# Anyone have any opinions on Dr. Bronner cleaning products? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 17, 2020, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-have-any-opinions-on-dr-bronner-cleaning-products/853982 "2020-05-17T16:00:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-have-any-opinions-on-dr-bronner-cleaning-products/853982/1 "2020-05-17T16:00:54Z")
Other than the fact that you find the labels annoying? If you DON’T find the labels annoying, I’d really like to hear from you. There are multiple products–[here are some.](https://smile.amazon.com/Dr-Bronners-Pure-Castile-Liquid-Value/dp/B001ET725W/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2G332MW0JGRJY&dchild=1&keywords=dr.%2Bbronners&qid=1589730008&sprefix=dr.%2Bbronners%2Caps%2C167&sr=8-2&th=1) AIUI all of the liquids are meant to be diluted. I was looking at the all purpose cleaner at Whole Foods this morning (where else? 😉 ) and the label said 1/2 TEASPOON to a GALLON of water. That’s a heck of a concentrated product! I have used the almond one for laundry. According to amazon reviews, people use the general one for showering, sawhing hair, washing the dog… Do you swear by (or at) any of them? Which ones? Usage tips? What do you think of castile soap in general? ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-have-any-opinions-on-dr-bronner-cleaning-products/853982/2 "2020-05-17T16:19:33Z")
I shower with the peppermint bar soap. Have for years. I’ve used other things intermittently, especially when I’ve traveled and picked up interesting-looking soap, but the peppermint soap is my favorite that is easy to obtain in the US. I want a soap without animal products, but even so, I really like this soap. My 13-yr-old son has been having foot odor problems. He started washing his feet with the peppermint soap, and putting just a little foot powder in his shoes (we bought new ones), and since we started doing that (oh, and making sure he ALWAYS put on clean socks :smack: boys :rolleyes:), no more foot odor. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-have-any-opinions-on-dr-bronner-cleaning-products/853982/3 "2020-05-17T16:56:53Z")
The Master Speaks: [Why the Weird Religious Ravings on Dr Bronner’s Soap?](https://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/904/why-the-weird-religious-ravings-on-dr-bronners-soap/) ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-have-any-opinions-on-dr-bronner-cleaning-products/853982/4 "2020-05-17T17:02:09Z")
Bronner’s Tea Tree liquid soap is my go-to for handwashing. A little goes a long way, it works and smells great. ---
**Author:** ![erysichthon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@erysichthon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erysichthon)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-have-any-opinions-on-dr-bronner-cleaning-products/853982/5 "2020-05-17T17:09:26Z")
I use the liquid peppermint soap in the shower. Despite the exhortation on the label, I don’t dilute it; I put a couple of squirts into a washcloth. I’ve also used it occasionally for laundry. It’s good for situations when you need to deodorize something (like when you’ve spilled gasoline on your clothes). ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-have-any-opinions-on-dr-bronner-cleaning-products/853982/6 "2020-05-17T17:19:35Z")
I have bought that soap (I have tried Eucalyptus, peppermint, and some other flavor), and I was satisfied. I do like soap qua soap without half a page of extra ingredients. Yes, it is concentrated, but that just means you use a proportional amount. Not only do I prefer buying soap concentrated, my preference for Castile soap, when I can find it, is to get the same solid bar you would have bought 500 years ago, that way I am paying for 100% soap and not for any added water. I am not enough of a soap connoisseur to really have any preference among Castille soap, Marseille soap, Aleppo soap, and (classic) Ivory. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-have-any-opinions-on-dr-bronner-cleaning-products/853982/7 "2020-05-17T17:25:10Z")
I’ve been using the peppermint soap (and sometimes other varieties when I want a change) as shampoo for over a decade. I love it. Simple product, does the job well, and, even though I am not “anti-chemical”, I just don’t believe that I need all the science and manufactured products in typical shampoos just to keep my hair clean. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-have-any-opinions-on-dr-bronner-cleaning-products/853982/8 "2020-05-17T17:31:47Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > The Master Speaks: > > [Why the Weird Religious Ravings on Dr Bronner’s Soap?](https://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/904/why-the-weird-religious-ravings-on-dr-bronners-soap/) A million thank-yous for that fantastic column! Whoa! What a background :eek: This is very sad: > [@](#): > > The son of a Jewish German soap maker, he emigrated to the U.S. and pleaded with his father to do the same when the Nazis came to power. The old man refused. One day Bronner got a postcard with the words, “You were right. — Your loving father.” He never heard from his parents again. ☹ I believe Bronner’s “Moral ABC,” to wit: > [@](#): > > “Replace half-true Socialist-fluoride poison & tax-slavery with full-truth, work-speech-press & profitsharing Socialaction! All-One! So, help build 4 billion Hannibal wind-power plants, charging 96 billion battery-banks, powering every car-factory-farm-home-monorail & pump, watering Babylon-roof-gardens & 800 billion Israel-Milorganite fruit trees, guarded by Swiss 6000 year Universal Military Training,” etc. could work as the Republican platform in the 2020 presidential election. I only say that because the twitter-y style is familiar to and (one assumes) appeals to the devotees of you know who… 😉 Thanks for the informative replies! ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-have-any-opinions-on-dr-bronner-cleaning-products/853982/9 "2020-05-17T17:49:56Z")
Ok, I’m ordering some. (:)) ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-have-any-opinions-on-dr-bronner-cleaning-products/853982/10 "2020-05-17T17:57:47Z")
Used them off and on for better than 30 years - favorite is the tea tree, but our roomie is allergic to tea tree so no more _sigh_ so will probably change to the peppermint again. ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-have-any-opinions-on-dr-bronner-cleaning-products/853982/11 "2020-05-17T18:29:39Z")
I’m another one who has used the peppermint in the shower for decades. I love it. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-have-any-opinions-on-dr-bronner-cleaning-products/853982/12 "2020-05-17T18:36:32Z")
Peppermint full strength, been using it for like fifty years now–it’s the only soap that I know for a fact won’t EVER cause a skin irritation. I love the label, if you’re kinda baked and forgot to bring a book into the bathroom the Dr Bronner’s bottle will save you! I really appreciated it when they started printing it all right on the bottle though, rather than the paper labels because those got pretty manky in the shower. I have an 8oz bottle in the shower caddy and refill it from quart bottles I get from Trader Joe’s. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-have-any-opinions-on-dr-bronner-cleaning-products/853982/13 "2020-05-17T18:42:05Z")
I use the general one for hiking and camping. none of this fancy schmancy diluting, I just use very little and I wet myself beforehand. (I mean, if they wanted me to dilute, why is there NOTHING on the bottle mentioning diluting? :D) The travel sized packages will never run out on a trip unless I guess you were to also use them for washing dishes, which I never do on vacation because I bring little or no dishes. Then I use whatever is unused when I get back for shampoo. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-have-any-opinions-on-dr-bronner-cleaning-products/853982/14 "2020-05-17T19:42:12Z")
I’ve used it as my only shower soap and shampoo since the 70’s. When I was poor during the summer of '78 I used it to brush teeth, too, which the label touted. That part wasn’t so good. But otherwise it’s my soap and I anticipate I’ll never adopt another. Peppermint, mostly, but I’ve tried a few others. The lavender chokes me, though. ---
**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-have-any-opinions-on-dr-bronner-cleaning-products/853982/15 "2020-05-17T19:52:09Z")
I mix one part peppermint and two parts water to a pump dispenser that delivers a foamy supply. That is my hand soap. In these times, i wash hands 4-10 times a day. And my hands are fine. Not dry or chapped. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-have-any-opinions-on-dr-bronner-cleaning-products/853982/16 "2020-05-17T20:14:04Z")
We use the diluted tea tree as hand- and dog-wash. I use the bar variety in the shower — almond during the cold months, peppermint when it’s hot. Psychologically works to warm me up or cool me down. Almost time to change over to peppermint. It’s a little like changing your wool/felt hat for straw, like men did in the Olden Days. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-have-any-opinions-on-dr-bronner-cleaning-products/853982/17 "2020-05-17T20:17:06Z")
> [@harmonicamoon](#): > > I mix one part peppermint and two parts water to a pump dispenser that delivers a foamy supply. That is my hand soap. In these times, i wash hands 4-10 times a day. And my hands are fine. Not dry or chapped. Ok, Moon, how do you get a foam dispenser to work with other soap than it came with? I’ve not had any luck with this. Reveal your secret. Plz. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-have-any-opinions-on-dr-bronner-cleaning-products/853982/18 "2020-05-17T20:40:53Z")
I brought a bottle of the peppermint liquid to Russia when I studied there for 10 weeks on a summer program. Used it for basically everything that needed cleaning! I currently have a bottle of the gentle stuff, which I dilute for a hand soap dispenser in the bathroom and bring in 3 oz. travel-size bottles on trips for general use - hand laundry, dishes if we are staying somewhere with any kind of kitchen facilities, etc. It saves having to find stuff quickly and locally while traveling. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-have-any-opinions-on-dr-bronner-cleaning-products/853982/19 "2020-05-17T20:45:40Z")
I’ve used the liquid ones for years and years now, but it’s the only soap I’ve ever used that leads to a black scum forming on bathtubs after 3-4 months. Does anyone else experience this? I’ve noticed it many times, in many different houses & apartments, and only when I use Dr. Bronner’s. If I clean the tub and switch to a different soap, it doesn’t happen anymore. Switch back, and within a few months the scum forms again. It’s no big deal, really, easy to get rid of with Bon Ami or similar powdered cleanser… but why only with Dr. Bronner’s? I’ve by and large stopped using it just because of that. I’m lazy =/ ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-have-any-opinions-on-dr-bronner-cleaning-products/853982/20 "2020-05-17T21:08:00Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Ok, Moon, how do you get a foam dispenser to work with other soap than it came with? I’ve not had any luck with this. > > Reveal your secret. > > Plz. 🙂 I use diluted shampoo. Works great. Maybe 5:1 water:shampoo. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-have-any-opinions-on-dr-bronner-cleaning-products/853982.md?page=2)