How to Make Homemade Dishwashing Liquid

Dishwashing liquid is a necessity in the average household but store-bought brands may contain unwanted chemicals or simply be too expensive for the budget.

With a few supplies you can make your own dishwashing liquid at home for pennies a gallon that will not only clean just as well as the expensive brands but will be better on the environment as well.

Things You'll Need:
1.5 gallon container (1 gallon will work but larger is preferred).
1/2 bar Octagon Soap
1 gallon of water
1 Tbsp Washing Soda
Wooden Spoon
2 quart saucepan
Funnel

Step One:
Grate the 1/2 bar of Octagon soap.

Step Two:
Place 1 quart of water into the sauce pan and heat on medium until warm.

Step Three:
Turn the heat down to medium low and pour the grated Octagon soap into the water.

Step Four:
Stir the Octagon soap mixture until the flakes are completely dissolved. Turn your heat down if it starts to boil.

Step Five:
Add the tablespoon of washing soda to the melted Octagon soap mixture.

Step Six:
Stir for several minutes until the mixture thickens. It will resemble a thin syrup when done.

Step Seven:
Pour the remaining water into your 1.5 gallon container. If you are using a 1-gallon container, pour 1/2 gallon into the container instead to allow shaking room.

Step Eight:
Pour the Octagon soap mixture into the 1.5 gallon container.

Step Nine:
Cap the container tightly and shake the contents thoroughly.

Step Ten:
If using a 1-gallon container, uncap and fill with the remaining water, leaving 1-inch of headspace for shaking.

Step Eleven:
Allow the mixture to cure overnight.

Step Twelve:
Shake well and use in the place of your regular dishwashing liquid. Note that this does not lather as much as regular dishwashing liquid because it has no special chemicals to create unnecessary foam.

Tips:
Washing soda is normally found in the laundry section of your grocery store, but you can use certain types of pH raisers from the pool supply section if necessary. For more information on washing soda, including a link where to purchase it at a reasonable price online you can visit my blog post on the subject. Please note that baking soda is NOT the same as washing soda and cannot be substituted successfully in this recipe.

Octagon Soap is an older soap specifically designed for washing dishes and cleaning laundry. It can be found online and at various grocers; some smaller stores will order it in if you request it. Check out the book "The Minimalist Cleaning Method" for more tips and recipes using Octagon Soap.

Octagon Soap can be found at grocers for a price of less than a dollar a bar; the store where I purchase sells it for 79 cents. At this price, a gallon of homemade dishwashing liquid costs approximately 40 cents a gallon.

Source:
Personal Experience
The Minimalist Cleaning Method