As some of you may know, I am always looking for ways to cut back on expenses around the house. Every little bit I can save can actually go a long way with such a tight budget!
One of the ways I have found to save some money is to make my own dish soap. This may sound silly, but for just a few dollars worth of ingredients, I can make a bunch of soap that will last at least a few months! And if you have started to clean your house with more natural ingredients like I listed in my spring cleaning supply list post, you will likely have most everything you need on-hand already.
The great thing about this method is that you don't have to actually make soap. Making soap really intimidates me, so this recipe is perfect for me because it doesn't require actually making anything - all you have to do is mix a bunch of things together which is really easy. All in all, it takes around 20 minutes of actively working on this recipe. So, put on your favorite podcast and make some dish soap!
cooled mixture, ready to use
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Homemade Liquid Dish Soap
1/2 bar of soap (I use Dr. Bronner's but you can use anything that is made for dishes - which means that it is has no synthetic moisturizers)
10 cups of boiling water
1 tablespoon of Vegetable Glycerine
4 tablespoons of white vinegar (I like to use Citrus Infused Vinegar to increase the grease-fighting power)
2 tablespoons of Liquid Castille Soap
1 tablespoon of washing soda
Shave the 1/2 bar of soap into a large bowl. I like to use the small side of a grater but you can use whatever you have on hand, just make sure that the soap is in small flecks. Once the soap has been grated, add the boiling water and stir to completely dissolve the soap. Once the soap is dissolved, add the glycerine, white vinegar, liquid castille soap and washing soda and stir to completely mix. Now, let the mixture cool at least a couple hours or overnight. You'll know it's ready when it looks sticky and thick. Once it is cool, whisk in the essential oils. I usually do around 10 drops of tea tree, and 5 drops each of orange and lemon.
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I store the extra soap in an empty white vinegar gallon bottle. Just give it a few good shakes before filling up your soap dispenser when it comes time. And a last little tip: write the recipe on a paper that you tape to the outside of the gallon bottle, that way you don't have to go looking for it every time you need to make some more soap.
Let me know if you decide to try your hand at making your own dish soap!
A note on the links used in this post: I think it's always best to support your local community by buying items from a locally-owned store like a hardware store or a local kitchen supply store, but I understand that you can't always find what you need or don't always have time to shop around, so I have included the links above for your convenience, and as an example of the item if you don't know what it is!
I'd also like to let you know that most of the links I use are affiliate links. This just means that if you end up buying something that you like by clicking one of the links, this blog makes a small commission. You can read more about how these links work and why I use them by clicking here.