One Simple Swap | Healthy Home & Clean Living

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through one of my links, at no additional cost to you.

If you’ve ever stood at the sink scrubbing a greasy pan with a “natural” dish soap that just moved the grease around, you’re not alone.

I’ve been there. More than once.

When I first started swapping out the products in our home for cleaner options, dish soap felt like an easy win. How hard could it be? Then I bought a bottle with a beautiful label and a short ingredient list, and it couldn’t handle a single sheet pan of roasted vegetables. I ended up rewashing everything, using twice as much soap, and wondering if “non-toxic” just meant “doesn’t work.”

Here’s what I’ve learned since: the problem was never going non-toxic. The problem was that I didn’t know what to look for.

So I went looking for dish soaps with cleaner ingredient profiles that can genuinely cut through grease — the bacon pan, the cheesy casserole dish, the olive-oil-coated everything. If you’re looking for the best non-toxic dish soap that actually cuts grease, these are the seven I’d put on your short list.

One quick note before we get into the list: “non-toxic” isn’t a regulated term, so I don’t treat it as a stamp of approval on its own. Instead, I compare things we can actually look at — fragrance, dyes, sulfates, ingredient transparency, and third-party certifications.

Here are seven dish soaps worth considering.

My Quick Picks

If you don’t want to read the entire list, here’s where I’d start:

Compare them at a glance

Pick	Format	Fragrance-free option	Tough on grease	Certifications	Price
Molly’s Suds (my everyday pick)	Liquid	Yes	Yes	Leaping Bunny	$$
Branch Basics Concentrate	Concentrate (dilutes)	Yes	Good (not the strongest)	MADE SAFE, EWG Verified	$$$
Dr. Bronner’s Sal Suds	Concentrate (dilutes)	No (fir/spruce oils)	Yes — strongest	Leaping Bunny	$$
Puracy Natural Dish Soap	Liquid	Yes	Yes	—	$$
ATTITUDE Dish Soap	Liquid	Yes	Yes	EWG Verified	$
ECOS Dish Soap	Liquid	Yes	Yes	EPA Safer Choice	$
Seventh Generation Dish Liquid	Liquid	Yes	Yes	EPA Safer Choice	$

1. Molly’s Suds Liquid Dish Soap

⭐ My Everyday Pick

If you’ve read One Simple Swap before, you’ve probably noticed that Molly’s Suds comes up more than once.

That’s because I actually use the brand in our home.

Their liquid dish soap was made for exactly the frustration this post is about — it promises extra scrubbing power and it cuts through grease and grime without the harsh stuff. The unscented version keeps things simple: no synthetic fragrance or dyes, and it’s gentle enough for baby bottles and for hands that are already dealing with enough.

I like that it comes in a two-pack, because in our house dish soap is not a product we use sparingly. And the mild pH and septic-safe formula mean I’m not trading cleaning power for worry.

Why it stands out:

• Made to cut through grease and grime
• Unscented option with no synthetic fragrance or dyes
• Safe for baby bottles
• Leaping Bunny certified cruelty-free
• From a brand I already trust and use

Best for: Someone who wants a straightforward, realistic dish soap swap from a brand with a clean track record.

Check Price on Amazon

2. Branch Basics Concentrate

Best Multi-Use

Branch Basics isn’t technically a dish soap — it’s better. It’s one concentrate that you dilute into dish soap, all-purpose cleaner, laundry detergent, and just about everything else under your sink.

The ingredient list is the shortest you’ll find anywhere: plant-derived cleansers, no preservatives, no fragrance, nothing ambiguous. It carries MADE SAFE certification, which screens against thousands of potentially harmful chemicals, and it’s EWG Verified too.

I’ll be honest with you, the way I’d want someone to be honest with me: as a dish soap, it’s good but not the strongest degreaser on this list. For everyday dishes it’s great. For a truly wrecked, baked-on pan, you may want to add a little extra concentrate directly to your sponge — which does the trick.

Why it stands out:

• One concentrate replaces nearly every cleaner in your home
• Shortest, cleanest ingredient list of the bunch
• MADE SAFE certified + EWG Verified
• Fragrance-free
• Very low cost per use once diluted

Best for: Someone who wants to simplify their entire cleaning routine with one product — and doesn’t mind diluting it themselves.

Check Price on Amazon

3. Dr. Bronner’s Sal Suds

Strongest Degreaser

If your main question is “but will it actually cut grease?” — this is your answer.

Sal Suds is the heavy hitter of this list. It’s a concentrated cleaner made with plant-based surfactants, and it’s famous for powering through the kind of greasy, grimy jobs that make weaker natural soaps give up. A tiny amount does a whole sink of dishes, so the bottle lasts far longer than it looks like it should.

Now, the honest part: Sal Suds does contain sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS). It’s biodegradable, free of synthetic dyes, fragrances, and preservatives, and Leaping Bunny certified — but if avoiding SLS specifically is one of your non-negotiables, one of the other picks on this list is a better fit for you. I include it because for pure grease-cutting power, nothing else here touches it, and I’d rather tell you that plainly than pretend the trade-off doesn’t exist.

Why it stands out:

• The strongest degreaser on this list, by a mile
• Extremely concentrated — a little goes a long way
• Plant-based surfactants, biodegradable
• No synthetic dyes, fragrances, or preservatives
• Leaping Bunny certified

Best for: Someone whose top priority is grease-cutting power above all else — the bacon pans, the roasting dishes, the real messes.

Check Price on Amazon

4. Puracy Natural Dish Soap

Best for Sensitive Hands

If your hands take a beating from dish duty, Puracy is worth a look.

It’s a plant-based liquid dish soap with a skin-softening, clean-rinsing formula — so it handles the dishes without leaving your hands feeling stripped. The Free & Clear version is unscented, and it’s consistently one of the best-selling natural dish soaps on Amazon, which tells me a lot of families have landed on it and stayed.

I like Puracy as the “no drama” pick: it cleans well, it’s gentle, and you don’t have to think too hard about it.

Why it stands out:

• Plant-based, skin-softening formula
• Free & Clear (unscented) option
• Clean-rinsing — no filmy residue
• One of the best-selling natural dish soaps on Amazon
• Cruelty-free

Best for: Someone whose hands are sensitive or dry from frequent dishwashing and wants effective without the harshness.

Check Price on Amazon

5. ATTITUDE Dish Soap

Best EWG Verified

If third-party certifications are what give you confidence, ATTITUDE is the one to look at.

It’s EWG Verified, made with 97.8% natural-origin ingredients, and free from SLS, SLES, bleach, dyes, and formaldehyde. And unlike some gentle formulas, it’s specifically designed to break down stubborn grease and food particles — so you’re not sacrificing cleaning power for the cleaner label.

It’s also vegan and cruelty-free, and a little goes a long way, which I always appreciate in a dish soap.

Why it stands out:

• EWG Verified
• Free from SLS, SLES, bleach, dyes, and formaldehyde
• 97.8% natural-origin ingredients
• Tough on grease, gentle on hands
• Vegan and cruelty-free

Best for: Someone who wants the reassurance of EWG Verification with real grease-cutting ability.

Check Price on Amazon

6. ECOS Dish Soap

Best Budget Pick

Here’s the thing I love about ECOS: it proves you don’t have to spend a lot to make a cleaner swap.

It’s EPA Safer Choice certified, hypoallergenic, and made with coconut-derived surfactants that break down grease and grime. No dyes, no parabens, no phosphates — and it’s one of the most affordable options on this list. The unscented version keeps it simple for fragrance-free households.

If price has ever been the thing stopping you from switching, start here.

Why it stands out:

• EPA Safer Choice certified
• Coconut-derived surfactants cut through grease
• Hypoallergenic and pH-balanced
• Unscented option
• Very budget-friendly

Best for: Someone who wants a cleaner dish soap without spending more than they would on a conventional bottle.

Check Price on Amazon

7. Seventh Generation Dish Liquid

Best Easy-to-Find Option

Sometimes the best swap is simply the one you can realistically stick with.

Seventh Generation’s Free & Clear dish liquid is the most mainstream option on this list — plant-based, fragrance-free, EPA Safer Choice certified, and made to cut through grease and power through tough, dried-on food. It’s dermatologist tested for sensitive skin, and you can find it just about anywhere.

If you’re new to cleaner swaps and don’t want to order something specialty, this is the easiest possible starting point.

Why it stands out:

• Widely available — easy to find anywhere
• Free & Clear: no fragrances, dyes, phosphates, or triclosan
• EPA Safer Choice certified, 95% USDA Certified Biobased
• Made to cut grease and handle tough residue
• Dermatologist tested for sensitive skin

Best for: Someone who wants the most accessible, no-fuss entry point into cleaner dish soap.

Check Price on Amazon

Which Non-Toxic Dish Soap Should You Choose?

There isn’t one option that’s going to be right for every family. If you’re buying today, match the soap to your biggest frustration: everyday dishes, stubborn grease, sensitive hands or price. The product sections above include direct Amazon links so you can check current sizes and prices before choosing.

• Want the simplest everyday swap from a brand I trust? Go with Molly’s Suds — it’s what I’d reach for first.
• Want one product that replaces all your cleaners? Look at Branch Basics.
• Dealing with the greasiest, most baked-on pans? Sal Suds is the heavy hitter.
• Sensitive or dry hands? Puracy is the gentle pick.
• Want EWG Verified with real grease power? Check out ATTITUDE.
• Want the most budget-friendly option? ECOS.
• Want something you can grab anywhere? Seventh Generation Free & Clear.

The important thing is that you don’t have to replace every product in your home overnight.

Use up what you already have. Pick one product you’d like to change. And when it’s time to replace it, make one simple swap.

That’s exactly how I approach it in our house. 🤍

🎁 Shopping for the holidays? See my clean kitchen holiday gifts guide.

Keep swapping

If you’re working on cleaning up some of the everyday products around your home, you might also like:

• Best Non-Toxic Dishwasher Detergent: 5 Better-Ingredient Swaps That Actually Work
• 7 Non-Toxic Food Storage Swaps for Lunches, Snacks & Leftovers
• Better-Ingredient Packaged Snacks for Kids