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No Dishpan Hands


If you’re old enough to remember Madge, the nail technician on TV commercials, then you’ll remember Palmolive dishwashing liquid. She had all of her clients soaking their nails in it.

Palmolive Dish Soap

“But Madge,” the client would exclaim in mock alarm, “won’t that cause dishpan hands?” Wisecracking Madge would explain how gentle Palmolive was on hands.

Oh, Madge! Did you know that Palmolive’s “gentle” formula actually has a high chronic toxicity to aquatic life? And that it contains formaldehyde?

Sadly, not much has changed since the 1960’s. If anything, it’s gotten worse. Take, for example, America’s favorite dishwashing liquid, Dawn. Proctor and Gamble promotes this product with images of ducks and seals on the labels. The implication, of course, is that it cares about wildlife.

Dawn Dish Soap Ingredients

Triclosan tops the toxic list of ingredients here. It’s been linked to heart disease and heart failure, as wells as impaired muscle function. What’s more, studies show it’s a potential endocrine disruptor.

That means it could cause cancerous tumors, birth defects, and other developmental disorders.

Then there’s sodium bisulfate. If you ingest this, or your baby decides to taste Dawn, it can cause life-threatening side effects.

natural dish soap, staunton, va

Quaternium 15, yet another toxic ingredient, releases formaldehyde, which is a skin and eye irritant. This chemical can cause non-reproductive organ toxicity. The European Union is not impressed with Quaternium 15, and has deemed it unsafe for use in cosmetics.

Lastly, the ingredients on Dawn’s label list "fragrance" as one of the ingredients. However, there is no breakdown of what is in the fragrance. Why is that anyway? No one knows.

So much for the environment and your hands.

The Science Behind Dishpan Hands

Dishpan hands, or irritant contact dermatitis, can show up a week after washing dishes. Or, it can take years. Some people are more sensitive, triggering the familiar irritation and inflammation more quickly.

Generally, only people with a history of allergies or an allergic tendency will suffer from it. Here are the four main factors that cause this painful condition:

  • Soap

  • Water

  • Perspiration

  • Food remnants on the dishes

Using rubber gloves, if you aren’t allergic to latex, is a good option to halt the progression of dishpan hands. But it also begs the question, why use such a harsh, toxic chemical at all?

And to think, all you wanted to do was wash the dishes!

Eco-Friendly Options for Washing Dishes

With all the doom and gloom around food and cleaning products, It’s enough to make you rant and declare, “I give up! There’s just nothing safe anymore!”

Au contraire. You just need to know where to look.