquid Dish Soap is the dishwashing soap your family needs that is safe yet effective. It is specially formulated using natural and plant-derived ingredients, gentle on the skin, and friendly to the world. On the other hand, it has the muscle to tackle sticky and greasy food residue from the dishes.

Like other earth-friendly products, this dish soap from Molly’s Suds contains no harsh chemicals. The manufacturer injects the following plant and earth-derived ingredients, including Deionized Water, Sodium Lauroamphoacetate, Glycerin, Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Polysorbate 20 (only in Lemon Burst and Lavender), and Xanthan Gum.

All these ingredients are eco-friendly, which means you can trust this liquid dish soap that is safe for your family and the loving world.

Therefore, you don’t need to worry about corrosion or rust build-up in the septic pipes or tanks. As it includes no harsh chemicals like SLES, phosphates, chlorine, and parabens, the water (the wastewater after washing dishes) running from the sink to the septic tank will not kill the useful bacteria that help to break down solid waste. Indeed, this dish soap is also safe for septic systems.

Next, let’s come back to the main point- the efficiency of removing dirt or grease. We had a sink full of dirty and greasy dishes. Some pans even contained burn-out grease.

As per our previous experience, we thought this dish soap also fails like Mrs. Meyers. But thankfully, this cleaner proves us wrong. It eats up every chunk of grease and food residue like a champ and leaves our dishes sparkling clean.

However, this unscented dish soap is not tough on hands or skin like it is on grease. It will leave your hand soft like ours.

Specifications:

• Brand: Molly’s Suds
• Specific Uses For Product: Dishes, Dishwashing
• Scent: Lemon
• Item Form: Liquid
• Pack Included: 2
• Volume: 16 oz (each pack)

Quick Facts:

• Made with plant-powered ingredients
• Mild pH and scent-free
• Long-lasting and powerful formula

Why Should You Buy It?

If you wish to get a dish soap that is friendly to your family and the world yet effective, go with Molly’s Suds Natural Liquid Dish Soap. It uses plant and earth-derived ingredients that are tough on dirt or grease but gentle on the skin and the environment. As it contains no chemicals, this soap is also safe for the sewage system.

5. Puracy Dish Soap – Best Natural

Puracy Dish Soap is the best natural liquid dish soap for septic systems on this list. It contains 99.96% plant-based ingredients. Plus, it uses green tea & lime that is gentle enough on your hand but tough on dirt and greases.

All of the ingredients the liquid dish soap uses are natural. Plants, minerals, water, green tea, and lime are the source of raw materials for this liquid dish soap. Once they collected these ingredients, Puracy developed them into a premium solution.

And the proprietary blend of nature-safe ingredients is friendly to both family and the loving earth. It includes no harsh chemicals like sulfates, triclosan, parabens, petrochemicals, and others that cause dry-out or irritate your skin.

Because of using no chemicals, this liquid soap is also friendly to your septic system. This product contains no antibacterial ingredients like triclosan or sulfates. In return, the wastewater that goes to your septic system will not kill the essential bacteria inside the septic system, helping to break down solid waste.

In short, the Puracy Dish Soap is 100% safe to use as this product is biodegradable, hypoallergenic, gluten-free, and chemical-free.

Now, let’s move on to the grease-cutting efficiency of the dishwashing soap. It’s an ultra-concentrated gel or liquid that is powerful enough to fight against grease. Though it’s not as sudsy as chemical-based soap like Dawn or Ajax, it cleans very well. We just add a teaspoon of this liquid soap to the sponge. Then, scrub the dishes with a sponge, which helps us dissolve and remove the grease residue. And the best part is- it leaves no streaks.

Thanks to Puracy for adding no skin-damaging chemicals. As a result, your hands will not be wrecked if you wash dishes with it all day long.

Specifications:

• Brand: Puracy
• Surface Recommendable: Sink, Tableware
• Scent: Lemon
• Form: Liquid
• Pack Included: 3
• Volume: 16 Oz (each pack)

Quick Facts:

• Include 99.96% plant-based ingredients
• Contain no skin-damaging chemicals like sulfate
• Ultra-concentrated gel formula
• Hypoallergenic, biodegradable, and gluten-free product

Why Should You Buy It?

This liquid dishwashing soap will be your go-to dish cleaner if you look for a truly natural product. It includes 99.96% naturally-derived ingredients and contains no chemicals, which are friendly to your skin, and the environment, and even safe for your septic systems.

6. Lemi Shine Natural Liquid Dish Soap – Best for Cutting Grease

Lemi Shine Natural Liquid Dish Soap is the best soap for cutting hard-to-remove & sticky grease from the dishes. Above this, this dish soap offers an earth-friendly cleaning solution that is safe for your family and your home.

This naturally-derived liquid dish soap uses citric acid which enhances its cleaning ability. Plus, it creates thick foaming suds unlike other plant-derived dish soaps on the market. Because of the combination of citric acid and thick foaming suds, the soap can efficiently remove tough greases or sticky food residue from dishes.

Apart from its ultimate-cleaning efficiency, the Lemi Shine Natural Liquid Dish Soap is also eco-friendly and safe for families. It contains no harmful chemicals like dyes, phosphates, and parabens. So, this soap will never wreck your hand or cause no dry-out skin or irritation, no matter how many hours you wash the dishes with it.

Turns out, the wastewater after cleaning dishes with this soap will not kill the living bacteria inside your septic systems as the soap contains no harsh chemicals.

And lastly, it’s not an allergy-sensitive product and has a nice, clean, refreshing aroma. The smell is not strong, which is a blessing for allergy-sensitive people.

Specifications:

• Brand: Lemi Shine
• Surface Recommendation: Tableware
• Scent: Lemon
• Item Form: Liquid
• Pack Included: 3
• Volume: 22 oz (each pack)

Quick Facts:

• Use naturally-derived ingredients like powerful citric acid
• Dish soap includes a fresh Meyer lemon citrus scent
• Contain no harsh chemicals like parabens, phosphates, and sulfates
• US EPA Safer Choice certified

Why Should You Buy It?

If your previous dish soap fails to remove tough grease from dishes, you can try this one from Lemi Shine. It’s pretty concentrated and contains powerful citric acid. Plus, it suds up well, which is enough to dissolve tough greases and help you remove them optimally.

What Should Look For When Buying Best Liquid Dish Soap For Septic Systems

Not every dish soap on the market is friendly to you, your septic systems, and the loving world. Apart from this, you should also go with dish soap that is effective. So, it’s important to take the following criteria into account before going for random dishwashing soap.

Ingredients

When it comes to picking septic-friendly dish soap, the first thing you should consider is the ingredients the dish soap uses. Go with the dish soaps that include naturally-derived elements like Deionized Water, Sodium Lauroamphoacetate, Glycerin, and others. All of these ingredients are biodegradable and eco-friendly.

Make sure the dish soap contains no chemicals like sulfates, phosphates, triclosan, or other harsh chemicals. If you go with the wrong one, it will surely irritate your skin. On top of this, the chemicals contained in dish soap will not also be friendly to your septic systems as the chemicals kill the essential bacteria inside the septic tank.

Fortunately, every liquid dish soap we listed above uses only plant-based ingredients. So, you can go with any of them without worrying about safety.

Dish Cleaning Efficiency

Naturally-derived dish soaps are comparatively less efficient than chemical-based soaps. It doesn’t mean they can’t pick up food particles from the dishes. Some green dish soaps are pretty concentrated and contain citric acid. This citric acid reacts with the sticky or greasy stuck-on food residue and dissolves them in the process. As a result, it takes a simple scrub to leave your dishes crystal clean by eliminating the cheesy or oily food residue.

Go For Liquid Soap Only

When shopping for septic-friendly dish soaps, go for the liquid soap only instead of dry soap. The liquid soap contains fewer supplemental and filler ingredients than the dry one. Turns out, dry soaps are prone to clogging the pipes leading to your household septic system. Luckily, the soaps we mentioned are liquid, and they are natural. So, you will be on the safe side if you pick any of them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here we provide some answers to the related queries you may ask about liquid dish soap.

Is It OK To Wash Hands With Dish Soap?

Yes, it’s ok to wash hands with dish soap. Medical professionals say you can rinse your hand with soap if there is nothing else available. The dish soap is specially designed for cleaning greasy and cheesy food leftovers. It means they may contain chemicals like the Dawn or Ajax soap includes. In other words, dish soap is a little bit rough on skin and causes it to dry out or itch. Fortunately, all the liquid dishwashing soap we enlisted are made of plant-based and earth-derived ingredients. So, they will be easy on your hands and you can use them to wash your hands.

Does Antibacterial Soap Hurt Septic Systems?

Yes, antibacterial soap hurts septic systems. Antibacterial soaps are specially designed to kill harmful bacteria. Though it’s a blessing for cleaning, it’s not friendly to your septic tanks. The antibacterial soap kills the essential or useful bacteria that help break down the solid waste. Indeed, antibacterial soap harms the living bacteria in your septic systems and will decrease the proper functioning & performance of the septic tank.

What Products Are Not Safe For A Septic System?

You should never put antibacterial cleaning products. These products contain chemicals like triclosan that can kill useful germs in your septic systems. If they kill the essential bacteria, your septic system fails to break down the solid waste. As a result, it will affect the performance of the septic tank. Below, we enlisted the products that are not safe for a septic system:

• Dawn dish soap
• Cleaning agents that contain chemicals
• Grease
• Oil
• Insect or weed killers
• Solvents
• Paper towels
• Plastics

How Long Does Dish Soap Take To Kill Germs?

Once you apply the dish soap to a specific surface, you should wait at least 10 minutes to let it sit. After the period, you should scrub the affected area to kill the germs and clean the surface. Keep in mind; the dish soap should contain antibacterial ingredients like phosphates or triclosan to kill bacteria or germs.

Conclusion

None of the liquid dish soap mentioned above contains chemicals like phosphates, sulfates, or triclosan. In other words, they will not kill the essential enzymes inside your septic systems. So, you can pick any of them from the list.

However, if you ask for a recommendation, we suggest the Ecover Dish Soap most. It uses plant-based and mineral ingredients that are safe for the environment. As it includes no chemicals like sulfates, phosphates, and other septic-problem chemicals. So, you can rely on it in terms of your septic tank safety.

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