In 1893, at the Chicago World’s Fair, Josephine Cochraine unveiled the world’s first dish washer. The invention rendered hundreds and thousands of human dish washers out of commission. Josephine said the idea for a dish washer came to her when she noticed her maids, or human dish washers, always chipping her precious china.

You know, however, what they say about history, or ancestry, and how it defines the person you are right now. In this light, the history of the dish washer is the dish soap. Before dish washers, there were human dish washers with dish soap working hand-in-hand to eliminate the toughest spots and stains.

Dish soap is specially formulated soap for washing dishes and other kitchen utensils. It can be either bar soap or liquid soap, but lately liquid soaps have become more popular for sanitary reasons (Want to create your own liquid soap? Learn how to make liquid soap). Sure, you can use any type of soap or detergent to wash dishes, but still nothing compares to how dish soap does the job so well.

Today, dish soaps come in all shapes and scents. Here is a list of some of the most effective dish soap products on the market:

• Palmolive Aromatherapy (Anti-Stress) – This isn’t a body wash or shampoo. It’s a dish soap, and believe it or not, it’s anti-stress! Renowned manufacturer Palmolive takes the next logical step by incorporating anti-stress chemicals into its product: the result is a dish soap that is as effective in cleaning as it is in relieving. Palmolive Aromatherapy (Anti-Stress) is notable for its effectiveness in fighting grease and stains. It is available in many different fragrances, including lavender.
• Dawn Dish Soap Complete – Dawn Dish Soap Complete has all the great grease removing features of its predecessor, and more. Dawn is soft on the skin. In fact, it can be used both as dish soap and hand soap. How cool is that? Interestingly, the original Dawn Dish Soap came as an anti-bacterial dish soap, easy on the hands, and available in several different floral scents including apple blossom. Fortunately the apple, Dawn Complete, did not fall far from the tree.
• Ultra Ivory Blossom Dish Soap – Ivory, sound familiar? That’s because Ivory has long been the leader in detergents and gentle soaps, and does it again amidst tough competition with Ultra Ivory Blossom Dish Soap. Ultra Ivory Blossom cuts through grease and stains like a knife through butter, but that isn’t the best of it—this dish soap does so while being fair and soft on your hands. You’re going to love this dish soap if you have sensitive skin.
• Seventh Generation Dish Soap – Seventh Generation continues its streak of quality products with Seventh Generation Dish Soap—a dish soap guaranteed free of phosphates, chlorine, and that’s biodegradable. One of the few eco-friendly dish soap products out there, Seventh Generation Dish Soap comes in green apple, citrus, and clear fragrances. You can’t go wrong with this dish soap as you’ll keep both your dishes and the planet clean.

Dish soap is best used with a semi-tough sponge. Not too soft, not too tough. Simply follow the directions on the product packaging. Rinse the dishes thoroughly after scrubbing, and replace the sponge every other week or so. What good is anti-bacterial dish soap if the sponge itself is unsanitary? Dish soaps can help you save a lot from the electric and water bills as a result of too much dish washer use. If you enjoy reading this article, you’ll surely be interested in learning how to use a dishwasher.