Dish soap recipe???

**Mckeekitty** · 11-01-2009, 12:29 PM

I really love this board! Friendly, helpful, and wise!

I have tried unsuccessfully to make my own dish soap (no suds). I had found the recipe on-line and it called for grated bar soap (I used Ivory), hot water, and vinegar. It was just awful. Not only no suds, but left the dishes feeling very "greasy."

I resent buying dish soap...expensive, and probably not very "green." Anyone know of a recipe?

**Grainlady** · 11-01-2009, 01:15 PM

Suds do NOT equal cleaning power, and low-suds is common with most homemade cleaning products. You may also notice you have to use more than regular dish washing detergents, especially in hard water, and generally find you get soap scum as the water cools. There is also something about mixing soap with vinegar that doesn't seem like the correct chemistry for a cleaning product, something about neutralizing the pH ....

Here is some basic information about soap ingredients that might be helpful.

http://www.cleaning101.com/cleaning/...gredients1.cfm

**Thevail** · 11-01-2009, 02:06 PM

I checked all over the web, and it seems that if you want a good consistency and suds.. you need to start with a base of liquid castile soap, then add something like an essential oil. (orange oil and lemon oil cut grease really well and should make the soap smell really nice)

Whether making your own dishsoap is frugal may be another question entirely though.

I can usually find the big bottles on sale for $1 and just stock up on it.. It isn't like it really ever goes bad.

I have no idea how much liquid castile soap costs, but presumably like most things it gets cheaper when you buy it in larger quantities.

**mauimagic** · 11-01-2009, 02:21 PM

Mahalo for the link Grain Lady - must admit - it was over my head. Do you make your own dish detergent? If so, would you share your recipe please?

**mauimagic** · 11-01-2009, 02:22 PM

So far I agree, Thevail, it seems much cheaper to buy when on sale. We don't use that much for just the two of us to justify buying bulk ingredients.

**Mckeekitty** · 11-01-2009, 05:55 PM

Grainlady,

You described the result of my efforts to the T. Lots of soap scum as the water cooled. I had to wash my dishes THREE times after trying to wash in the dish detergent I had made! There was a thick film of "gross" on the dishes. Glasses are still a little cloudy from my efforts.

Also, I do believe we have hard well water.

I don't mind purchasing dish detergent, but I wish there was a trick to making it stretch. I've tried cutting it with some vinegar, but it was just very watery.

Psychologically, I do associate suds with cleaning power. I need to adjust my thinking on that front. I should probably just use less and be satisfied with less suds.

**Grainlady** · 11-01-2009, 06:19 PM

Originally Posted by mauimagic

Mahalo for the link Grain Lady - must admit - it was over my head. Do you make your own dish detergent? If so, would you share your recipe please?

No, I don't make my own dish detergent (although I made a recipe of it once years ago, but didn't like it). I don't think I can beat the performance or price of Dawn (Big Lots or on sale with a double coupon). Using our abbreviated 1-gallon of water dish washing method (using "saved" water - 5-cups hot water heated in an electric kettle + approx. 5 c. cold water in a small plastic tub (and the remainder of the gallon for rinsing), we use 1/8-1/4 t. of Dawn.

As far as using Castile Soap (such as Dr. Bronner's Liquid, it's fairly expensive, although I have 4 bargain quarts in storage I found dirt-cheap (pardon the pun) on-line, and it can be used without anything else added to the mixture for doing dishes, but it's low-sudsing. In fact, it's NO-sudsing, it just makes the water kinda' white-ish. With it's "18-uses", it's commonly used by Boy Scouts, campers, hikers, and travelers. And as already shared, the larger sizes are less expensive - the gallon is less expensive per ounce than smaller bottles. You can wash yourself with it, wash your clothes with it, brush your teeth and wash your hair with it.... Campsuds is another bio-degradable brand that has multiple uses, including washing dishes.

**Mckeekitty** · 11-01-2009, 06:54 PM

Thanks, Grainlady!

I have such fond and nostalgic memories of Dr. Bronner castile soap dating back to the 1970's! The label listed all sorts of uses, including contraception! That one always mystified me.

**nuisance26** · 11-01-2009, 07:06 PM

~I'm going to plug Dr. Bronner's as well. I read about using the organic bars for washing dishes on LifeLessPlastic.
You just swish the bar in a sink of hot water. I'm using the lavender bar and it works surprisingly well! I've had to rewash a few plastic containers because of slight greasiness but not a big deal.
I got my bar at Target for $3.50.~

**joyofsix** · 11-01-2009, 07:34 PM

Just letting you know what I do. I buy Dawn for $1/bottle at Dollar General and cut it in half with water. I like it better this way as the dishes don't feel slick. As for castile soap. I use Kirk's Castille soap as body wash. I found bottles and bottles on deep discount. I've washed dishes with it in a pinch but I don't think it's cheaper than the Dawn cut in half.

**Thevail** · 11-01-2009, 09:32 PM

I'd like to clarify that washing your hair in liquid castile soap is not actually a good idea for everyone.. not if you have dry hair and if you like your hair.

**NewLeaf** · 11-02-2009, 07:56 AM

I buy dawn when on sale w/ a coupon. I have also used my homemade laundry detergent (found on the Duggar's website-google Duggars laundry detergent) in a pinch. It does not suds but gets my dishes clean. I have also used it in the dishwasher.

**Juju** · 11-02-2009, 09:58 PM

I don't know if this will help any of you. But I came from a very poor family and for my mom to have liquid dish soap that was dirt cheap. She would get a washing powder, Tide what ever you use this day and time, I believe she used Draft. she would use a hugh plastic bottle and put about a cup of the washing power in the jug and she would also put soap slivers in the plastic jug and give it a very hard shake. Mom always had good clean squeaky dishes and when she ran short of laundry soap well she had the dish soap, Also my dad was a coal miner and we had a wringer washer, She would take the dish water on wash day and put it in the washing machine and was dads work clothes in that water. Of course she also washed them again in clean water to make sure the work close were clean., If you try this and it works for you please let me know.

**pop goes the weasel** · 11-03-2009, 08:10 AM

I have used Fels naptha dissolved in hot water. There are some suds but not much.

**Sassyclass** · 11-05-2009, 07:20 AM

I've never made my own either and don't want to. I buy the small bottles of Dawn when they go on sale at least once a month. They usually run from .89 to .99 cents a bottle and I always have a ton of .25 cent off coupons and I grab 2 or 3 bottles. Once I have used some of the bottle I add some water to thin it out. It still works just as well as the undiluted soap and it lasts a lot longer.

Cat