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If you run a zero-waste or plastic-free kitchen, I can safely assume that you cook and that you generate the sinks full of dirty dishes to prove it. But if you don’t want to buy plastic bottles—and I’ve never seen dish soap in anything but—how can you wash those piles of dishes? Well, it turns out that, as with most consumer products, you can make your own dishwashing liquid pretty easily, but without the artificial fragrances, colors and many other chemicals—and for less money.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons shredded bar soap (I used unscented Dr. Bronner’s)
- 1 teaspoon washing soda (not to be confused with baking soda!)
- 15 drops essential oil (I used lemon)
- 2 cups water
Directions
1. Use a cheese grater to grate soap. I grated WAY too much. You’ll need only 3 tablespoons.
2. Heat water in a pot and add shredded soap. Once soap has melted, remove from heat.
3. Stir in washing soda until dissolved. Go easy on this stuff! It makes the dish soap gel. And it’s extremely effective at doing so. I added too much for my first batch and the soap turned into a solid white clump. If that happens, just add more water and heat it up again to make the ingredients easier to mix together.
I looked up sodium carbonate (washing soda), my concoction’s “active ingredient” if you may, on the Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) Skin Deep Cosmetics database, and I feel pretty safe about using it. It has a lower health concern rating than many other additives in commercial cleaners, such as sodium lauryl sulfate, the compound that makes detergent, shampoo and toothpaste suds up.
4. Cover and set mixture aside for several hours or overnight. In the morning, mine was very thick. Don’t worry! You can easily make it runny.
5. If your soap is too solid, blend it with a hand blender or in a blender. It will liquefy in seconds.
6. Add essential oil and stir until combined. I used lemon.
7. Transfer dish soap to a container. I looked in Goodwill for a second-hand glass or ceramic pump bottle, but found only shelf upon shelf of wine glasses in the housewares department. (I think everyone in the area is on the wagon.) So I filled an empty plastic bottle that has a flip-top lid. I’ll keep searching for a glass container.
And here is the dish soap in action.
This dish soap recipe isn’t completely zero-waste, but the washing soda (which you can also use for making laundry detergent) and essential oil will last for a very long time and in the end, you will have reduced your waste considerably by making your own.
(UPDATE: Go here for instructions to make washing soda from baking soda.)
DIY Dish Soap
Yields about 2 1/4 cups
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons shredded bar soap
- 1 teaspoon washing soda
- 15 drops essential oil
- 2 cups water
Directions
1. Use a cheese grater to grate soap.
2. Heat water in a pot and add shredded soap. Once soap has melted, remove from heat.
3. Stir in washing soda until dissolved.
4. Cover an set mixture aside for several hours or overnight.
5. If your soap becomes too solid, blend it with a hand blender or in a blender. It will liquefy in seconds.
6. Add essential oil and stir until combined.
7. Transfer dish soap to a container.
Accolades for my cookbook, The Zero-Waste Chef: Plant-Forward Recipes and Tips for a Sustainable Kitchen and Planet:
- Shortlisted for a Taste Canada Award
- Finalist for the International Association of Culinary Professionals Cookbook Awards
- Shortlisted for a Gourmand World Cookbook Award
You can check out the book here.
