Wash up liquid

How To Make Homemade Eco-Friendly Washing Up Liquid

Mary Smith
By Mary Smith. Updated: August 7, 2017
How To Make Homemade Eco-Friendly Washing Up Liquid

Do you want an eco-friendly product for washing up by hand? You're in luck! Although all washing up liquids in supermarkets are made with harmful chemicals, you can make your own sustainable washing up product at home with only a few eco-friendly ingredients.

Making your own dishwashing soap produces less waste and, therefore, helps the environment. Moreover, this kind of eco-friendly cleaning products are also beneficial for our hands, because these natural cleansers are not at all aggressive.

Do not wait to discover in this oneHOWTO article how to make homemade eco-friendly washing up liquid step by step.

You'll need:
  • 2 cups of white vinegar
  • 6 cups of water
  • 1 cup of grated soap (natural soap, glycerine, pure soap...)
  • The juice of one lemon
  • 4 tablespoons of bicarbonate of soda
  • A handful of salt
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Steps to follow:
1

The first step to make homemade eco-friendly washing up liquid is to grate neutral or pure glycerine soap. To do this, you just need a grater that you use regularly in the kitchen; it is more appropriate to have one exclusively for the manufacture of soap and do not mix with those that come into contact with food.

Also, note that in some chemists and supermarkets you can also find neutral soap flakes that will be ideal for this task. If you have them, you can skip this step.

2

The next step to make homemade washing up liquid is to put white vinegar and water in a saucepan and heat it over a medium heat. When it begins to boil, reduce the heat and simmer on low heat.

How To Make Homemade Eco-Friendly Washing Up Liquid - Step 2
3

The next step will be to add the ingredients one by one to the pan and bring the temperature back up to a medium heat and stir it without stopping; it is essential that before pouring an ingredient you make sure that the above is completely dissolved.

First, add the sea salt, then the baking soda.

Fill with the water and vinegar solution. Keep moving the container in which you're mixing with circular movements so the mixture does not erupt.

Mix in the soap, and finally add the lemon juice. Your homemade washing up product is almost done!

You might also be interested in our vinegar and lemon multi-purpose cleaner recipe.

How To Make Homemade Eco-Friendly Washing Up Liquid - Step 3
4

Once you've poured in all the homemade washing up liquid ingredients, mix until you obtain a uniform and homogeneous mixture of a whitish color. Let it cool completely before packaging it and use it to leave your dishes, cutlery and glasses clean.

We recommend that you re-purpose a washing up liquid or liquid soap bottle so you can dispense the washing up liquid more easily. This way, you also recycle a bottle that you would otherwise throw away and produce less waste.

To learn more about recycling, you can visit our article on recycling rubbish. We also recommend our article on how to have more sustainable eating habits with eco-friendly containers.

5

This is our method to make homemade eco-friendly washing up liquid. If you have your own methods and tips, please tell us in the comments section!

If you want to read similar articles to How To Make Homemade Eco-Friendly Washing Up Liquid, we recommend you visit our Home cleaning category.

Write a comment

What did you think of this article?
7 comments
Dorothy Reid
Really want to try making my own but looking for the pure and natural glycerine soap is a nightmare. So many! Can you e-mail any recommendations? It would be very much appreciated. Or what did other people use? Help!
Rating:
Helen Alford
I just want to say this recipe really works - it actually cleans your dishes far better than anything I've bought from the shops including the eco-friendly brands you can buy which are far more expensive. Tea stained cups and spoons come out clean without scrubbing which is incredible and it makes glasses really shine. I really recommend this and its so easy to make.
OneHowTo Editor
Hi Helen,

Thank you much for the affirmation. Please feel free to look around for more helpful tips!
Michelle
I thought I followed the instructions well, but my mixture separates. Any ideas on what I've done wrong? Do you think it will still be effective - shaking it together prior to use?
OneHowTo Editor
Hi Michelle,

All of the ingredients for this eco-friendly washing up liquid are miscible (i.e. they can mix together). Perhaps there is an oily substance in the soap used? Otherwise, you may get a little bit of sediment with the bicarbonate of soda, but this will work fine if you shake the mixture up again, should be no problem.

Hope this helps!
pat
when i added the sodium bicarbonate - it foamed up all over the cooker and kitchen floor!! as i was adding it, a little voice in my head said 'hold on, vinegar, lemon juice - and soda???!!!', too late, a fine volcano!
OneHowTo Editor
Hi there Pat,
It's very important to follow the order of the recipe. Moreover, to reduce the reaction, pour the vinegar slowly while you spin the bottle around, this should reduce the chemical reaction.

Hope this helps!
Rating:
Jim Hill
When I added the bicarbonate, it foamed out the pan and covered the cooker. Am I doing something wrong?
OneHowTo Editor
Did you use the right amount as stated in the article?
Rating:
Paulien Brierley
My washing up liquid turned out very watery. Is it supposed to be like that?
Rating:
Laelia
When i added the baking soda the mixture went crazy and bubbled out of control!! Had to transfer to a much bigger pan. The recipe should warn of this! Mine isnt a white colour either! Hope it works once cooled down.
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How To Make Homemade Eco-Friendly Washing Up Liquid