If you’ve ever looked into non-toxic cleaning or gentle personal care, chances are you’ve come across something called Castile soap.

It’s been around for centuries, but what makes it special, and why are more people choosing it today? Here’s everything you need to know about this versatile soap, including why Grounded makes a uniquely Kenyan version.

What Is Castile Soap?

Castile soap is a vegetable oil-based soap, meaning it’s made without animal fats or synthetic detergents. Traditionally, it originated from the Castile region of Spain and was made with olive oil. Today, true Castile soap can be made from a variety of plant oils, such as coconut, sunflower or canola, as long as it remains 100% plant-based and biodegradable.

Because it’s a soap rather than a detergent, Castile soap works by loosening dirt and grime so it can be rinsed away. As it contains no artificial fragrances, dyes or foaming agents, it’s also incredibly gentle on skin and surfaces.

Why Castile Soap Is Making a Comeback

Castile soap is a classic for a reason. It’s:

• Multi-purpose: You can use it for dishes, floors, laundry, hand washing, pets and even plants.
• Skin-friendly: It won’t strip your skin of its natural oils, making it a favourite for sensitive or dry skin.
• Eco-friendly: It’s fully biodegradable and safe for greywater systems, septic tanks and the environment.
• Concentrated: A little goes a long way. One litre of Pure Soap makes more than 33 soapy buckets when using 30 ml in every 10 L of water for multi-purpose cleaning.

In a world full of harsh chemical cleaners and plastic packaging, Castile soap offers a refreshing, minimalist approach that works.

Grounded’s Pure Soap: Kenyan Castile Soap, Made Differently

At Grounded, we make our own version of Castile soap called Pure Soap. It’s a simple, concentrated, all-purpose cleaner made from coconut, canola and sunflower oils grown here in East Africa.

Because we’re powered by African farm-grown ingredients, we’ve adapted our formulation to use locally grown vegetable oils.

What makes our Pure Soap stand out?

• 100% plant-based and biodegradable
• Fragrance-free and dye-free: Perfect for sensitive skin, babies or anyone avoiding synthetic scents.
• Locally made: Produced using oils we can trace back to the farm.
• Incredibly versatile: Use it for floors, baby laundry, dishes or even as a diluted foaming hand soap refill.

It’s part of our mission to create high-performance products that are safe for your health and the planet. Because it’s made here in Kenya, it also supports local farmers and reduces transport emissions.

How to Use Pure Soap

Because Pure Soap is highly concentrated, it works best when diluted. There are more than 20 ways to use it, making it a versatile concentrate that can meet many of your household cleaning needs when used at the correct dilution.

Many of our liquid soap-based products contain Pure Soap as an ingredient, but some are boosted with additional ingredients to improve their cleaning power.

For example, our Surface Cleaner: Extra Strength contains additional germ-killing essential oils, sodium bicarbonate to enhance surface cleaning and enough water to make it easy to spray.

Ready to become a Pure Soap super user? Start with these helpful tips and usage instructions.

General Tips and Tricks

1. The soap is concentrated, so a little goes a long way.
2. We don’t use sulphates or foaming agents. Don’t worry if it doesn’t produce lots of foam. The soap is still working.
3. If you dilute Pure Soap with water, use the mixture within a few weeks.
4. For especially dirty items or surfaces, you may need to use more than the suggested amount.
5. Want to create your own scent? Buy our Unscented Pure Soap and add your preferred essential oils.

Here are some ways to use Pure Soap, our Kenyan Castile soap, around your home and garden.

Personal Care

• Hand wash: Use it in a foaming dispenser, diluted at a ratio of one part soap to three parts water. You can also add your favourite essential oils.
• Face and body: Add a few drops to your hands or a washcloth, lather and rinse.
• Baby bath: Use the unscented version and dilute it with water.
• Tooth brushing: It may taste like soap, but Pure Soap can also be used for brushing your teeth.

Home Cleaning

• Floors: Mix 30 ml into a 10 L bucket of warm water. Mop the floor and dry it if needed.
• Dishes: Dilute one part soap with 10 parts water in a squeeze bottle. Apply it to a sponge, lather and wash.
• All-purpose surface spray: Add 60–90 ml to a 500 ml spray bottle. Add a pinch of bicarbonate of soda for extra cleaning power.
• Toilets: Mix one part soap with four parts water in a spray bottle, apply it to the toilet and scrub with a brush.
• Hand-washing delicate fabrics: Add 15 ml to a basin of water. Soak, gently swish, rinse and dry. Some detergents and oxygen-based cleaners can damage protein-based fabrics such as wool, silk and cashmere, but Pure Soap provides a gentler alternative.

Pest Control and Other Uses

• Pet shampoo: Dilute 10 ml in a jug of water, or apply a small amount directly and lather. Rinse thoroughly. Our Pet Shampoo also contains Pure Soap and is boosted with glycerine for additional moisturisation.
• Fruit and vegetable rinse: Add one squirt to a bowl of water. Soak your produce for 10 minutes, then rinse it thoroughly. Our Fruit & Veg Wash is boosted with sodium bicarbonate to help remove even more pesticide residue.
• Plant bug spray: Mix 15 ml into 1 L of water. Spray the affected leaves, leave it for 10 minutes, then wipe them clean. You can also use one of our foaming dispensers for better coverage and grip on the leaves.
• Ant spray: Add 30 ml to a 500 ml spray bottle and include clove or peppermint oil to help repel ants. Alternatively, try our Surface Cleaner Everyday. Although it isn’t soap-based, it contains clove and cinnamon-infused vinegar that helps disrupt ant trails.

Still not sure how to use it? Start simply. Dilute the soap, test it on a small area and see the cleaning power of soap rather than synthetic detergent in action.

Ready to Try It?

Castile soap may be old-school, but it could be the modern solution we need. If you’re looking for a gentler, greener and more grounded way to clean, Grounded Pure Soap could be a perfect fit for your all-natural, multi-purpose cleaning needs.