5 Zero Waste Dish Soap Bars (With Suds!) For Super Clean Dishes

bamboo toothbrushes arranged in a circle

Whether you’re a zero waste novice or expert level zero-waster, finding a dish soap replacement isn’t easy. These 5 brands are providing plastic free options that don’t disappoint. 

Estimated Read Time: 6 minutes

No matter if you're a zero waste novice or an experienced zero waster looking to up your game, zero waste dish soap bars are a great option to remove some (more) plastic from your kitchen.

Using a zero waste dishwashing bar is going to be a little different of an experience if you’re used to using traditional plastic bottles and dispensers. You’ll get the hang of a soap bar in no time, but the most important accessory to a soap bar is its soap dish. Most of these companies offer soap dishes so you can find one that matches your aesthetic, or upcycle something you already have at home. Whatever you decide, make sure to use one because soap dishes are extremely important for using soap bars. 

In order to stretch out the life of your soap bar, you’ll want to make sure it dries after each use and doesn’t sit in water. Using a soap dish not only prevents this from happening, but also gives you a sturdy base when applying the dish soap to your cleaning tool of choice. 

To use a zero waste dishwashing bar: 

Place your dish soap bar next to your sink in your soap dish. Wet your dishwashing tool of choice and rub the bar until it starts to suds and you have enough soap on your brush. Wash items and repeat as needed. Store your dishwashing block out of water to dry. Pro tip — scrape off food before washing and soak any stuck-on food.

Below are 5 of our favorite sustainable brands revolutionizing the way we wash dishes all while helping us remove plastic from our lives. 

1. No Tox Life Zero Waste Dishwashing Block

Vegan Dish Block in Cardboard white box. Label Reads

No Tox Life is a woman-owned family business. Everyday they help people remove toxins from their life by providing vegan body and home care using effective, plant-based ingredients. A hesitation that we hear often when people are switching to an eco-friendly product is the fear the soap won’t suds up or someone has had a previous experience where an eco-friendly soap just doesn't get sudsy. While we’ve all had our fair share of experiences with eco-friendly products not creating the suds we’re used to, you will not have to worry about this with this zero waste dish soap bar! No Tox Life’s dishwashing block was great to begin with but they recently updated their formula for bigger, fluffier bubbles, and stronger grease cutting abilities. This zero waste dishwashing bar is also multifunctional and it can also be used as a sink, stove, and oven cleaner; a stain remover; it can be used to remove labels from jars; and even to spot clean your carpet! 

Pair With This Bamboo Soap Shelf 

It will fit both the 6oz and the HUGE size dish blocks (compostable).

Bamboo soap shelf

2. Meliora Plastic-Free Dish Soap Bar

Circular dish soap block from Meliora

If you haven’t heard of Meliora, you’re about to be a big fan. The byproduct of an environmental engineer passionate about safe ingredients that get the job done, you can be sure that any product of theirs is safe, effective, and planet-friendly. Not only are they woman-owned with fair labor practices, everything is made and packaged in their Chicago factory. This package-free and zero waste dish soap bar comes in unscented or Lemon (using Lemon peel oil) and you can test it out with 1 bar or stock up with 3 bars. Each bar is 7oz (198g) and 100% plastic-free, dye-free, preservative-free, palm-oil free, cruelty-free, & synthetic fragrance-free. For any dishes that need a little extra soaking, while filling the sink (or dish) with water, hold the bar under the running water for some extra oomf.

Pair with this cedar soap dish

The slats allow little surface contact with the soap bar allowing it to dry out quickly. We recommend keeping 2 on hand and switching out as needed. (compostable)

cedar soap dish

3. Brooklyn Made Natural Solid Organic Zero Waste Dish Soap Bar

Dish brush laying on top of White dish soap circle bar next to the storage tin for the bar labeled Solid Organic Dish Soap.

Established in 2014 as you may have guessed in Brooklyn, NY, Brooklyn Made Natural came about as a result of trying to find natural products with ingredients that made sense. Wanting no synthetic fragrances, additives or colors, founders Jennifer & Melinda decided to start making what they were looking for right out of their Brooklyn apartment. Now based in Southern California, BMN is still a family operation. You can find a variety of home and beauty products but their solid organic zero waste dish soap bar is what we want to highlight. Each highly concentrated 7 oz (198g) soap bar is made from organic coconut and castor oils with a hint of orange and lemongrass essential oils. Each bar comes in a reusable/recyclable tin with the option to purchase refill bars without the tin for the future. They also have a starter pack that includes a dish soap bar in a tin, a refill (no tin), and a bamboo hemp scrub brush. 

Pair with this bamboo & corn starch based soap dish

Made of corn starch and bamboo, this soap dish keeps your bar elevated for extended use and is completely plastic free and compostable at the end of its life.

cornstarch soap dishes with bamboo slats in white next to a soap bar, open container of skin product, and loofah

4. Butter Me Up Organics Zero Waste Dish Soap Bar

White dish soap bar with paper label that reads

Butter Me Up Organics can be considered a modern day apothecary — all ingredients are carefully sourced and made by hand. Every item comes in glass, paper, or tin and everything is made with recycled paper, soy inks, sustainable printers, and recycled packing materials. The Butter Me Up Organics Organic Solid Dish Soap contains only Organic Saponified Coconut Oil and Organic Castor Oil — no palm oil! They use only non-toxic ingredients meaning technically you could eat this soap but we’ll take their word for it and just use it to clean the plate we’ll eat real food off of. With only two ingredients, this bar is non-GMO, cruelty-free, contains no sulfates, phthalates or parabens, no synthetic dyes or fragrances, uses eco-friendly soy-based inks, and the mailing packaging is upcycled when possible.

Pair with Butter Me Up Organics' stained wood bamboo soap dish

Other options include natural wood bamboo, wide slat bamboo, and polished bamboo.

Stained bamboo slated soap dish

5. Etee Zero Waste Dish Soap Bars

Two white coconut lemon dish soap bars from Etee

Etee is a Canada-based company dedicated to helping you remove plastic from all over your household one item at a time and all of their packaging items are fully recyclable if not compostable or biodegradable. This Coconut-Lemon dish soap bar is entirely plant based and is great for washing food wraps or dishes. Each bar is 6 oz (170g) and free from plastic, synthetic fragrance, dye, synthetic foaming agents, unnatural preservatives, water softening agents, pH adjusters, phthalates, sodium lauryl sulfate, parabens, & anything from formaldehyde. What does it have? 100% plant-based ingredients that get your dishes clean, ingredients that are soft on your hands, fantastic light scent, and is completely plastic free. 

Pair with a Roasted Canadian Birch Soap Dish or a soap standle made from recycled plastic

After pressing your soap firmly into the soap standle, your soap will stay attached to it preventing it from slipping around all while keeping it dry and goo-free. (Update: Sold out but you can be notified when it’s back in stock)

Dark slated Canadian birch soap dish from Etee
Recycled soap standle which allows you to press your soap into the stand to keep it secure and dry.

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