Choosing dish soap for me boils down to a question of economy vs. ecology. According to The Naturally Clean Home, most commercial soaps are not soaps at all but harsh detergents "made from petroleum distillate, a toxic and nonrenewable resource." Eek. The more environmentally friendly soaps, on the other hand, are often expensive. Plus both present the problem of plastic packaging—not biodegradable and not very attractive either. What's an eco-conscious, design-minded individual on a budget to do? Make your own.
Turns out it's easy and fun. Plus you can customize your concoction with the scent and container of your choice.
Above: Most of the ingredients for making dish soap are readily available at your local grocery and health food store. The key to reducing cost is to buy in bulk. The products below cost about $57, which seems like a lot until you considered how long they last. And most can be used for making other homemade cleaning products as well, such as dishwasher or laundry powder.
Ingredients
Ingredients and recipe adapted from Hello Natural:
- 1 1/4 cup distilled, filtered, or boiled water
- 2/3 cup unscented castile soap. Dr. Bronner's is $17.99 for 32 ounces.
- 1 Tablespoon aloe gel (optional, for sensitive hands). Lily of the Desert gel is $11.50 for 32 ounces via Amazon.
- 1 1/2 teaspoons washing soda for extra grease-fighting power. Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda is $9.89 for 55 ounces via Amazon.
- 1 teaspoon vegetable glycerin. NOW Solutions Vegetable Glycerine is $10.99 for 16 ounces via Amazon.
- 20 drops essential oil. I used pink grapefruit from Cambridge Naturals, my local store. NOW also makes grapefruit oil; $6.89 for 1 ounce at Whole Health.
Note: Many dish soap recipes call for vinegar, but vinegar shouldn't be combined with castile soap. Because soap is a base, it reacts against acids such as lemon or vinegar, effectively canceling out the benefits of both and leaving you with a lumpy mess. (Read more here.)
Instructions
Above: Start with distilled water.
Step 1: Heat water until it's warm and add washing soda (sodium carbonate). Stir to dissolve.
Step 2: Add castile soap (a natural cleaning agent made from coconut or olive oil that is both renewable and biodegradable).
Step 3: Add glycerin (a natural solvent and softening agent) and essential oil. In addition to adding a nice scent to your dish soap, some essential oils have antibacterial properties. Here's a list of the Top 5 Green Cleaning Oils.
Note: I could go on for a while about essential oils. (If you're curious, Crunchy Betty provides a comprehensive tutorial.) But I'll just stick to the basics. First, make sure you use pure essential oils, not aromatherapy oils, which have been diluted with a carrier oil. Second, a word of caution: Essential oils are highly concentrated and can irritate your skin if you use too much, so stick to the recipe. Finally, because they smell "yummy," it's recommended that you keep them out of reach of children.
Step 4: Place in the container of your choice—I recycled a water bottle—and you're done.
Results
Above: My homemade dish soap in action. I love the grapefruit scent and my dishes come out clean.
Want more eco-cleaning solutions?
- Erin whips up her own Windex substitute in Shine Bright Like a Diamond: Window-Cleaning Edition
- Alexa shares her favorite 12 Natural Garment Washes and Detergents
- Sarah outlines 10 Ways to Use Vinegar in the Home and 10 Secrets for Banishing Odor in the Home
- For our homemade all-purpose cleaning solution, see Move Over, Mrs. Meyer
- And don't miss yesterday's post: The Binchotan Boom: 10 Ways to Use Charcoal at Home
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