I've just run out of the lavender dishwashing liquid I made a couple of months ago, but since the scent of lavender was getting on my nerves a bit (I'm so not a "lavender" cottage-type person, lol), I thought I'd try out a new recipe:
Lemon Dishwashing Liquid
1/4 cup soap flakes or grated soap e.g. Lux or Sunlight soap
2 - 2.5 cups hot water
1/4 cup glycerine
25 drops lemon essential oil
Combine the soap and hot water until the soap is dissolved. Leave to cool until lukewarm, and stir in the glycerine and essential oil. Leave to cool completely; it will form a loose gel. Break up with a fork and pour into a squeezy bottle. Use 3 teaspoons dissolved in hot water.
Update: When we got up this morning the soft gel had set even more so when DH went to do the dishes it took a bit of effort to get it out of the squeezy bottle, lol. So I tipped it out into a bowl and added more hot water to make it thinner, then back into the bottle - and voila, all good :-)
8 comments:
I by chance came accross your blog a few weeks ago and I absolutely love it!
I have seen your recipes for the dishwashing liquids and I wonder where do I get stuff like glycerine from? Do you get it in hardware stores?
Hi lostgirl! I was originally getting the glycerine from the chemist (also sold as glycerol, it's the same thing) but it's more expensive that way. It also used to be sold at the supermarket but none of my locals sell it anymore for some reason, although yours might. Try the medicines section? I now buy it in bulk through my local health food shop, in a reusable container. HTH, cheers :-)
I was just about to ask the same question! I look forward to trying the recipe and I love your blog - very informative!
Hi gwyn, thanks :-) I've just edited the post to give a quick update on how it went. Cheers!
I just made some homemade dish soap today (a different recipe from yours) and I have to say I am not totally impressed...yet. I am on a mission to perfect it. The questions I have is: What is the glycerine for? It made my hands feel slimy and unpleasant. Thanks :)
Hi Valerie,
Fats generally dissolve in glycerine more easily than in water, hence it's addition to dishwashing liquids. You could get around adding glycerine - or using much less of it - if you wash in very hot water so that the fats dissolve more easily into the water. Good luck with your mission :-)
Cheers, Julie
Julie hi,
Thank you very much for this page. Reading your blog was very encouraging, as i myself try to make little steps towards making changes for my family and friends, I was glad to see your blog and I felt supported. :)
Hello Sabina,
I'm so glad you feel that way - sometimes living the way we chose to do can be somewhat isolating so I love that you have found a little encouragement :-)
Cheers, Julie
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