Truly Free Dish Soap Review: Safe, Effective, Kinda Pricey

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Read our Truly Free dish soap review with real testing, ingredient breakdown, performance on grease & baked-on food, price analysis, & honest pros and cons.

We’ve been testing non-toxic cleaning products for a while now, and one of our favorites so far is Truly Free dish soap – though we’ll admit, it’s not perfect.

The short version? It’s genuinely good for everyday dishes, uses clean ingredients that won’t mess with your skin, and smells way better than most natural dish soaps we’ve tried (like really good). But yeah, it costs more than the stuff at Target and it’s not gonna blow through baked-on lasagna like Dawn does.

This Truly Free dish soap review covers real testing in our kitchen, what actual users say about it, how it stacks up against other brands, and whether the price tag makes sense.

Truly Free Dish Soap Product Overview

Truly Free is one of those brands that showed up a few years ago focused entirely on non-toxic cleaning products. No dyes, no synthetic fragrances, not a lot of weird chemicals you can’t pronounce.

They make laundry detergent, dishwasher powder, all-purpose cleaner, and this dish soap – plus a bunch of other stuff. Everything follows the same philosophy… plant-based ingredients, transparent formulas, and packaging that tries to cut down on plastic waste.

Like most of their other cleaning products, the dish soap comes in a refillable bottle system. You get the bottle once, then order concentrated refill packets that you mix with water at home. It’s pretty simple and saves space under your sink.

The formula uses coconut-derived surfactants and citrus-based cleaners to break down grease and food residue. The scent comes from organic sweet basil essential oil, which is honestly kind of nice. It smells like fresh basil, not fake “spring meadow” or whatever synthetic smell most dish soaps have!

A lot of people pick Truly Free specifically because they have eczema or sensitive skin and regular dish soap makes their hands crack and itch. I’ve seen tons of reviews from people saying they switched to this and their skin problems cleared up.

Performance-wise, most reviewers say it holds up pretty well against mainstream brands for normal dishwashing. It’s somewhat thicker than regular dish soap and sometimes you need a bit more product for tough jobs, but it gets the job done without harsh chemicals.

The vibe I get from reading through reviews and testing it myself is that this works best for people who care about ingredients and are willing to pay extra for that peace of mind.

Key Features and Specifications

Here’s what you get with Truly Free dish soap:

• Plant-based surfactants from coconut and citrus that actually break down grease without petroleum-based detergents.
• Organic sweet basil essential oil for fragrance instead of synthetic perfume. It’s subtle and herbal.
• Free from the bad stuff like dyes, synthetic fragrances, and harsh chemicals that show up in conventional dish soaps.
• Concentrated refill system where you mix it at home. Less plastic waste over time – though we should note that it’s not truly plastic-free if that is a goal for you.
• Hypoallergenic positioning that really appeals to people with eczema or contact dermatitis. I’ve read many stories of people saying this saved their hands.
• Sudsy formula that produces good foam. Some natural soaps barely bubble and it feels like they’re not working, but this one actually suds up pretty nicely.
• Price is mid-to-high for natural cleaners. Around $10.95 for a bottle or refill if you’re a subscriber, $16.95 if you’re just buying a one-off bottle.

Ingredients and Safety

The whole point of Truly Free is avoiding petroleum-based detergents and chemicals that can irritate skin or mess with hormones. They use mostly coconut oil-based compounds and naturally occurring surfactants instead.

The citrus ingredients add grease-cutting power without traditional solvents.

Now, it does use fragrance components like linalool and limonene, which are naturally derived but can still trigger allergies in some people. These get moderate ratings in the EWG database. But the risk is usually only a concern at much higher exposures than washing dishes.

I read one blogger who has eczema say she had zero flare-ups after switching to this, and she credits the lack of dyes, synthetic perfumes, and harsh detergents. Other reviewers mention feeling safer using it around kids and family members with health issues.

For most households, this lands in a much safer zone than conventional scented dish soaps. If you have extremely reactive skin or serious fragrance allergies, you’d still want to check the full ingredient list, but the formulation is clearly designed with sensitivity in mind.

Formulation and Scent

The texture is thick and concentrated, which makes sense given the refill format. One reviewer mentioned feeling like they had to use more product than expected to get dishes really clean, especially on messier loads.

The scent gets consistent praise. Sweet basil that smells fresh and herbal, not like fake chemical “clean.” It’s refreshing without being overpowering.

People who mention it in reviews say it makes dishwashing more pleasant without filling the whole house with fragrance. I actually really like the scent! It’s different in a good way.

Packaging and Refill System

The refillable bottle concept is simple. Pour in concentrate, add water, shake. Then order refill packets when you run out.

This cuts down on bulky plastic bottles and reduces shipping weight. Since Truly Free sells mostly online and ships direct, it makes a lot of sense.

Most people like the refill system and find it easy to store, especially in small kitchens. Some customers mention occasional issues with orders arriving incomplete or missing items, which shows up in mixed feedback about fulfillment more than the packaging design itself.

To try it out for yourself and support honest reviews like this one, you can grab it through this link.

Performance Testing Results

I’ve tested this a lot over the past several years in my kitchen on different types of messes. Here’s what happened.

Everyday Plates, Cups, and Cutlery

For basic daily dishes like breakfast plates, coffee mugs, and regular cutlery, the soap performs really well.

A small amount on a sponge plus warm water produced plenty of suds. Dishes felt clean, no slippery film left over, no scent clinging to cups once dry.

Greasy fingerprints, light sauce residue, general day-to-day food mess… all washed off quickly. No hard scrubbing needed. The finish looked just as good as conventional dish soap.

Greasy Pots & Pans

On pans used for sautéing or frying, Truly Free handled fresh grease pretty well, especially when I washed the pan soon after cooking.

A modest squeeze of soap plus hot water cut through oil and left the surface clean. The feel after rinsing was squeaky-clean, not oily at all.

Where it started to struggle was on older, cooled grease and pans left sitting for hours. It still worked, but it took more soap and more scrubbing than a stronger conventional detergent.

This matched feedback from other users who said the product cleans well but sometimes needs more product when the mess gets tough and sticky.

Baked-On Messes and Casseroles

Heavy baked-on messes are the hardest test for any natural dish soap. Lasagna pans, roasted vegetables with caramelized edges, cheesy casseroles…

Truly Free handled these better with a soak plus some elbow grease. A short soak in hot soapy water loosened a decent amount of residue, then scrubbing finished the job.

But compared to powerful conventional formulas, the process took longer and more product. This is often the trade-off with safer ingredients. Gentler surfactants usually mean an extra soak or extra scrubbing on the worst dishes.

An unexpected standout is rice. Cooked-on rice typically takes a lot of scrubbing to remove, in my experience. To my surprise, Truly Free dish soap really shines here. A squirt of soap, followed by filling the pan with hot water, then letting it sit for 5-10 minutes, and the cooked-on layer simply wipes right off with barely any scrubbing at all! (It works similarly well with cooked-on mashed potatoes, so something in this soap must be really good at removing starch.)

Glassware and Plastic Containers

On glassware, the dish soap rinsed cleanly with no spots when paired with hot water and a thorough rinse. No cloudy film, glasses looked clear.

Plastic containers still stained slightly, especially with tomato-based sauces. That’s normal with most dish soaps though.

It does lift lingering odors better than I expected when containers were washed quickly after use. And the basil scent doesn’t linger on storage containers once dry, which is nice if you hate scented residues like I do!

Hand Feel and Skin Response

This is key for any dish soap marketed as non-toxic. Do your hands feel tight, itchy, or irritated after washing a bunch of dishes?

Over many evenings of handwashing, my hands felt noticeably less dry than with typical supermarket brands. They still felt like they’d been in water for a while, but there was less tightness between fingers and around knuckles.

I have dry skin in the winter and used this several times a week throughout the winter months without it seeming to make things worse. That lines up with other people’s experiences I’ve read about.

User Experience Evaluation

Suds, Rinsing, and Overall Feel

A lot of people ask whether Truly Free dish soap gets sudsy, and the answer is yes. It bubbles up enough to feel satisfying without turning your sink into a bubble mountain.

Rinsing performance is solid. Dishes don’t feel too slippery after rinsing. Many users mention their dishes come out looking clean with no film or residue left behind.

Several reviewers highlight that they don’t worry anymore about chemical residue on plates, cups, and utensils their families use every day. That’s kind of the whole point!

Scent Experience

Sweet basil is not a typical dish soap fragrance, and that’s part of the appeal.

People describe it as light, slightly herbal, and refreshing. More natural than the strong floral or “ocean breeze” scents in mass-market cleaners.

Some people love that it’s mild and doesn’t overwhelm the kitchen. Others would prefer something stronger or more traditionally “clean.”

I’m in the “love it” camp, but obviously, taste is personal!

Ease of Use and Refills

The refill system is straightforward for most people. Pour concentrate into bottle, add water, shake.

It saves a lot of space since you’re storing small refill packets instead of big bottles piled under the sink. There is a minor learning curve on dilution if you’re new to concentrated products. Mix it too strong and it feels extra thick. Mix it too weak and it might underperform on grease.

But if you just follow the instructions and use the “fill line” on the bottle for guidance, it’s very easy to get it right. (I’ve also noticed that it thickens up over time, so the first few days after you mix a new batch, it may seem a bit thin, but just wait and it should get thicker within a day or two.)

Customer Service and Brand Reputation

The brand reputation for Truly Free is mixed. On review sites, people often praise the products themselves. They call them effective, pleasantly scented, and reasonably priced given the non-toxic focus. They appreciate the charitable partnerships and mission.

On the flip side, some ratings show complaints focusing on subscription management, cancellations, and order issues as opposed to cleaning performance. Some reviews mention sets arriving without the dish soap bottle or missing other items.

So the soap itself gets better feedback than the logistics side. When everything arrives correctly, users tend to be happy.

Comparison with Competitors

Here’s how Truly Free stacks up against typical choices in the non-toxic and conventional space:

Truly Free stands out for ingredient transparency, refill packaging, and a scent that feels more like fresh herbs than chemical perfume.

Conventional brands still beat it on raw grease-cutting strength and price. And some other natural brands might offer wider fragrance options or easier access in local stores.

Price and Value Analysis

Truly Free dish soap runs about $16.95 ($10.95 for subscriptions and refills), which puts it firmly above conventional grocery store brands and in line or slightly higher than other premium non-toxic cleaners.

Whether that’s reasonable depends on three things: how much you care about ingredients, how well it performs for your needs, and whether refill convenience matters to you.

Ingredients: You get a formula that avoids harsh chemicals, synthetic dyes, and heavy fragrance. Plant-based surfactants and a more transparent approach to safety.

If that matters a lot, paying the higher price makes sense.

Performance: Everyday dishwashing, light grease, and family meals are handled well. Heavier baked-on messes demand more soaking, scrubbing, or product.

People who constantly tackle heavy roasting or do a lot of frying might judge the value differently than someone mainly washing plates and cups.

Refill convenience: The refill system saves space and reduces plastic waste. For people already ordering household items online, this fits seamlessly.

For those who prefer grabbing soap during a grocery trip, the direct-to-consumer model makes it less convenient.

People who prioritize non-toxic ingredients and want a dish soap that still feels familiar in use often see Truly Free as worth the investment, especially when they’re already using the brand’s laundry detergent or other cleaners.

Those who mainly care about low price and the fastest possible removal of baked-on messes might decide to stick with stronger conventional soaps.

If it sounds like this balance fits your lifestyle, you can try it for yourself here. 

Final Verdict and Rating

After testing it extensively myself via real-world performance, reading user feedback, and looking at pricing, I’d give Truly Free dish soap a solid 4.5 out of 5 for most households focused on non-toxic or low-waste living.

What works:

• Cleaning performance on everyday dishes feels close to familiar mainstream soaps. Good suds, clean rinsing, no weird residue.
• Ingredient safety and non-toxic positioning are strong. Plant-based surfactants, avoidance of harsh chemicals.
• Really appeals to people dealing with eczema or just wanting a cleaner home environment.
• The sweet basil scent and refill system add a nice touch for people who enjoy a more thoughtful, lower-waste routine.

What doesn’t:

• Higher cost compared to conventional brands. Slight extra effort on heavy baked-on messes.
• The thickness can lead to using more product (easily remedied by adding a bit more water).
• Mixed brand feedback on subscriptions and order fulfillment.

People who want stricter ingredient standards and don’t mind paying more will likely be happy with Truly Free and keep it in regular rotation, especially if they already trust the brand’s laundry and household products.

Buyers who mainly chase the lowest price or who constantly scrub extremely greasy cookware might feel more satisfied with a stronger conventional detergent.

This Truly Free dish soap review shows a cleaner that genuinely fits a non-toxic lifestyle while still feeling familiar enough for daily use.

If that sounds like what you need, grab a bottle and test it in your own sink. If it earns a spot in your routine, great!

If not, at least you tried something safer for your hands and your family.

Practical Tips for Getting Started

People building a fully non-toxic cleaning setup can try add Truly Free dish soap as their go-to handwashing soap.

Anyone replacing conventional dish soap because of skin irritation should try a single bottle first and watch how their hands respond over a few weeks. The difference can be pretty noticeable.

Households already using Truly Free laundry detergent and liking the results can round out their kitchen cleaning with the dish soap. The ingredient philosophy is consistent across the whole line.

For heavy baked-on messes, let dishes soak in hot soapy water for 10-15 minutes before scrubbing. This makes a big difference with plant-based formulas.

Store refill packets somewhere dry and use them within a reasonable timeframe. Concentrated formulas can clump if they sit too long in warm or humid environments.

Overall, this lands in the “worth trying” category for anyone serious about reducing chemical exposure in their home without giving up actual cleaning performance. It’s not perfect, but it’s pretty good at what it does.

 

To support reviews like this, use this link when you order.

 

 

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