If you, like me, are heartily sick of buying expensive, ready-made dishwashing liquid in non-recyclable containers, there are alternatives.
The first alternative is the easy one - use bar soap and a dishcloth. Those fancy detergents really aren't necessary. Simply add soap to the dishcloth the same way that you would to a facewasher to clean your body (with the dishcloth in one hand, and the soap in the other), and wash those dishes!
For scrubbing pots and pans, the same works well, together with a dish scrubbing brush (I picked ours up at the local bargain basement for $2.99). Rub the bristles of the scrubbing brush against the bar of soap, and wash your dishes as normal.
(You may find that keeping a soap dish in the kitchen keeps everything nice and tidy, and stops soap mush going everywhere.)
Liquid dishwashing soap
If you prefer a liquid dishwashing soap, try out my really, really easy liquid soap recipe.
To make liquid soap up using my recipe, you need no special, dangerous ingredients, and no specialist equipment. Plus it's quick and easy and can be used the day you make it.
Check it out: Cluttercut's really, really easy liquid soap recipe.
Vinegar rinse water
Some people swear by adding a dessertspoon of vinegar to the rinse water for their dishes, but I don't think it is necessary. For glassware, it will give an extra sparkle though, if you're trying to impress company.
As with normal dishwashing, wash the glasses and light plastics first, then follow in order of dirtiness, finishing with pots and pans. An obvious tip is to soak anything that is really dirty in hot water before washing and scrubbing, to make the job easier.
Which soap to use?
Most plain bar soaps are less toxic than the average brand-name dishwashing liquid on the market, and that's a fact. Your planet will thank you, as will your bank balance - and possibly your lack of cancer, as some of the chemicals in dishwashing detergents have not been tested for safety in human consumption, and rarely have any of them been tested in combination.
If you're a vegetarian, vegan or have allergies, you may prefer to use a vegetable-based soap. Most soaps these days are tallow-based, meaning that they are derived from the rendered fat of animals, and may contain all sorts of nasties you don't really want in residue on your dishes (and therefore in your stomachs).
As an aside, most detergents contain animal products as well, so by switching to vegetable-based soap you are avoiding these ingredients.
As a general rule, the simpler the soap, the better. I'd avoid anything perfumed or coloured. And simpler soaps are usually cheaper.
Going local
If you're really careful about your environmental impact, one point to consider is how local the soap is you're using, and the miles it has travelled from manufacture to end-use. Try your local Farmer's Market for handmade and locally-produced bar soaps.
Minimal packaging
I've often wondered about the ethics of companies that claim to be environmentally friendly - then package their products in non-recyclable containers. Sure, everyone has to turn a buck but why plastic? Plastic does not, regardless of anything you might have read, break down in the environment. That dishwashing liquid container you buy today will be haunting the planet for the next thousand years - long after your physical remains are dust. Yuck.
Personally, if I were Queen Of The World I'd ban ALL plastics tomorrow, but as that's not likely to happen, it's up to you and me to stop buying the horrible stuff.
Bar soap usually has the least packaging of any type of soap. Often you can even buy bar soap loose, and choose the no-packaging option at the shop. Bar soap is also kinder to the environment, and breaks down faster. It is a much better option than detergent.
So give it a go! While I think it makes sense to use up the residue of dishwashing liquid you have, why not post a comment here and now and make a vow to the planet to stop buying dishwashing liquid and switch to bar soap instead? I'll be right there with you, I promise!
11 comments:
We buy our dishwashing liquid in bulk, and have been using the same container for the past year now (take it in to the market, fill 'er up).
My other favourite tip: If you're going to leave unwashed dishes sitting around, and who hasn't, sprinkle them with bicarb. It keeps the food particles soft so they are easier to wash off at a later time. Keeps the smells down, too.
Sounds like a sensible approach and thanks for the tip about the bicarb.
I think Bicarb is about the most useful product around the house that there is!
I keep the soap I use while staying in hotels, and use that for the dishes. Who knows what the hotels do with the tons of old soap people leave behind.
Try using a skoycloth instead of a sponge for washing dishes. We love ours and it save a ton in paper towels.
Hi Daharja,
I just ran into your website while browsing some green mom blogs - you have some really outstanding pieces! I'm helping the Center for Health, Environment and Justice on their Disney Go Green! Campaign, which is fighting to get green cleaning products in Disney parks, hotels, and restaurants, where children and workers face a great deal of exposure to toxics. We've learned that the only Disney facility that uses green cleaners is the Animal Kingdom. As much as we support this initiative to protect the animals from toxins, we feel that visiting children and company employees deserve the same level of consideration. Next week on October 29th, CHEJ is having a National Day of Action for the campaign, so we're looking to spread the word!
I wondered if you'd be interested in hosting a green cleaning party (maybe a green-themed Halloween?) or even helping us spread the word about the campaign through your blog. There's a great deal of background information on our website (www.chej.org/disney), but I'd be happy to answer any questions. Thanks for your time!
Rachel
Intern, Childproofing Our Communities Campaign
CHEJ
I'm completely with you ladies. So sick of all the plastic, toxins, chemicals, sore skin, overpricing, excessive container waste, etc. I started really looking into this when i was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, as in the lead up, when cleaning with bleach/other, i had had problems breathing. Seems the fastest growing health problems - for humans AND PETS (!) is all toxic-overload related. Cancers, thyroid problems, etc., and then those linked into those problems... diabeties, etc. Time to stop playing around I reackon. If we refuse to buy it... They'll have to stop selling it! x By the way; one of the main ingredients in that dish washing liquid of yours is Sodium Laurel Sulfate/the other SLS, and that is carcenogenic (spelling!???)... basically it causes cancer, and you'll also find it in your shampoo and toothpaste, etc... basically anything that foams - check out your kids stuff - truely frightening!
Great ideas, and you can take it even further. making your own soap is not hard, in fact it is pretty darn easy. But even if you don't make your own soap, you can make your own liquid soap for dishes and laundry. Just put all those chips and pieces of leftover soap, along with the hotel soaps in water until they soften to a mush, dilute until it is the consistency you like than wahlah, there you are.
Great ideas, and you can take them even further, by making your own liquid dishwashing and laundry soap. Just put all those leftover chips and pieces, or whole bars of soap into a lot of water, let soak until it is completely mushy, break it up with your hands (kids love to help with this part), dilute to the consistency you like and there you have it. Works lovely as laundry cleaner. I also make my own soap, and it is not at all hard to do.
just came across your blog. I was looking for a way to make homemade dish washing liquid. I never really thought about bar soap. I'm guessing Ivory would be a good one. What do you use?
Hi Bonnie - We use a plant-based soap that we buy here in NZ called Eco Soap, but it's up to you which one you use.
The plainer, the better, in my opinion. You probably want to check ingredients and avoid soaps that have added fragrances, and opt instead for those that are primarily fat (or lard) and lye.
If cost is an issue, go for the cheapest soap you can find that creates a decent lather. I find soap works really well - and the vinegar rinse water works a treat to leave my glasses shiny!
I hope this is useful.
I hadn't thought of this in years - but your article reinded me - when I was a child we didn't have dishwashing liquid. We used soap, probably Sunlight, held in a little galvanised wire, and later, plastic, cage on a handle and shook this under the hot water tap to make suds. This would have been in the early 1960s. My sisters and I did the dishes every evening and would have turns at "wash", "dry" and "put away".
I just signed up to your blogs rss feed. Will you post more on this subject?
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