Non-Toxic Homemade Dish Detergent for Hand Washing

These two easy recipes for homemade dish detergent for hand washing make enough washing up liquid for 16 sinks of dishes for around $2.75 and rate an A on the Environmental Working Group (EWG) Healthy Cleaning scale. Learn two simple ways to make liquid dish detergent and get my recommendations for what you should use to hand wash dishes.

  This post uses affiliate links. They don’t cost you a thing and help us bring you all natural cleaning tutorials. Learn more in Policies & Disclosures.

How to Make Liquid Soap for Dishwashing

I love creating and testing homemade cleaner recipes. Over the years I have created two different natural dishwasher detergent recipes, but I had never made my own homemade dish detergent for hand washing dishes. It’s become my most requested natural cleaning tutorial, so I began to investigate!

Researching the Best Cleaners

When I set out to make a new homemade cleaner recipe I start by researching cleaning recipes, ingredients, and their interactions. (Hello, I'm Bren and I'm a college instructor who loves a good research project. AKA, Bren the green cleaning nerd!)

This initial background research is important for two reasons:

1. Knowing how ingredients work allow me to make the most effective cleaners.
2. Knowing how ingredient interact keeps me from combing ingredients that neutralize one another or have dangerous reactions.

Homemade Dish Detergent Standards

I set out to create an easy, affordable homemade dish detergent. I have three standards cleaning recipes need to meet:

1. The homemade cleaner has to rate an A on the EWG scale.
2. The homemade cleaner has to work as well as my favorite store bought dish washing liquid.
3. The homemade cleaner has to be cost effective.

(P)interesting Research

I started my quest for a non-toxic homemade dish detergent recipe at the mecca of all homemade cleaner recipes… Pinterest!  Just type in home dish detergent and hundreds of recipes will pop up. The real task is sorting through them all to separate the good, the bad, and ineffective.

The recipes I found online all included some ingredients that I would not use for hand washing dishes, some cleaner combinations that neutralize one another, and some good green cleaning ingredients. Here's the detailed breakdown:

Ingredients that Should NOT Be Used for Hand Washing Dishes

• BORAX – Borax a naturally occurring mineral but its use is somewhat controversial in “green” circles. It is toxic (it can be used to kill ants and cockroaches) and it scores an F on the EWG scale for respiratory effects and developmental toxicity, plus it has been banned as a food additive by the FDA. For these reasons I have decided not to use borax in areas where it comes into contact with food or mouths… AKA dishes.

• ESSENTIAL OILS– Essential oils are a great green cleaning ingredients, just not for washing dishes. Since many essential oils  have antimicrobial, antibacterial, and anti-fungal properties they are added to detergent recipes with the intent of boosting the cleaning power. However, hot water and detergent are good germs/bacteria killers on their own. There are four reasons why  I skip the essential oils:

1 – Essential oils are not water soluble. Since essential oils do not mix with water you can end up with globs of undiluted oil that can touch your skin or the dishes. Undiluted essential oils can burn or damage skin and surfaces.

2 – Essential oils can damage or deteriorate plastics, rubber, wood and some metals. I don’t use a lot of plastic, but the items I use are designed to have less risk of chemical seepage (BPA free, etc). Exposing these items to essential oils can damage the finish and make them worthless. I prefer to avoid the risk.

3 – Many essential oils are recommended for topical use only (especially in young children and pregnant women). Since the oils are not water soluble they can leave globs in places that might later meet someone’s lips or skin. Yikes!

4 – A good hand washing with hot water and detergent kills bacteria/germs. I am cautious about overuse of antibacterial essential oils because today's super bugs were created by the overuse of antibacterial cleaners and antibiotic medicines.  I try to save antibacterial essential oils for treating a problem (for example, cleaning bathrooms when family member is sick, treating athlete’s foot, etc).

• MOISTURIZING OIL– Dishpan hands were the target of advertising campaigns beginning in the 1930s when housewives hand washed everything from dishes to laundry by hand with scrubbing boards and ringers. Detergent slogans through the 1970s promised to soften hands while washing dishes, so I can see why people add a moisturizing ingredient to their cleaner. Unfortunately it doesn't work well since the job of dish detergent is to get oil and grease off of dishes. Adding oil to a detergent recipe makes the water (and dishes) extra dirty. Skip the oil in the detergent and rub a few drops onto damp hands when you’re done washing. Your hands will be softer and your dishes will be cleaner.

Ingredients that are Ineffective in Dish Washing Liquid (But Can be Used Other Ways)

• VINEGAR – Vinegar is a great all-natural cleaner, but it is acidic with a pH of 2.6. Most food soils are also acidic so they should be cleaned with a basic cleaner (the most effective dish detergents attack and neutralize acidic food residue and dirt because they are alkaline cleaners). Commercial hand washing dish soap usually has a alkaline pH of around 7.
  • If you are using Castile soap in a cleaner recipe vinegar should never be added. The acidic vinegar breaks down the alkaline Castile soap making both ineffective.
  • Use vinegar in the rinse water when doing dishes, it helps neutralize the alkaline detergent/soap for the cleanest possible rinse and prevents hard water spots by breaking down mineral deposits.

• BAKING SODA – Sodium Bicarbonate  is an all-natural mild base (pH 7) that neutralizes eliminates odors, helps to break down food soils and stains, and softens water. (At least two tablespoons of baking soda should  be added to each sink of dish water for best results.)  Unfortunately it is not possible to keep this much baking soda suspended in liquid dish washing soap.
  • Use baking soda in the wash water when doing dishes. A few tablespoons can be added along with the detergent if desired. Baking soda is a smart alternative to using toxic chemicals and boosts cleaning power.

Ingredients that Can Be Used for Hand Washing Dishes

• WASHING SODA – Sodium Carbonate is a natural, highly alkaline cleaner (pH 11) that effectively remove grease and stains. It neutralizes acids and eliminates odors, breaks down proteins and stains, and softens water to enhance the detergent’s effectiveness. Tips: washing soda is highly alkaline so rubber gloves should be worn when using it to clean, it should also be thoroughly rinsed so it does not leave a residue on the dishes, and it cannot be used on aluminum.

• CASTILE SOAP – Castile soap is one of my favorite natural cleaners. It’s all I use in my laundry and shower. It is a natural and effective alkaline cleaner (pH 9), however  Castile is not always the best for washing dishes. It can leave a cloudy residue on glass and plastics and can be hard to rinse off which leaves dishes dull rather than shiny. If you use Castile soap in the detergent I recommend using vinegar in the rinse water to help prevent residue. Dilution 1-2 Tbsp for a sink of dishes.

• SAL'S SUDS – Sal’s Suds is one of my favorite commercial household cleaners. Sal’s Suds is made by Dr Bronner’s but it is a man made detergent  made from  plant-based surfactants (not petro-chemicals like many detergents) and does not contains synthetic dyes or fragrance. It is 100% cruelty-free and rates an A on the Environmental Working Group (EWG) scale. ½ tsp. Sal Suds in a large sink of water.

• GLYCERIN – Vegetable glycerin is a form of sugar alcohol derived from vegetable oils. It can also be a byproduct of soap making. Glycerin is a solvent that aids in cleansing by breaking down proteins and oils while fighting stains. Glycerin is soothing and softening to the skin so it can help keep skin soft while hand washing dishes.

Two Easy Homemade Dish Detergent Recipes

Each of these non-toxic dish detergent recipes make enough washing up liquid for 16 sinks of dishes.

1. Castile Soap Dish Washing Liquid

Ingredients

• Super Washing Soda – 1/3 cup (3.5 oz )
• Liquid Castile Soap – 1 cup (8 ounces)
• Water – 1 cup (8 ounces)
• Vegetable Glycerin  – 1/2 Tbsp (optional)

Directions

1. Bring water to a boil.
2. Pour washing soda into a large glass bowl then stir in boiling water. Continue stirring until washing soda is completely dissolved
3. Cool to room temperature.
4. Stir in Castile soap and glycerin until well combined
5. Store detergent in a glass bottle.
6. Use 2 tablespoons of Castile Soap Dish Washing Liquid per large sink of water.
7. For best results rinse dishes washed in Castile soap in a sink of water with 1 cup of white vinegar added.

2. Sal's Suds Dish Washing Detergent

Ingredients

• Super Washing Soda – 1/3 cup (3.5 oz )
• Sal’s Suds Biodegadable Detergent – 1/4 cup (2 oz)
• Water – 1 cup (8 ounces)
• Vegetable Glycerin  – 1/2 Tbsp (optional)

Directions

1. Bring water to a boil.
2. Pour washing soda into a large glass bowl then stir in boiling water. Continue stirring until washing soda is completely dissolved
3. Cool to room temperature.
4. Stir in Sal's Suds and glycerin until well combined
5. Store detergent in a glass bottle.
6. Use 1.25 tablespoons of Sal's Suds Dish Washing Detergent per large sink of water.

Homemade Dish Detergent Cost & Ratings

Both of these homemade dish detergent recipes rates A on the EWG Healthy Cleaning Scale. The cost breakdown by ingredient:

• Washing Soda , EWG Rating = A, $0.25 per batch
• Castile Soap, EWG Rating = A, $2.56 per batch
• Sal's Suds, EWG Rating = A, $1.14 per batch
• Glycerin, EWG Rating = A, $0.09 per batch

Total Cost Per Batch

1. Castile Soap Dish Washing Liquid – $2.90 for 16 washes or $0.18 a wash
2. Sal's Suds Dish Washing Detergent – $1.73 for 16 washes or $0.11 a wash

Final Thoughts on Homemade Dish Detergent

It was interesting to research dish detergent and try making my own liquids for hand washing. But just how do the recipes measure up to my standards?

1. EWG Ratings – Standard met. Both homemade cleaners rate an A on the EWG scale.

2. Homemade Cleaner Effectiveness – One version met standard. The Sal's Suds detergent works better than the Castile soap liquid. Plus it is more convenient to use a dish washing liquid without an extra vinegar rinsing step. The Sal's Suds version contains washing soda so it can leave a white film on counters and cannot be used on aluminum.

3. Cost – Neither version met standard. My favorite commercial dish washing detergents with an A rating on the EWG scale costs around $4.00 or about $0.11 a wash. This makes them more cost effective than the Castile dish washing soap and the same price as the Sal’s Suds homemade dish detergent.  Or dishes can be washed with Sal's Suds alone (using ½-1 tsp per wash) for about $0.10 a wash. 

Make vs Buy

It was fun to try making hand washing detergent, but I'll keep buying dish washing liquid for now.

I will continue to buy my favorite all natural commercial hand washing detergent because homemade dish detergent is more expensive than buying an all-natural commercial dish washing soap. I like to save both the time and money!

I use two kinds of hand washing soap, both work great and are cost effective:

1. Seventh Generation Hand Washing Soap  – $2.79 for 25 ounces ($0.05 a wash)

2. Honest Company Hand Washing Soap – $3.95 for 26.5 ounces ($0.07 a wash)

Like my natural cleaning tutorials? Sign up for my newsletter below and never miss a thing!