Dr. Bronner's

Five years ago, I took a step back and realized how many chemicals my family and I were exposed to in our home. Our skin touched and absorbed everything from dish soap and cleaners to shampoo and body soap on a daily basis. This realization prompted my family’s decision to go non-toxic throughout our home. While I understand that I cannot protect my family from all things toxic, I decided to make a difference where I could. I began doing some research and found an organic soap product called Dr. Bronner’s Castile soap. Dr. Bronner's products enable my family to be eco-friendly and chemical-free, while staying on a tight budget.

According to the Dr. Bronner’s website, “in earlier centuries, an all-vegetable-based soap was made in the Castile region of Spain from local olive oil. By the turn of this century, ‘Castile’ had come to mean any vegetable-oil-based soap, versus animal (tallow) fat-based soap. ‘Pure-Castile’ is now also your guarantee that what you are using is a real ecological and simple soap, not a complex blend of detergents with a higher ecological impact due to the waste stream during manufacture and slower biodegradability.”

When I decided to take the plunge into holistic home care, I was concerned about the cost of special, non-toxic cleaning and hygiene products. I quickly discovered many uses for Dr. Bronner’s, and the product’s versatility is what makes it such a great value. I have challenged myself to see how many different ways I can use castile soap in my home, and after a few years of using Dr. Bronner’s, my list includes:

• Bathroom & Kitchen All-Purpose Spray – mix 2 tablespoons of Dr. Bronner’s and 20 drops of tea tree oil into a spray bottle and shake well.
• Foaming Hand/Body Wash – place 3 teaspoons of Dr. Bronner’s into an old foaming hand pump, fill the bottle to the top with water, and shake. Essential oils, such as tea tree oil, can be added as well.
• Body Wash – a few squirts of Dr. Bronner’s on a loofah or washcloth is our family’s (infant – adult) favorite body soap. Dr. Bronner’s also offers bars of soap.
• Scouring Powder – mixing 1/2 cup of Dr. Bronner’s with one cup of baking soda makes an incredibly effective scouring powder.
• Laundry Soap – in a pinch, 1/4 cup of Dr. Bronner’s castile soap is a great laundry soap. I also use it to wash wool and delicates in the sink.
• Homemade Wipe Solution – 2 teaspoons of Dr. Bronner’s mixed into a 2 oz spray bottle makes a wonderful wipe solution to spray on cloth wipes or divided paper towels.
• Mopping – I use 1/4 cup of Dr. Bronner’s and 20 drops of tea tree oil to mop our floors.
• Vegetable Wash – I use a squirt of Dr. Bronner’s in a sink full of water to wash our vegetables.

I buy Dr. Bronner’s from Vitacost, because they offer some of the lowest and most consistent prices on this product. However, Dr. Bronner’s has begun popping up in the cosmetics section of some Target stores and in the organic sections of many Krogers. Dr. Bronner’s castile soap is available in several scents, including my family’s favorites – lavender and baby mild. Other available scents include peppermint, tea tree, citrus orange, almond, and eucalyptus.

As a Mom of three small children, I appreciate that Dr. Bronner’s is non-toxic. My kids can crawl on the floor, splash in the bath or help me clean without raising concern about what they’re exposed to. Furthermore, this castile soap is also a great bargain, because just a little of the product goes a long way. In fact, a gallon will last our family of 5 for an entire year using it in all the ways listed above! The low cost of Dr. Bronner’s appeals to the frugalista in me, and my disdain for clutter is calmed by replacing several bottles with one bottle of castile soap. All in all, Dr. Bronner’s is an absolute favorite in our house.