What is the difference between Pure-Castile Liquid Soap and Sal Suds Biodegradable Cleaner?Updated 9 days ago
Our Pure-Castile Liquid Soaps and Sal Suds Biodegradable Cleaner* can be used interchangeably in many applications; however, they have some key differences. The biggest difference between the two is that our Pure-Castile Soap is a "true soap" while our Sal Suds is a mild detergent.
Our Pure-Castile Soaps are just that, castile soaps, meaning they're made from organic plant oils and free of synthetic detergents. They are extremely versatile, being gentle enough to wash your face and body while also being effective in cleaning your laundry, dishes, floors, pets, countertops, etc. We recommend checking out the Castile Soap 101 page on our website or Lisa Bronner’s Cheat Sheet to learn more about all the ways you can use our soap.
Any true soap, like our Pure-Castile Soap, can react to hard water, and even soft water, potentially leaving behind a thin film of minerals that appears as residue or “soap scum.” This does not happen every time and is easily cleaned with a quick vinegar dilution spray and a towel.
On the other hand, our Sal Suds is a mild detergent, consisting of some synthetic ingredients. This makes it a great cleaner for almost any household purpose, with the only notable exception that it shouldn't be used in the dishwasher, unless you’re hosting a bubble party in your kitchen! Sal Suds also doesn't react to hard water the way our Pure-Castile Soap can, making it a bit cleaner rinsing. Just keep in mind that our Sal Suds is specifically for household cleaning and not intended for use as a body soap.
We're aware that some customers choose not use our Sal Suds due to the inclusion of synthetic ingredients, and we completely understand. This is a decision that we respect, and for those who want to clean completely organically, we encourage using our line of Pure-Castile Soaps. However, for truly tough grease-cutting jobs, we've found that nothing is quite as effective as the combination of surfactants in Sal Suds (sodium lauryl sulfate, lauryl glucoside, sodium coco sulfate). These surfactants are all made using simple chemistry and come from agricultural (not petrochemical) feedstock. To learn more about our Sal Suds Biodegradable Cleaner, head over to our Sal Suds 101 page or Lisa Bronner’s amazing dilution guide.
Lastly, if you have an unusual surface, we always recommend spot-testing with either product first - regardless of which product you're using. But if you'd like to read more about the differences between these two, check out Lisa's blog post Sal Suds or Castile Soap – Which to Use? or our article What’s the Difference Between Soap and Detergent?.
*Sal Suds cleaner shows >60% biodegradation after 28 days per ISO 14593.