Liquid Dish Soap from Scratch

If you’ve ever wanted to give a homemade dish soap recipe a try, this is your chance. I’ve been using this recipe for over 6 months and it has worked great for me and my family. I hope it will for yours too!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup boiled water or herbal water
• optional: 3 teaspoons of fresh herbs for herbal water
• 1 tablespoon grated bar soap
• 1/8 teaspoon Washing Soda
• 1 teaspoon vegetable glycerin
• 10 drops of essential oils (like Peppermint and Grapefruit)

Instructions:

1. Boil water to yield 1 cup. If making herbal water, submerge a mesh tea ball of herbal leaves in the boiled water and steep for 5 minutes ).
2. In a heat proof bowl or jar pour hot (herbal) water over the grated soap (my Unscented Handmade Soap or my Unscented Laundry Soap works great).
3. Add washing soda (I make my own from baking soda heated on a cookie sheet in a 200 degree oven for one hour*) and stir until dissolved.
4. Let it cool for a few minutes then stir essential oils and glycerin (available in the pharmacy department of most stores).
5. Pour the liquid mixture into a jar with a handpump and leave on the counter at room temperature. It may be used immediately but will be watery. Stir occassionally, the mixture will appear cloudy and will thicken up by the next day.

Notes:

If it appears clumpy, simply give it a vigorous stir or shake. I occasionally will add a little hot water or set the jar down in a hot water dish pan to thin it.

Special note: This dish soap will not produce many bubbles in the dish pan, but it will be sudsy when used with a sponge.

*Washing Soda recipe from About.com.