Dr. Bronner's Siberian Fir & Spruce Sal Suds Biodegradable Cleaner - 16 fl oz

A: Thank you for contacting Dr. Bronner's! We greatly appreciate you taking the time to share your concerns with us as we take the health and safety of our customers very seriously. There are a few points we would like to address on the topic of the SLS we use in our Sal Suds Biodegradable Cleaner. Firstly, many have confused SLS with SLES. The two chemicals are often conflated to be equally toxic, but that is not the case. SLS is sodium lauryl sulfate, and SLES is sodium laureth sulfate. SLES is ethoxylated with ethylene oxide and is thus contaminated with trace amounts of 1,4-dioxane, a documented carcinogen. Rest assured that SLS is not. But to focus on the safety of SLS: the EWG’s Skin Deep Cosmetic Database gives SLS a safety rating of 1–2, indicating that it is of very low risk. Studies have consistently shown that it is safe to use in low concentrations and in products that are meant to be rinsed off (both are true of Sal Suds). No risk of cancer has been found, as some websites purport. Research conducted by reputable sources such as the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the American Cancer Society supports that SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate) is not a carcinogen. The biggest risk associated with SLS is that for some people, it can be a skin irritant. We have done our best to minimize this risk, combining it with lauryl glucoside in a well-balanced formula that reduces the chance of irritation. Additionally, we market Sal Suds as an all-purpose cleaner focused on cleaning the home and do not recommend using it to wash one's body or hair. We understand if after reading this you still do not want to use a product that contains SLS. This is a decision that we respect, and for those who want to clean completely organically, we offer our line of Pure-Castile Soaps. However, for truly tough grease-cutting jobs, we have 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, derived from agricultural (not petrochemical) feedstock, and we believe that they are very safe. If you have any health concerns, we always recommend that you consult with your dermatologist or physician just to be on the safe side, as they can help determine the products that may be more suitable for your body. Should you have any further questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to let us know.

A: Hi, thank you for reaching out to us at Dr. Bronner's! Our Sal Suds Biodegradable Cleaner works exceptionally well to clean most hard stone surfaces (sealed concrete, granite, slate, sandstone, quartzite, soapstone, brownstone, or bluestone) and soft, porous stone surfaces (marble, travertine, limestone, or onyx). We understand that acidic cleaners can be damaging to softer stones. Fortunately, our mild cleaners, Castile Soaps and Sal Suds, are fairly alkaline cleaners with no abrasives; our Sal Suds has a pH of 6.5 - 7.0. To clean stone with these products, we recommend following Lisa Bronner’s advice in her stellar blog post Cleaning Stone with Castile Soap & Sal Suds (https://www.lisabronner.com/cleaning-stone-with-castile-soap-sal-suds/): For a Sal Suds All-Purpose Spray, use 1 Tbsp. (15 mL) of Sal Suds in 1 quart (1 L) of water. For mopping, use ½ Tbsp. (7.5 mL) Sal Suds in a 3-gallon (12 L) mop bucket. Should you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to let us know.

A: Hi, thank you for reaching out to Dr. Bronner's! Our Sal Suds Biodegradable Cleaner eliminates germs by effectively removing them, instead of killing them. Detergents and soaps work by attaching to dirt, germs, and grime and rinsing them away, leaving clean surfaces behind. The term “disinfectant” is regulated to apply only to EPA-registered products that chemically destroy disease-causing pathogens or other harmful microorganisms when applied to hard surfaces. Our soaps and home care products are effective cleaners, but they are not EPA-registered chemical surface disinfectants. While there's no need to increase your cleaner's disinfecting ability in most cases, some have taken to adding 70% alcohol or IPA to our products, though we generally don't recommend it. If more than 5% of your overall disinfecting mixture is alcohol, you will then see a massive reduction in our product's foaming capabilities, though alcohol will only minorly negatively impact our product's cleaning capability. Also, depending on the level of disinfection you want, using less than 5% alcohol may not be strong enough. Instead, we suggest one of two methods. The first would be to make an all-purpose cleaner by combining 1 Tbsp. (15 mL) Sal Suds, 1 qt. (1 L) water, and 20 drops of tea tree essential oil in a spray bottle. The tea tree essential oil is recommended for its natural antimicrobial properties. However, it is important to note that we would still not consider this option to be antibacterial or disinfectant, but it can work to kill some bacteria present on a surface. The second method would be to clean the surface as you normally would. Once the surface is dry, spray a thin layer of alcohol to destroy any pathogens or other microorganisms left. While this will be the most effective disinfection method, be sure to check if alcohol is safe to use on the surface first and only follow this step if the room is well-ventilated as alcohol is flammable. For more information on making your all-purpose cleaner and the cleaning effectiveness of our products, check out Lisa Bronner's blog posts GIY All-Purpose Cleaning Spray (https://www.lisabronner.com/giy-all-purpose-cleaning-spray/) and Ditch the Antibacterial: Soap is All You Need (https://www.lisabronner.com/ditch-the-antibacterial-soap-is-all-you-need/). Should you have any future questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out to us!

A: Hi, thank you for reaching out to Dr. Bronner's! The spruce and fir needle essential oils that give Sal Suds its distinctive piney scent can be similar to that of Pine-Sol, but they have very different scent personalities. Sal Suds uses pure essential oils from Siberian fir and spruce trees. Because of that, the scent smells very natural and refreshing, but not overpowering. Pine-Sol, on the other hand, is known for its classic, bold “pine cleaner” smell. Compared to Sal Suds, it tends to be stronger and more noticeable. Should you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to reach back out to us!

A: Hi, thank you for reaching out to Dr. Bronner's! While our Sal Suds Biodegradable Cleaner can work very well to clean wood and wood furniture, it is important to know what type of finish, if any, the wood has. Rest assured that if the finish manufacturer calls for a mild cleaner, both of these all-purpose sprays fit the bill. I encourage you to read through Lisa Bronner's blog post Wood: Making It Shine (https://www.lisabronner.com/wood-making-it-shine/), where she does a deep dive into the various types of wood finish your item may have and how to clean them. We typically recommend Sal Suds over our Pure-Castile Soap for cleaning flooring as it is cleaner rinsing, especially in hard water conditions. However, both products will clean most flooring exceptionally well! If you are using a traditional mop and bucket method, we recommend using ½ Tbsp. (7.5 mL) of Sal Suds in 3 gallons (12 L) of hot water. For our Sal Suds, you can also add 20 drops of tea tree oil for an added antibacterial boost, but this is entirely optional. Dunk your mop (microfiber, preferably) and wring thoroughly. On wood and laminate, we recommend avoiding excess water and mopping up wet areas. You may also choose to make an all-purpose spray cleaner by combining 1/8 tsp. (.6 mL) of Sal Suds with 1 quart (1 L) of water in a squirt bottle. Dampen your mop with clean water. Squirt or spray the floor and mop over with the mop. Again, avoid excess water and mop up wet areas. Please note that regardless of the soap or method you choose to use, there is no need for you to go over it with clean water after your initial cleaning. However, if you see bubbles, go over the floor again with clean water. For more information on first-hand use of our products, check out Lisa Bronner's blog post Mopping with Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap or Sal Suds (https://www.lisabronner.com/mopping-floors-with-sal-suds/) Should you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out!

A: Hi, thank you for reaching out to Dr. Bronner's! Our Sal Suds Biodegradable Cleaner is a mild detergent (not a soap) and is our hard surface all-purpose cleaner made of plant-based surfactants with natural spruce and fir needle oils. Due to Sal Suds being a detergent and not a soap, we don’t recommend using it for the body. It is best to use it specifically as an all-purpose household cleaner. While high concentrations of some essential oils can be toxic to some animals (some animals like birds and cats are more sensitive than others), products containing essential oil concentrations of less than 1–2% are generally considered nontoxic if used according to label directions. Rest assured that the essential oils in our Sal Suds Biodegradable Cleaner falls within this range. When used according to our recommendations, these products will be diluted even further and should pose no threat to your animal. Although many customers use Sal Suds around their animals with great success, we understand that health is very important, so we always recommend that you consult with your local veterinarian should you have any concerns. Nonetheless, if you have animals that are known to be sensitive to essential oils or are uncomfortable using a product with essential oils on your pet, we encourage you to consider our Baby Unscented Castile Soap variety as it is our Pure-Castile Soap formula but contains zero essential oils. We also invite you to check out our blog post, Pet Care with Dr. Bronner's (https://www.drbronner.com/pages/pet-shampoo-dog-cat?_pos=1&_sid=c9ad40422&_ss=r), for further information about pet care with our soaps. Should you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to us directly!

A: Hi, Thank you for reaching out to us at Dr. Bronner's! Typically, the concern with flooring is choosing a cleaner that is not acidic, which could wear vinyl over time. Both our Pure-Castile Liquid Soap and Sal Suds Biodegradable Cleaner are alkaline and mild enough for even luxury vinyl flooring. We typically recommend Sal Suds over the Pure-Castile Soap for vinyl as it is more clean rinsing, especially in hard water conditions. But both products would clean vinyl flooring equally well! Should you have any further questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to let us know! All the best,

A: Hi, thank you for contacting Dr. Bronner's! Our Sal Suds Biodegradable Cleaner is a mild detergent (not a soap) and is our hard surface all-purpose cleaner made of plant-based surfactants with natural spruce and fir needle oils. Due to Sal Suds being a detergent and not a soap, we don’t recommend using it for the body. It is best to use it specifically as an all-purpose household cleaner. For information on the difference between our Pure-Castile Liquid Soap and Sal Suds, check out Lisa Bronner’s blog post Sal Suds or Castile Soap – Which to Use? (https://www.lisabronner.com/sal-suds-or-castile-soap-which-one-should-you-use/). Lisa also has incredibly handy posts on how to use our products. We suggest looking into her Sal Suds Dilution Cheat Sheet (https://www.lisabronner.com/sal-suds-dilution-cheat-sheet/). For cleaning the body, we recommend that you try our Pure-Castile Bar, Pure-Castile Liquid, or Organic Sugar Soaps as they are specifically formulated to be used on your skin and hair. You can read more about their body care uses here. Should you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to let us know!

A: Thank you for reaching out to Dr. Bronner's! Our Sal Suds Biodegradable Cleaner is an excellent all-purpose cleaner that can be used on just about any hard surface. To do so, just combine 1 Tbsp. (15 mL) Sal Suds with 1 qt. (1 L) water or in a spray bottle. We suggest adding the water first then the detergent to avoid a bubble party. Then all you need to do is spray down your surfaces and wipe them down with a damp cloth. For a full breakdown of how to make an all-purpose spray, check out Lisa Bronner's blog post, GIY All-Purpose Cleaning Spray (https://www.lisabronner.com/giy-all-purpose-cleaning-spray/), or her handy usage cheat sheets (https://www.lisabronner.com/category/drbronner-products/cheat-sheets/). Should you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to let us know!

A: On the very last picture it says it can be used on laminated flooring at the bottom. Sorry for a late response!