Choosing Garden‑Safe Soap for an Outdoor Shower Near Plants

An outdoor shower draining into a drywell near plants needs soap without harmful surfactants. "Castile" label doesn't guarantee safety — manufacturers aren't required to list ingredients on cleaning products.

Ingredients to Avoid

• Sodium lauryl/laureth sulfate (SLS)
• Propylene/ethylene glycols
• DEA, MEA, TEA
• Triclosan, parabens, formaldehyde‑releasers
• Artificial fragrances (often hide phthalates)

How to Choose

1. Contact the manufacturer's technical department for a full ingredient list.
2. Look for USDA Organic certified soaps (stricter standards).
3. Make your own: simple castile soap from olive/coconut oil + lye (NaOH). Recipe: wsac.com.

Simple Rules

• If it's cheap, they're hiding something.
• Trust transparent companies.
• When in doubt, DIY.

Even natural plant‑based fragrances can be antimicrobial; start with fragrance‑free.

— The Long Island Gardener