Whether you run out of dish soap and don't feel like running to the store or you just want to know exactly what ingredients are used to wash your dishes, making your own DIY dish soap can get you out of a jam. These three dish soap recipes use things you probably already have around the house and contain ingredients that you know exactly what they are. You can even add a little essential oil or citrus juice to them to give them a custom heavenly aroma.
Grease-Fighting Dish Soap Recipe
If you love Dawn dish soap for how effectively it cuts through grease and grime, you can make something that works just as well at home. While homemade dish soap won't be as sudsy as Dawn, it will clean your dishes just as effectively.
Ingredients
- 1½ cups water
- ½ cup finely grated bar of soap
- ½ cup liquid soap, castile soap, or hand soap
- 2 tablespoons baking soda
- 10 to 20 drops essential oil, lemon, lavender, orange, or tea tree (optional)
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil and add the grated bar soap.
- Stir the mixture until the soap is thoroughly melted.
- Continue stirring, on the heat, as you add the remaining ingredients.
- Stir until all ingredients are blended together.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool for five minutes.
- Add your favorite essential oil(s), stirring until well blended.
Pour your soap into a pump dispenser or an old dishwashing soap bottle. Since this isn't a sudsy solution, you will want to pour the dishwashing soap onto a sponge or dishcloth. The baking soda acts as a thickener for your soap. If your soap is too thick, just add some warm water and shake the bottle or dispenser to remix.
Dish Soap Recipe With Vinegar
Cut through the grease with a combination of grated bar soap and distilled white vinegar. You can use almost any bar of soap for a very effective dishwashing soap.
Ingredients
- ½ cup Ivory soap (or soap substitute), grated
- ¼ cup distilled white vinegar
- 4 cups water, boiling
- 6 to 12 drops essential oil (optional)
Instructions
- Bring water to a boil and slowly stir in grated Ivory soap flakes.
- Continue to stir until the flakes have melted and blended with the water.
- Add the distilled white vinegar.
- Remove from heat, and allow liquid to cool.
- Stir in the essential oil.
- Continue to stir until all ingredients are well blended.
- Pour into a soap dispenser.
- To use, dispense the desired amount onto a sponge or dishcloth.
Related: How to Wash Dishes: Practical Tips for an Ultimate Clean
Foaming Dish Soap
Foaming soap isn't a mysterious chemical creation. It's simply about pumping air into the soap.
The trick is using a foaming soap dispenser, which has a special pump to inject air into the soap as it's dispensed. You can use a recycled foaming soap dispenser that had another soap in it or buy one online.
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- ¼ cup liquid soap (can use instructions below if you don't have any on hand)
Instructions
- Add the water to the soap dispenser.
- Add the liquid soap.
- Screw on the pump.
- Gently agitate the mixture by slowly turning the dispenser up and down in a rocking motion.
- Be careful to shake since this will cause the soap to create bubbles.
- Once mixed, you're ready to pump that wonderful foaming soap onto your sponge or dishcloth.
How to Make Liquid Soap for Foaming Soap
You can use any liquid soap or make liquid soap by grating bar soap and melting it in a double boiler.
- Pour ¼ cup of melted soap into a cold, shallow cooking pan or large bowl.
- Add 1 cup of water and stir to mix.
- Allow it to cool.
- Add 4 to 6 drops of citrus essential oil, such as lemon or orange (optional).
- Gently pour your melted soap/water mixture into the soap dispenser, leaving a minimum of one-inch headroom between the liquid and the pump.
- Slowly turn the dispenser up and down to make sure it's mixed.
Some of Our Favorite Aroma Combos for Dish Soap
We don't know about you, but we love a dish soap that smells as good as it cleans. These are some of our favorite essential oil combos for a great-smelling soap.
- 4 drops each of grapefruit and thyme
- 6 drops of orange and 2 drops of basil
- 3 drops of geranium and 5 drops of bergamot
- 2 drops of clove and 6 drops of orange
- 2 drops of eucalyptus and 6 drops of lemon
- 4 drops each of rosemary and bergamot
Easy Ways to Make Homemade Dish Soap
Making your own dish soap is fun, especially if you're looking for custom scents that you'll enjoy as you do dishes. With these easy recipes, you can DIY your own dish soap in just a little time.
