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A DIY Dish Soap Recipe That Actually Works

213 · May 13, 2023 · Stephanie Gerber · 14 Comments

Growing up, the blue dish soap was a hand and dish washing staple. And guess what, the Environmental Working Group gives it an F grade. Scroll through the 145 dish soaps that received D or F ratings, and you’ll see lots of familiar names.

The good news is that there a ton of more environmentally friendly options. Check out the 34 soaps that get an A rating! The bad news is that they’re not cheap. There’s got to be a DIY dish soap option, right? Yes! Finally I found a recipe that really truly works for cleaning a sink full of dishes.

How to make DIY dish soapMy previous homemade dish soap experiments were not super successful. The soaps didn’t really lather or cut through grease, and they left a residue on the dishes. Gross.

The main reason so many of the recipes don’t measure up is Castile soap. It’s practically heresy to say there’s something Castile soap can’t do, right? Well, dish soap is one of them.

DIY Dish Soap with Sal Suds

I love Castile soap for foaming hand soap and body wash, but for dish soap I use the lesser known Dr. Bronner’s product, Sal Suds. Made with plant-based surfactants and essential oils, Sal Suds isn’t a soap, but rather a ‘concentrated hard-surface all-purpose cleaner.’ And you can combine it with vinegar without curdling.

Homemade Dish Soap Recipe

The other exciting part of this recipe (and yes, this is exciting!) is the salt. I found this discovery from The Hippy Homemaker, and it makes all the difference in getting a thicker, non-runny consistency. Plus, it’s just super cool to watch happen. Makes me feel all mad scientist-y.

I’ve had to add a little extra salt each time I make this so throw in another teaspoon or so if the mixture isn’t thickening.

Print Recipe

DIY Homemade Dish Soap Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup warm filtered water
  • 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar
  • 1/2 cup Dr. Bronners Sal Suds
  • 1 tablespoon kosher or sea salt
  • 25 drops lemon essential oil

Instructions

  • In a medium sized bowl combine warm water and salt and stir until the salt is completely dissolved.
  • In a separate bowl, combine Sal Suds and vinegar. Stir until fully combined.
  • Stir Sal Suds/vinegar mixture into salt water mixture and continue stirring until thickened.
  • Store in a squirt bottle (a recycled dish soap container well)

Photos by Ana Stanciu

213

Green Cleaning, Kitchen dish soap, diy soap, soap

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  1. JDH says

    January 5, 2024 at 4:25 pm

    How is this for greasy dishes? Most recipes I reviewed said washing soda was needed for greasy dishes but they also used castile bar soap and liquid not Sal Suds?

    Thanks,

    J

    Reply
  2. Arshia says

    May 12, 2022 at 3:29 pm

    What would be a good Sal Suds substitute? I want to make this, but am trying to make a non-toxic solution. Sal Suds contains SLS’s.

    Reply
  3. Tesi Kohlenberg says

    April 10, 2022 at 9:33 pm

    Just wondering whether one could dilute the sal’s and add salt, but not vinegar or essential oil. Sal’s has a nice pine scent, and I’m finding the vinegar smell too strong.

    Reply
  4. Katie says

    March 9, 2022 at 5:54 pm

    I just made this and am so happy with it! I was a diehard Dawn platinum fan, but this works just as well. Goodbye nasty chemicals!

    Reply
  5. Jessica says

    January 29, 2022 at 5:44 pm

    Mine got cloudy and didn’t thicken. I added a lot more salt… any ideas what went wrong?

    Reply
  6. Elizabeth Sutterer says

    January 16, 2022 at 11:44 am

    Does this soap smell like vinegar?

    Reply
    • Teresa says

      January 27, 2022 at 10:57 am

      No. It doesn’t really have a smell unless you add essential oil. The vinegar smell is gone before you finish all the steps.

      Reply
  7. Laura says

    January 10, 2022 at 9:01 pm

    Is there an alternative to Sal Suds? I know you said that Castille Soap, in your opinion, doesn’t measure up. However, the main reason I want to make my own dish soap is to not have to buy packaged plastic products all the time. Buying Sal Suds in packaged bottles defeats the purpose. Also a lot of people on Amazon seem to distrust the marketing of Sal Suds. It says natural but uses SLS (sulfates) and has a strong acrid chemical smell.

    Reply
    • Cindy says

      February 15, 2022 at 11:43 am

      Lisa Bronner does address the question of SLS on the Dr. Bronner’s website. Of course this is their own product but the explanation makes sense. Moreover, for a more objective review look Sal Suds up on the EWG’s site (Environmental Working Group); they rate Sal Suds an A for safety, and they are typically pretty picky. Just my two cents. 🙂

      Reply
  8. Maria Deligianni says

    December 11, 2019 at 4:06 pm

    Hi thank you for the recipe. I want to ask if the water that will remain for some days in the bottle will grow bacteria. Thank you

    Reply
    • Sheri says

      November 19, 2021 at 12:22 pm

      I have been making this for years. I never have had problems with mold. In fact I double up the batch so I do not have to make it so much. It will sit under my sink for 3 to 4 months and no mold.

      Reply
  9. Holly says

    December 4, 2019 at 4:07 pm

    I’ve always used this recipe and it worked great. I switched last time to Biokleen all purpose cleaner because the price of Sal’s Suds is getting so hi. It did not thicken with Biokleen, even with much more salt. Has anyone else used it successfully?

    Reply
  10. nicola says

    September 29, 2018 at 6:42 pm

    Hello!
    Thank you for posting this article – it looks fantastic! I was also wondering if you could direct me to where you found that bottle in the photo? Most of the ones I find are unappealing – and I love the one in your post. Thank so much!

    Reply
    • Stephanie Gerber says

      October 1, 2018 at 3:21 pm

      I’m not sure where that exact bottle came from but I usually get my glass pumps and spray bottles from Rail19.com

      Reply

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