D.I.Y. Dish Soap
Whether you're trying to save money or save the environment, making your own cleaning products at home are a great way to do both. Not to mention any time you make your own anything you can control and ensure that you know exactly what is going into your products. Especially dish soap. We use it to wash every single dish or utensil to eat off of multiple meals a day, yet some of us really have no idea what is in the stuff. That’s why I was shocked when I learned what companies like Dawn or Cascade are putting into their soaps. There are even brands with labels “eco-friendly” that aren’t as friendly as they claim to be, and can be detrimental to environmental and human health.
YOUR HEALTH:
Majority of conventional cleaning products out there are loaded with toxic chemicals and synthetic substances. Which unlike natural soap made from plants and organic minerals, are instead made from toxic chemicals that are man made. There are 2 primary ingredients you should always avoid when looking for or making your own soaps. First, “anti-bacterial” anytime you see this word you can assume that Triclosan is likely to be in your product. Triclosan is a chemical substance that the FDA claims to alter hormone regulation, and over time has been seen to alter genes and traits on animals. Yikes! Whether you're female or male, altering hormones is never a good thing as it can change your mental and physical state too. Also watch out for “chemical fragrances”. Most times these added fragrances and additional chemicals aren’t even listed on bottles. Which prevents the consumer from actually knowing what is actually in the product. What are these companies trying to hide from us?
Chemical fragrances contain artificial dyes and toxic chemical substances. Artificial dyes like Yellow 5,6 and Red 5 are also hazardous for human health. Studies show that when children consumed these additives even in small amounts, their hyperactivity increased and attention span decreased. Red 5 is now actually banned in the U.S and other countries.
THE ENVIRONMENT
In order for us to wash our dishes we of course need water. The waste water that is left after rinsing in your sink is released into the flow of other waste water coming from your home. Which then flows (chemicals and all) into far-reaching places like ocean, rivers, or aquifers, causing environmental impacts.
Waste water can have poisonous effects in all types of aquatic life if present in sufficient quantities. Phosphates which are also found in conventional soaps and detergents can lead to freshwater algal blooms. Which release toxins and deplete oxygen in waterways. When the algae decompose, they use up the oxygen available for aquatic life. Phosphorus is an essential element for plant life, but when there is too much of it in water, it can speed up eutrophication in rivers and lakes. Additionally, water can flow every where, and waste water as well can end up back in our own drinking water through leaching or run-off.
Packaging is also having tremendous impacts on the environment due to the volume of single use bottles that are heading to landfills. Most homes go through a couple bottles per month, times a year that can be a lot of bottles. Plastic bottles can take over 500 years to actually break down. In the mean time they release large amounts of toxins into the atmosphere as they try to decompose, which largely contribute to green house gases and climate change.
Personally, switching over to my own D.I.Y. Eco-friendly dish soap was super simple and the recipe was so easy. I purchased this glass jar with a stainless steel spout. Glass is a great sustainable option because it can broken down and remade into anything over and over again. I can just keep refilling my bottle eliminating single use plastic bottles. I’ve already made this batch a bunch of times, only refilling once every 3 or 4 weeks.
Here’s what you’ll need:
2 1/2 Cups boiling or distilled water
1 Tbsp Borax- I use 20 mule team all natural detergent booster made from Sodium tetraborate which is a natural mineral
1 Tbsp Washing Soda- should be 100% Sodium Carbonate which is made from soda ash.
2 Tbsp White vinegar- any organic brand will do
1/4 C Castile Soap- I love Dr. Bronner’s brand of castile soaps and soap suds. They are all plant based and biodegradable cleaners. Some stores even have their own refilling stations. Usually I prefer scent free since i’ll be adding my own scents later.
1/4 C Soap Suds- cuts out grease and dirt. Made from coco-betaine, Siberian Fir, Picea Glauca (spruce)
10-20 drops Essential oils- I choose NOW brands as they are highly concentrated and affordable
Simply boil your water for about 10 minutes or gently heat already distilled water. Add washing soda and borax one at a time stirring continuously till disintegrated. Next add white vinegar and stir. Combine Castile soap and Sal suds or you can use 1 cup (or just Castile soap depending what you have in your home) followed by your essential oil scent of choice. Keep whisking for another 2-4 minutes till everything is combined, should start seeing suds form. Once this happens let cool and transfer into your favorite reusable glass jar. Now you’ll be saving your pennies and planet in no time!