# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-have-any-opinions-on-dr-bronner-cleaning-products/853982/21 "2020-05-17T22:44:39Z")
I used to use the eucalyptus liquid soap in the shower, religiously, until they changed the formula in 2003. I emailed the company to complain and they told me it was an improvement and they weren’t going to change it. So we’re not all-one anymore. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2020, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-have-any-opinions-on-dr-bronner-cleaning-products/853982/22 "2020-05-18T00:14:39Z")
I have a half-bottle with my assorted bathroom stuff. Love reading the label. (I got a tube of their lip balm recently - it makes a dandy cuticle cream, while you’re at it - and was charmed that the itty-bitty label still had his benevolent lunacy squeezed in there.) Beck, what scent did you get? ---
**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 18, 2020, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-have-any-opinions-on-dr-bronner-cleaning-products/853982/23 "2020-05-18T01:21:17Z")
> [@Eva\_Luna](#): > > 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. Yes, that reminds me. We went to Croatia for a week and brought a travel bottle of the almond-scented soap. Used it as shampoo, and also to clean our laundry in the sink. It’s great on clothes, but don’t use too much as it can take a lot of work to rinse out. ---
**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 18, 2020, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-have-any-opinions-on-dr-bronner-cleaning-products/853982/24 "2020-05-18T01:51:55Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > I use diluted shampoo. Works great. Maybe 5:1 water:shampoo. Oh, wow! Diluting worked. Thanks! ---
**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 18, 2020, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-have-any-opinions-on-dr-bronner-cleaning-products/853982/25 "2020-05-18T01:55:38Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > I have a half-bottle with my assorted bathroom stuff. Love reading the label. (I got a tube of their lip balm recently - it makes a dandy cuticle cream, while you’re at it - and was charmed that the itty-bitty label still had his benevolent lunacy squeezed in there.) > > Beck, what scent did you get? I got the Hemp Peppermint scent. ---
**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2020, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-have-any-opinions-on-dr-bronner-cleaning-products/853982/26 "2020-05-18T02:18:36Z")
It’s great for camping, camp trailers, and RV’s. It’s biodegradable for backpacking or dry camping. I used to bring it when I lived at field camps for work. A little goes a long way and it’s versatile. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2020, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-have-any-opinions-on-dr-bronner-cleaning-products/853982/27 "2020-05-18T03:06:43Z")
It’s expensive and hard to find in Canada. But I love the label. Reminds me of a certain president. Kind of. ---
**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2020, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-have-any-opinions-on-dr-bronner-cleaning-products/853982/28 "2020-05-18T03:51:21Z")
> [@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. 🙂 Hola Beck. The foaming dispenser rocks! Put a squirt on your hands, scrub, then turn on the water and rinse off. I bought the original dispenser a few years back. Then refill it with one third Bonner and two thirds water. They last forever. I have even gifted them. The original ones were purchased at a brick and mortar health food store. Maybe they have better quality? ---
**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 18, 2020, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-have-any-opinions-on-dr-bronner-cleaning-products/853982/29 "2020-05-18T04:34:06Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > It’s expensive and hard to find in Canada. But I love the label. Reminds me of a certain president. Kind of. Used to be able to get it at our local organic, but I’ve not noticed it there recently. The label was always fun to read, but I don’t think we ever bought any. ---
**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 18, 2020, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-have-any-opinions-on-dr-bronner-cleaning-products/853982/30 "2020-05-18T04:37:53Z")
Looks like they still have it: [Search: 12 results found for "Dr Bronner" – Body Fuel Organics](https://www.bodyfuelorganics.ca/search?q=Dr+Bronner) Road trip for **Dr Paprika**! ---
**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 18, 2020, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-have-any-opinions-on-dr-bronner-cleaning-products/853982/31 "2020-05-18T04:44:39Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Looks like they still have it: [Search: 17 results found for "Dr Bronner" – Body Fuel Organics](https://www.bodyfuelorganics.ca/search?q=Dr+Bronner) > > Road trip for **Dr Paprika**! Amazon carries it. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2020, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-have-any-opinions-on-dr-bronner-cleaning-products/853982/32 "2020-05-18T10:31:07Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > 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. It’s been years since I’ve seen a bottle of Dr. Bronner’s, but I always found the labels to be extremely amusing. Half the fun of buying a bottle of peppermint soap was reading the label. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2020, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-have-any-opinions-on-dr-bronner-cleaning-products/853982/33 "2020-05-18T10:51:18Z")
The liquid peppermint is a great shampoo! And the labels are charmingly weird. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2020, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-have-any-opinions-on-dr-bronner-cleaning-products/853982/34 "2020-05-18T11:06:11Z")
I use it as my travel soap. I use it for hand washing clothes and dishes, and if i hate the provided soap or shampoo i use it for those, too. I don’t love it as a shampoo, but it’s great for everything else, and adequate as shampoo. I currently have unscented and eucalyptus. I may switch back to peppermint at some point. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2020, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-have-any-opinions-on-dr-bronner-cleaning-products/853982/35 "2020-05-18T11:41:13Z")
I concur that when travelling, concentrated liquid soap is the convenient way to go, instead of lugging around a solid bar of soap. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2020, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-have-any-opinions-on-dr-bronner-cleaning-products/853982/36 "2020-05-18T12:44:34Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > 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 had the same thing happen when I used a nice olive oil soap from Provence that someone had given me for Christmas. There was a gradual buildup of black scum on the bottom of the bathtub, and I finally figured out it was olive oil coagulating on the cool porcelain and accumulating slowly over time. Once that soap was used up and I switched back to detergent-based liquid soap, the problem disappeared. Maybe the Dr. Bronner soap has olive oil in it? But I sure loved that French soap. I’ve seen the Dr. Bronner soap in the stores, and this thread is making me want to try it. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2020, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-have-any-opinions-on-dr-bronner-cleaning-products/853982/37 "2020-05-18T13:28:36Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > I concur that when travelling, concentrated liquid soap is the convenient way to go, instead of lugging around a solid bar of soap. I carry a solid bar of soap, too, which I use if I’m staying somewhere that doesn’t provide bar soap. I prefer a bar of soap for washing my hands and body. And that’s dead easy to carry. Unless it’s an especially nice bar or soap or something, I just leave the remainder behind. (If I want to keep it, that’s what ziplock baggies are for.) But most hotels provide an acceptable bar of soap. Whereas many only provide a shampoo with conditioner, or a very heavily scented shampoo, neither of which works for hand-washing a garment or dishes. And I often want to wash a garment or two when I travel, and sometimes bring supplies to eat breakfast in a hotel, which need to be cleaned. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2020, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-have-any-opinions-on-dr-bronner-cleaning-products/853982/38 "2020-05-18T19:56:45Z")
The Sal Suds product is pretty good for mopping and general cleaning, although looking at the ingredient list, it isn’t very far off at all from dishwashing liquid or shampoo, being mostly sodium lauryl sulfate and cocamidopropyl betaine. Smells very nice though. > **[Sal Suds Biodegradable Cleaner](https://www.drbronner.com/collections/all/products/sal-suds-biodegradable-cleaner)** > > For floor, laundry or dishes, this concentrated, all-purpose, non-toxic cleaner, cuts dirt, grease & powerful yet gentle. Plant-based ingredients & cruelty-free. ---
**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 18, 2020, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-have-any-opinions-on-dr-bronner-cleaning-products/853982/39 "2020-05-18T20:32:45Z")
> [@bump](#): > > The Sal Suds product is pretty good for mopping and general cleaning, although looking at the ingredient list, it isn’t very far off at all from dishwashing liquid or shampoo, being mostly sodium lauryl sulfate and cocamidopropyl betaine. Smells very nice though. > > [Sal Suds, All Purpose Cleaner | Dr. Bronner's](https://shop.drbronner.com/sal-suds-biodegradable-cleaner) I love that it says, “no cheap, harsh pine stump oil” – yeah! We don’t want no stinkin’ \*\*\*stump \*\*\*oil! Looks like you have to rinse it. I don’t want to rinse. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Grestarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grestarian/32/3227_2.png) [@Grestarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grestarian)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2020, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-have-any-opinions-on-dr-bronner-cleaning-products/853982/40 "2020-05-18T23:56:03Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > I used to use the eucalyptus liquid soap in the shower, religiously, until they changed the formula in 2003. > > I emailed the company to complain and they told me it was an improvement and they weren’t going to change it. So we’re not all-one anymore. Uh-oh! I was not aware of that. How did they change the formula? Back in 1997-ish I bought deerskin motorcycle pants from Thurlow Leather World (now gone :mad:) and when I was picking up my finished product the owner/salesman told me that if they ever needed washing I should use warm water and Dr. Bronner’s, then air dry them. Then he explained his background in chemistry and the details of modern detergents using enzymes and stabilizers rather than good old-fashioned soap. Apparently the enzymes weaken deer skin somehow so regular soap is preferred. Please tell me they didn’t switch to an enzyme formula. So when the weather turns too hot to wear leather leathers, I follow Mr. Thurlow’s instructions and then spend an afternoon rubbing mink oil into the outer surface. Then they hang in the garage for a few hot months while I wear Sliders instead. Those pants are still going strong now. 😃 –G! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-have-any-opinions-on-dr-bronner-cleaning-products/853982.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-have-any-opinions-on-dr-bronner-cleaning-products/853982.md?page=3)