Natural Homemade Dish Soap

Conventional dish soaps often contain ingredients such as artificial fragrances, triclosan, and phosphates that are harmful to our health, and the health of our natural environment. 

To help keep your home clean and green, here is a recipe from Mommypotamus for making your own dish soap that is safe even for children to use. *NOTE: This is a revised recipe that is borax-free*

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups boiling water
• 1/4 cup grated castile bar soap, tightly packed
• 1/4 cup liquid castile soap
• 2 1/4 teaspoon – 1 tablespoon (plus up to 1 teaspoon additional) washing soda (adjust for desired thickness)
• 1/2 teaspoon vegetable glycerin
• 15-40 drops lemon or other essential oils

Directions:

1. Boil the water and pour the boiled water into a glass container (you can pour it directly into your soap dispenser if the mouth of the jar is large enough that you easily can stir in the remaining ingredients).
2. Add the grated bar soap to the boiled water and stir until the soap is dissolved.
   
3. Add the liquid castile soap, glycerin, and 2 1/4 teaspoon of the washing soda and stir until the washing soda is dissolved.
   
4. Let the mixture cool for 24 hours, stirring occasionally. The mixture will become gel-like after a while. If it’s not thick enough after 24 hours, reheat it and add 3/4 teaspoon of washing soda. Then let it set for another 24 hours. If it’s still not thick enough, you can repeat this process by adding 1/2 teaspoon of washing soda at a time until it reaches your preferred consistency.
   
5. Once cooled, pour the mixture into a squeeze bottle or pump bottle (if it’s not already in the container) and the lemon or other essential oil. Shake to mix. Note: If the mixture hardens over time, just add warm/hot water to it and mix. Also shake the soap on a regular basis to keep it well mixed.
   
6. Blend the soap in a blender if it is clumpy.