After searching many sites for a homemade hand dishwashing detergent, I have made up my own recipe and I'm pleased to say it works!
Ingredients
2 Bars shredded Octagon soap
1 cup baking soda
1/4 cup washing soda
1/4 cup lemon juice
Directions
Put shredded soap in 4 1/2- 5 quarts of water and melt on stove. When melted, turn stove off and add all other ingredients and stir. When cooled down, pour in sealed containers.
Use as you would any other dish detergent. The only thing is that it doesn't suds much but gets dishes real clean. I keep a partial bar of Octagon soap by the sink to use when needed. I also use 1/8 cup of vinegar in the rinse water. Hope this works for you!
I may know the problem. During my search for washing soda I came across arm and hammer washing soda at the local Walley World. I thought wow got it. But after a closer look the word SUPER was not printed on the box. I then looked at the ingrediants and found sodium bicarbonate. Yes this was nothing more than baking soda. The chemical that is SUPER WASHING SODA is sodium carbonate. About to throw in the towel after searching many stores in my area I came across on the internet one nite a way to call arm and hammer for a local source of super washing soda. The # is 18005241328 give them your zipcode and they will tell you where super washing has been purchased lately in your area. So check your chemical name on the box. What you are looking for is sodium carbonate. Good luck in your soap making.
I have tried this recipe as well as the one posted by MelleyJelley (which I had found in the Reader's Digest Homemade book). With both recipes, my soap is like water. White, lemon smelling water. And it is not cleaning my dishes at all.
What am I doing wrong? Should I be letting some of the water boil away when melting the soap? Cuz I would think that would cause an overflow of suds.
Also, on a side note, the recipe from MelleyJelley is much better if you use the lemon oil sparingly. A little goes a long, long way. It still doesn't clean my dishes, but it doesn't make your eyes water while you are standing there either. :)
I did this and it saved money(you get a lot of dish dettergent:the soap cost 49cents, and the cupfulls of the washing and baking sodas were pennies.I got 7 bottles of dish detergent that cleans great.
I also made some with Zote an all round dish cleaning, laundry, etc.bar soap for 29 cents for a huge bar which is like 2 of the octogone soap, so it cost even less and does a great job. THank you for this recipe
I ran out of handwashing soap for dishes and have to wait till I can get to store far, far, away so is there anything I can use in it's place until I get some.
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Request: Homemade Hand Dishwashing Liquid
Archived on 04/23/2008
I am looking for a recipe for making my own hand dish washing liquid.
Thanks in advance! Karen from Wisconsin
Answers:
RE: Homemade Soap for Handwashing Dishes?
If you have powdered clothes detergent, this might be a suitable substitute for handwashing dishes. In the case of very greasy pots and pans, or dishes with baked-on stuff, soaking them in very hot water will help remove the deposits before putting them in the detergent water. Adding vinegar to the wash water might also be useful. Make sure that you rinse the dishes well, to remove "additives" that might be present in the clothes soap, but are not normally found in dish soap. (04/13/2005)
By P.
RE: Homemade Soap for Handwashing Dishes?
I would think a little cheap shampoo would work in a pinch. (04/13/2005)
When I was little there was no such thing as dishwashing liquid. We used clothes washing powder. Cheer, Tide And Fab did it all! (04/13/2005)
By mary e. in va.
RE: Homemade Soap for Handwashing Dishes?
Use a little grated soap in hot water about 1 Tbsp. and rinse dishes in clean water with 1/4 cup of vinegar added, (this is not neccessary if you dry your dishes straight away) done it heaps of times and works great. (04/23/2005)
Using Detergent and shampoo or whatever is definitely not good for your digestive system. With all the chemicals in it, you may end up paying more for all the medical bill. The best is grinded/powder charcoal or ash. Not only it removes the grease but it also polishes as well. Best of all, it is cheap,safe and enviroment friendly. (06/03/2005)
By Laman_my
RE: Homemade Hand Dishwashing Liquid
This is something that is probably cheaper to buy than to make. (11/21/2005)
Try this website they have tons of household cleaner recipes. (11/24/2005)
By christi
RE: Homemade Hand Dishwashing Liquid
I just use very hot water : )
(12/15/2005)
By Clare
RE: Homemade Hand Dishwashing Liquid
I would use baking soda preferably mixed with borax. (01/09/2006)
By Mel
RE: Homemade Hand Dishwashing Liquid
This inexpensive soap does not suds up very much, but it cleans so well! Use with hot water. Do not use it in automatic dishwashers.
1/4 cup soap flakes
2 cups hot water
1/4 cup glycerin
1/2 tsp. lemon essential oil
In bowl combine soap flakes and water and stir until the soap is dissolved. Cool to luke warm.
Stir in the glycerin and the essential oil, leave to cool. AS it cools it will form a loose gel. Stir with a fork and break up the gel and then pour into a narrow-necked bottle. An old shampoo bottle makes an excellent container.
To use, squirt 3 teaspoonfuls into hot running water.
Does anyone have the recipe for window cleaner to use in a spray bottle with water hose..I hd one but can't remember the right mounts..It was a gallon of water and dwan dish soap and jet dry...HELP...(quote)(/quote) (09/24/2006)
By
RE: Homemade Hand Dishwashing Liquid
Ok, I know this sounds a little extreme but when I ran out I used Gain Powder laundry detergent and some bleach... And then boiled some water to rinse them in!! Works great, so great in fact about one a month I wash all the dishes in it again.. It doesn't leave water marks on your glasses and it takes away a LOT of the baked on stuff and the stuff that can get in crevices of your forks and things like that.. And it kills all germs.. Just remember to rinse the dishes really well in extremely hot water.. (03/21/2007)
By Brandie from Bama
RE: Homemade Hand Dishwashing Liquid
A bit of borax in hot water works very well. It also dries leaving minimal water spots :) (02/07/2008)
