LIQUID DISH SOAP
Did you know that out of all the household chores we do on a weekly basis, we dedicate the most time to washing dishes? On average, Americans spend approximately 5 ½ hours every week cleaning dishes. I think back on my 31 years of life and consider how many hours upon hours I spent at the kitchen sink cleaning up after meals and DIY projects — it is a lot!
When we spend that much time washing dishes, we must also consider the chemicals in the dish soap that we expose the skin on our hands to. If you have a glance at the label on many conventional dish soaps, it might startle you to realize that for 5 ½ hours per week, you are bringing your body into contact with some questionable ingredients.
Methylisothiazolinone, for example, is a very common preservative found in liquid products that may be linked to lung toxicity, allergic reactions, and possible neurotoxicity. You may also see the infamous FD&C Blue 1 pop up, which is a synthetic dye produced from petroleum that may be a possible human carcinogen. Or there is the short and not so sweet ingredient, “fragrance” that always seems to find its way at the end of the list. Although fragrance may seem innocent enough, the reality is that the single word is most likely a combination of many different synthetic chemicals that are not required to reveal themselves.
Rather than contemplating the troubling constituents that may have found their way into your store-purchased dish soap - let’s craft a homemade liquid dish soap with only two ingredients and wash your worries down the drain.
MAKING A LIQUID DISH SOAP
Using a funnel, pour 2 cups of distilled water into a sterilized glass pump bottle. Add 1/2 cup of Sal Suds to the bottle. Add in 15-20 drops of 100% pure organic essential oil to the mixture, if desired. Place the lid on the container and gently shake to thoroughly combine. Label your liquid dish soap with the contents and date of creation.
UNDERSTANDING THE INGREDIENTS
DISTILLED WATER
With many homemade recipes that require water, distilled water is often recommended. Distilled water is water that has been purified through distillation. This process eliminates contaminants from the water, inclusive of inorganic minerals and heavy metals. It also decreases the risk of bacteria introduction into your recipe, extending the shelf life of your product.
SAL SUDS
Before venturing into the world of non-toxic cleaning products, I truthfully had not heard of Dr. Bronner’s Sal Suds Liquid Cleaner and did not know what it could be used for. For those that may be in the same boat, Dr. Bronner’s website describes Sal Suds not as a soap but rather a concentrated hard-surface all-purpose cleaner. It is made with plant-based surfactants and natural fir needle and spruce essential oils, without synthetic dyes, fragrances, or preservatives. It is wonderful for many household cleaning tasks like washing dishes, floors, and laundry, as it cleans and rinses with exceptional power, while remaining mild and gentle on the skin. Sal Suds Liquid Cleaner is equally effective in hard or soft water, rinsing freely, hot or cold. It is 100% cruelty-free, as certified by the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics, and it will biodegrade rapidly after doing its job.
Note: The Going Green with Lisa Bronner website states that Sal Suds contains Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS). SLS is a surfactant that cuts grease and dirt, generates copious suds, and biodegrades quickly and completely. It is made by combining a sulfate group with lauryl alcohol from coconut oil, then attaching sodium. If improperly formulated, SLS can irritate skin, but our superb formula uses coco-betaine and lauryl glucoside to counter this. Sal Suds is a mild, synthetic detergent, not a body care product. SLS does not, and never has, appeared in any of our soaps since the saponified vegetable oils in our Castile Soaps are much, much better for our skin, and can be certified organic. SLS is synthesized (read “man-made” or “processed”) even though it does have a coconut base.
Sal Suds does not come from nature, but is an effective, biodegradable all-purpose cleaner that scored an A+ as a green cleaner for household needs by The Environmental Working Group’s website.
ESSENTIAL OILS
The addition of essential oils in this recipe adds a pleasant aroma to your homemade liquid dish soap. As Sal Suds already contains Siberian fir needle and spruce leaf oils, I suggest selecting essential oils that complement those aromas. Lemon essential oil, rosemary essential oil, and sweet orange essential oil are great options.
DIY LIQUID DISH SOAP
Ingredients
2 cups distilled water
1/2 cup sal suds
15-20 drops organic essential oil
Materials
funnel
glass pump bottle
Instructions
Using a funnel, pour distilled water into a sterilized glass pump bottle.
Add in Sal Suds and essential oils (if desired).
Place the lid on the bottle and gently shake to thoroughly combine.
Label your liquid dish soap.
How to Use
Gently shake the bottle prior to use. Pump a drop or two onto dirty dishes and scrub until all food debris has been removed.
