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What’s In Your Dish Soap? I Know What’s In My DIY Dish Soap Bar!!

Do you know what’s in your dish soap? I love knowing what’s in my zero-waste DIY dish soap bar! But it hasn’t always been that way. 

Washing dishes is one of those jobs that literally never ends, similar to washing the laundry. Yet, I can bulk my laundry washing into just a few hours three days a week. Whereas the dishes need to be washed every day – and not just once but multiple times a day. As soon you catch up on the dishes, another meal must be made, served, and cleaned up. 

This was really prevalent during our shelter-in orders to protect our health and the lives of others. With all the restaurants closed to dining and living in the country – delivery is near nonexistent, and pickup orders mean driving in town. 

As you can imagine, we cooked more meals at home than ever before, which, of course, meant there were an incredible number of dishes to be washed!

No matter the challenge, I strived to keep things simple. Creating DIY zero waste cleaners is one of many ways I simplify our daily routines. Despite the fact that I cringe every time I face buying yet another plastic bottle. Do you ever feel that way? 

I learned to make my homemade dishwasher detergent successfully last year, but I don’t like to throw everything in the dishwasher and hope for the best. We have several wooden spoons, bowls, and platters, in addition to handmade mugs and vintage glassware, all of which are best to hand wash.

So, having an all-natural dish soap that works is essential in our household! 

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What makes this DIY dish soap bar different from regular soap?

Every liquid dish soap recipe I tried seemed to lack something. So when I came across this solid dish soap bar at my local natural food store – I was intrigued, to say the least. 

Can I use bar soap to wash dishes? Does solid dish soap work as well as liquid dish soap? If I were reading this, those would likely be my first thoughts. 

I’ve been making homemade soap for years but never thought of making a DIY dish soap bar.

If swapping out your plastic bottle of dish soap has been on your mind, too, you’re in for a surprise!

This solid dish soap bar recipe makes two eco-friendly dish soap bars, each capable of handling up to six months’ worth of dirty dishes!! At that amount, you’ll replace six bottles of liquid dish soap—more than enough to make my green heart feel amazing. 

This dish soap bar recipe uses coconut oil, the most cleansing oil for soap making. The white coconut soap base in the recipe is designed to have no super fat, meaning it won’t leave any residue on dishes. 

Often called melt and pour soap, the result is still homemade soap – you can control the soap ingredients, including what’s in the soap base.

If you are just starting out, you’ll love that it’s a less expensive route to soap making and quite easy to start. Be sure to see my beginner soap making guide to walk you through everything you need to know. 

If you’re a cold process soap maker, this zero-waste solid dish soap recipe from Soap Deli News not only helps to reduce plastic waste but also lathers and cuts grease like dish soap in a bottle. We all want to do our part to help save the environment. Making the switch to an eco-friendly solid dish soap can help!

Either method creates a strong cleaning soap that protects against grease and stains. 

Apartment Therapy says bar dish soaps deliver when it comes to cleaning ability. Compared to liquid dish soap, bar soap is minimally packaged and generally lower-waste. 

Quite honestly, a solid dish soap bar is simple to use and looks attractive on a wood soap saver with a bamboo dish scrub brush. Much prettier than a plastic bottle sitting at the kitchen sink, don’t you think?

Related To: Zero Waste Cleaning Tools

How long will a homemade dish soap bar last? 

Each solid dish soap bar will last six months if you don’t wash all your dishes by hand. I would cut the time frame in half if you only hand-wash dishes. 

As for storage, keep the dish soap bars in a dry, sealed container away from light and heat, and they’ll last for 1 to 2 years. I make mine, two bars at a time, since that lasts me a whole year. 

Make sure to use a soap dish or soap saver like this one to help pull water away from the bar and keep it dry. This will greatly extend the life of your homemade soap! 

What about the scent?

You can still have a great scent when you’re washing dishes with homemade soap. Essential oils make it easy!

What essential oils are good for homemade dish soap? Fresh citrus and herbal essential oils always smell clean and happy if you ask me. But you can choose from any of the best essential oils for cleaning to make homemade dish soap. 

SIMPLE DIY DISH SOAP BAR RECIPE

Let me show you how to make dishwashing soap in the form of a solid dish soap bar, and don’t miss my tips on how to wash dishes more sustainably. It’s how I’m teaching my daughter. 

Dish Soap Bar Ingredients and Supplies:

½ pound coconut soap base

10 drops rosemary essential oil

15 drops lemon essential oil 

square soap mold

soap knife

How To Make Solid Dish Soap Bars:

1. Clean the square soap mold and pat dry. Spritz two of the square cavities with rubbing alcohol. 

2. Use a soap knife to chop up the coconut soap base. Measure half a pound of the chopped soap base with a digital kitchen scale for accuracy. Then, toss it all into a glass measuring cup. 

3. Melt the soap chunks at 5 30-second intervals for approximately 1 minute and 15 seconds total, depending on your microwave settings. Stir intermittently to avoid burning. 

4. Remove melted soap promptly from the microwave. Add 15 drops of lemon essential oil and 10 drops of rosemary essential oil. Swirl together in the liquid measuring cup to combine or stir with a heat-resistant silicone spatula. 

5. Pour the homemade dish soap into 2 cavities of the prepared silicone mold. Spritz with rubbing alcohol to remove bubbles in soap and even corners as needed. 

6. Allow each dish soap bar to cool in the soap mold for 1 to 2 hours or until solid before removing.

Makes 2 soap bars 

How do you use solid dish soap?

I grew up in a farmhouse with two brothers and sisters without a dishwasher. So you can bet hand washing dishes was quite a task. While my mother has taught us many great things, dishwashing isn’t one of them. 

You see, she taught us to fill one half of the sink all the way up with hot water and dish soap from a blue bottle. The other half was filled with warm water to rinse in. We were given either an old washcloth or a blue or green plastic scrubbing pad. Then, we washed every plate, cup, fork, pan, and so on in the same water. As the bubbles disappeared, so did the heat, and the water became dirtier with every dish. 

If you have ever washed dishes like this, let me tell you there is a much better way!

Tips for Sustainable Dishwashing by Hand with Solid Dish Soap:

Here’s how I’m teaching my daughter to wash dishes more effectively and sustainably. 

1. Scrap each dish into the compost to remove food remains before washing.

2. To conserve water and energy, fill a medium bowl with warm water instead of filling a big sink with hot water. Then, place it in the top right corner of your sink.

3. Next, dip a plastic-free scrub brush designed for washing dishes like these into the bowl of warm water. Rub the brush on the solid soap bar in a circular motion to suds up. (You can also lather the dish soap bar in the bowl of warm water or onto a damp dishcloth.)

4. Wash each dish away from the bowl of water by cleaning with the suds-up scrub brush. Since none of the dirty dishes go in the water, the water stays much cleaner! Repeat dipping the scrub brush in the water bowl and suds up more as needed with solid dish soap. 

5. To rinse, fill another medium to large bowl with warm water. Add a drop or two of white distilled vinegar to work as a rinse aid. Place it on the other side of the sink or the top left corner if you have a full farmhouse sink. Dip each cleaned dish into the bowl to rinse. Towel or air-dry clean dishes. 

As you can see there are a few different ways to use solid dish soap. But, no matter which way you go about it, you’re already making a sustainable choice using an eco friendly dish soap bar! 

After not liking my attempts at making homemade liquid dish soap, I am so pleased to create a DIY dish soap bar recipe that’s effective against tomato paste, almond butter, and bacon grease too. I’m not sure if it’s the soap or the vinegar rinse aid, but I haven’t seen any streaks on our glassware or stainless steel pots. 

Have you tried solid dish soap? Tell me about your experience in the comments below, and don’t forget to pin this recipe to your sustainable living Pinterest board!