As I become more environmentally conscientious, I am continually looking for alternative cleaning supplies that will be gentle on our planet and my family’s welfare. I came across a product called Seventh Generation. After hearing about Seventh Generation products from the Oprah Winfrey Show and how they are a socially responsible company, I decided the next time I go to the grocery store I would look for one of their products. One of their products I did find was Seventh Generation Dishwashing Gel. Typically I use Palmolive Dishwashing Gel. Over the years, it had always been a favorite of mine.
Seventh Generation Dishwashing Gel comes in several scents as does Palmolive Dishwashing Gel. However, Seventh Generation also has no scent for those who are allergic to these type of scents.
Seventh Generation is biodegradable and non toxic. It has no chlorine and no phosphates. Palmolive, on the other hand, has chlorine and is not biodegradable. It has a phosphorus content of .6 grams per tablespoon of the gel. Phosphates are harmful to our environment.
Palmolive Dishwashing Gel has a warning to avoid contact of this product with fabric. Seventh Generation is safe on fabrics. Both do have warnings to keep out of the reach of children and in case of eye contact to flush with water. Both products say that if it is swallowed or gets in the mouth, drink milk or water and contact a physician.
Seventh Generation is hypo- allergenic. Palmolive does not disclose if it is hypo-allergenic.
One thing I regularly do is read the ingredients no matter what I am buying. If a company can’t list its ingredients, then I try to find a comparable product that does. Seventh Generation lists all of its cleaning agents in detail where as Palmolive does not. The ingredients in Seventh Generation are derived from a combination of coconut base, natural fragrances, and water. The ingredients on the bottle are broken down as follows:
Non-toxic acrylic polymers, alkoxylated linear alcohol, a biodegradable, low sudsing surfactant for cleaning, dispersant action, water spot prevention, soda ash, sodium citrate, sodium silicate, xanthan gum, simethicone. Basically the ingredients in Seventh Generation are made from renewable vegetable-based ingredients (corn, palm kernel, or coconut oils).
Palmolive only lists its phosphorus content averaging no more than 3.3% phosphorus. It also lists chlorine bleach and silicate salts.
There is neither animal testing nor any animal ingredients in the Seventh Generation product. However, Palmolive does not say either way if there is animal testing. As an animal lover, this is an important issue. If one product can disclose this, then I would have to assume the other product might be doing animal testing.
Both products leave your dishes sparkling clean when you combine it with a proper temperature setting for the water.
Seventh Generation Dishwashing gel’s texture is not as thick as Palmolive Dishwashing gel. However, that could be contributable to Palmolive Dishwashing gel being a petroleum based product.
If every household replaced their 25 ounces of dishwashing soap with 25 ounces of Seventh generation, we would save 81,000 barrels of oil. The reason is most dishwashing soaps are petroleum based products which comes from oil.
According to the US EPA, our homes are more polluted than the outside air. This is primarily due to all the chemicals we use to clean the inside of our home. Some of these chemicals emit VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) in the air. This can trigger asthma attacks in children. Asthma rates for children under 18 have increased 100% over the past 10 years. If you look at all the chemicals on the market and what the ingredients are, you can clearly deduce this has to be a major factor.
Seventh Generation is becoming a household name when it comes to “green” products for our environment. Seventh Generation Dishwashing Gel is about a dollar more in cost than the Palmolive Dishwashing Gel. However, when I way the pros and cons of both products, I prefer Seventh Generation for its environmental friendly effects.
