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Introduction & Overview
The products I’m referring to in this post are the “Dish Washing Duo – Jeremiah Brent x Grove Co. – Limited Edition.” The duo consists of the High Performance Dish Soap with the scent, Wild Coriander and Black pepper. And, the Jeremiah Brent glass dish soap dispenser.
I’ve been using the dispenser and the soap for 7 months now and I’m happy to say that they are Andrew Approved. I recommend both the dish soap and the bottle, but not without one major annoyance.
Dish soap is one of those areas that I overlooked for a while when searching for sustainable alternatives for my household products. In the beginning, I tried to use less plastic simply by purchasing bulk bottles of soap and using a refillable pump.
Because I was ballin’ on a budget (college days), it made for an ugly kitchen sink setup. When I found Grove Collaborative, I found this gorgeous dish soap dispenser and dish soap packaged in aluminum bottles!
I was so excited! I seriously preferred aluminum to plastic and thought for sure these Grove products were the answer to my needs. 7 months later, I’m happy with how the products have performed. Here’s my breakdown of the items.
Ratings
Overall Score
Function
Durability
Ease of Use
Appearance
Do I recommend this product?
I absolutely recommend both. Initially, I didn’t want to buy a dish soap dispenser online, but I just couldn’t find one I really liked in my local thrift shops and stores like Walmart and Target. Today, I’m happy I ordered it.
I would also recommend dish soap. It’s just dish soap, so if you don’t like it then you can easily buy a different one after you use it all up. It’s easy to try new things when the commitment isn’t long term and the investment is cheap.
Does it get the job done? (Function)
Yes. The dish soap has cleaned all the messes I’ve had in the last 7 months with no trouble whatsoever. It has been the only soap I’ve used and I’ve never had to scrub hard or go above and beyond for anything. That includes baked on messes and other ick things.
Is it durable?
I believe so. 7 months is only, well, 7 months. I’ve had no trouble with either of the products. I can’t speak for years to come but I have no reason to believe the dispenser won’t last me a very long time.
Ease of use?
I’m giving this my first ever 3 star rating because there is one thing that really annoys me. The dish soap is runny. I noticed this right out of the aluminum bottle. The only moment this matters is when I’m using the dispenser.
I’m no clean freak, but I really hate having soap drops on my countertop near my sink. With these products, after I pump some soap onto a dish more soap drips out of the dispenser. This isn’t entirely unique to this dispenser, and I don’t think the dispenser is at fault. But because the soap is so runny it can really make a mess. To get around this, I usually will grab the dispenser and wipe the spout on a sponge or my hand to clear it off before putting it back onto the counter. It’s not a deal breaker but it is just one of those things that really gets under my skin.
Do I want to show it off? (Appearance)
Yes. Green (the color not the movement obviously) isn’t even my aesthetic. But I really love the look of the dispenser. It’s clean, it has sharp lines and a matte finish for the nozzle. It reminds me of repurposed wine bottles actually, and I don’t have those in my house but I do think they look good too.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Grove is a B Certified Corporation
- Certified Cruelty Free
- Made in the USA
- Plastic Free Packaging
- Free and Clear scent if you prefer “unscented”
Cons
- Virgin Aluminum
Dish soap was runny
What is Grove Collaborative?
In case you missed it, I’ve reviewed the whole brand that is Grove Collaborative. This is a detailed look at who the company is, what they’re aiming to accomplish, what they do, and more.
To cover it in a few words, Grove is a subscription based company that carries many many sustainable alternatives to what you’ll typically find on supermarket or grocery store shelves.
What options do I have to buy?
In addition to the Coriander and Black Pepper scent they have: Free and Clear; Lavender and Thyme; and Lemon Eucalyptus.
I have the Lemon Eucalyptus scent in my backstock and it smells great but I can’t speak to how it performs just yet. All of the scents are part of the High Performance Dish Soap line, so I imagine the performance is pretty standard across the board. But like I said, try it out! And if it’s not your thing then switch it up once it’s all gone.
It’s also worth mentioning, you can purchase the soaps at Target! Yes, I was beyond happy to see that. This makes the item so much more accessible for those of you that don’t want to purchase online.
Cost and Comparability
Without comparing the cost of Grove’s dish soap, $4.95 didn’t strike me as exceptionally pricey. After comparing the cost of Grove’s soap to soap at Walmart in September of 2021, I’m blown away. It is extremely costly. Check out the cost comparison in the table below:
AJAX is clearly the greatest value here, giving you the biggest bang for your U.S. buck. I’ve used cheap dish soaps before, and I’ve never had any complaints or heard any complaints about them in general.
Dawn “Platinum” seems to be a step up from just any dish soap. I wouldn’t know first-hand, but the name and the price reflect that “premium” branding compared to AJAX.
Once we get to Mrs. Meyer’s, things seem to even out a bit more. Now, I do not recommend this brand or product. If you want to know why you can read my review here. But, I think Mrs. Meyer’s dish soap might be the most comparable product given how both brands prioritize ingredients.
That makes Grove’s steep $0.31 per ounce cost seem a little better, since it’s just 6 cents more per ounce than Mrs. Meyer’s.
Compared to Dawn and AJAX, I think it kind of loses. If you’re moving from AJAX and Dawn, then the jump up to the pricey Grove bottle is a big jump. I understand why many people won’t be able to find the space in their budget for that.
There are moments where I have to sacrifice sustainability because my budget is tight too. Some items do actually cost way more than less sustainable choices, and that is sadly true here.
However, with dish soap I can manage to splurge because I use it so rarely. I’ve been working on the same bottle since February (it’s now September). I’m just a dishwasher guy. Take that into consideration as well, as you contemplate on making the leap to Grove’s sustainable dish soap.
Beware of Subscriptions
As I said before, Grove Collaborative is really a subscription company. I don’t have any subscriptions with them though. Let me explain how both work.
When you add an item to your cart, you’ll be buying that item in whatever quantity you selected. Right under the item will be, “Edit frequency after purchase.” Once you complete your transaction, the item will then show up in your subscriptions list with a set frequency.
Let’s say that’s two months. This means, every two months Grove will add that item to your cart. Now, That doesn’t mean it gets shipped.
You choose your shipment date for each month, but Grove will only ship packages that meet a $29 minimum. If your subscriptions for that particular month don’t add up to $29 then they roll over to the next month.
This is also true for ordering anything at all, you have to meet a minimum. Grove claims this allows them to consolidate products, minimize carbon footprint, and decrease shipping materials.
I effectively have 0 subscriptions because after my initial purchase, I went to my subscriptions and canceled them all. I’m one person, a recent college graduate living alone and buying for me, myself, and I. I don’t use much of anything and a frequency of once a year just doesn’t make sense. Who the hell knows their grocery list a year in advance. (If you do, feel free to reach out. I have some questions…and concerns.)
If you’re a mom or dad shopping for a family of 4 then the subscription might be perfect for you. You’ll just have to set it to a frequency you think would work for you, and forget it. You can always add to your upcoming orders or adjust the frequency
And just to mention it again, you can also find these at Target if you shop there regularly enough to fuel your dish soap needs.
What makes this a sustainable choice?
The main thing going for them here is the aluminum bottle. Unfortunately, they don’t say the aluminum comes from recycled aluminum. That would be even better. But, aluminum is more likely recyclable in your area and it is infinitely recyclable whereas plastic is not.
They’re also a Certified B corp which aligns with my value of honesty, this brand is held to a high standard of transparency. And from that certification, we know they have a strong and clear direction forward in sustainable areas beyond just the environment but also when it comes to their employees.
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