How to Make Dish Soap: Easy, Tested DIY Recipe 2026

By Elena Rodriguez · June 25, 2026

Why Make Your Own Dish Soap?

I've been mixing my own cleaning products for over eight years. Store-bought options always left me frustrated. They either strip my skin raw or fail to cut through baked-on cheese. After hosting a dinner party with a sink full of greasy lasagna pans, I decided to formulate my own solution. The results completely changed my kitchen routine.

Making your own dish soap gives you total control over the ingredients. You know exactly what touches your skin and your food. Commercial brands load their formulas with synthetic fragrances, artificial dyes, and harsh sulfates like sodium lauryl sulfate. I prefer a non-toxic approach that actually works. This recipe cuts grease just as well as the blue stuff, but it won't leave your hands itching or peeling.

Cost savings are another massive benefit. I'll be honest, the upfront cost of buying a bottle of high-quality liquid castile or Sal Suds seems steep. But that single bottle lasts for months. You end up paying pennies per batch. Plus, you stop throwing away single-use plastic bottles every three weeks. I reuse the same 16 oz amber glass dispenser for years. Let's break down exactly how to make dish soap that outperforms the big brands without wrecking your skin barrier.

Ingredients & Tools

Getting the ratios right is the secret to a good degreaser. I've tested dozens of variations over the years. This specific blend hits the perfect balance of suds, slip, and cutting power. Don't swap the ingredients unless you want a watery mess that leaves food residue on your plates.

The Core Ingredients

1/2 cup Dr. Bronner's Sal Suds Biodegradable Cleaner: I highly recommend Sal Suds over traditional castile soap for dishwashing. Castile soap reacts with hard water and leaves a scummy film on your glasses. Sal Suds is a fir-based surfactant that rinses completely clean. You can buy a 16 oz bottle for about $15-18 online or at Whole Foods.
1/2 cup Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda: This isn't baking soda. Washing soda has a much higher pH of 11. It acts as a powerful water softener and grease cutter by saponifying animal fats. Grab a 55 oz box at Walmart or Target for around $5. It will last you years.
1.5 cups Distilled Water: Tap water contains minerals that breed bacteria and ruin the shelf life of your soap. Always use distilled water. A gallon jug costs less than $2 at the grocery store.
15 drops Sweet Orange Essential Oil: Citrus oils contain d-limonene, a natural degreaser. I use Plant Therapy or Eden's Garden brands because they are pure and reasonably priced. Skip this if you have sensitive skin or eczema.

Required Tools

16 oz Amber Glass Soap Dispenser: I use the Jarmatz brand pump bottles from Amazon. The amber glass protects the essential oils from UV degradation. The stainless steel pump mechanism doesn't clog easily like cheap plastic ones.
Small Stainless Steel Whisk: A standard 4-inch kitchen whisk works perfectly for breaking up the washing soda clumps.
Silicone Funnel: Prevents spills when transferring the hot liquid into narrow glass bottles. If you don't have a silicone funnel, a rolled-up piece of parchment paper works in a pinch, though it's a bit messy and prone to leaking.
Digital Meat Thermometer: You need to heat the water to an exact temperature to dissolve the washing soda properly without destroying the soap base.

Step-by-Step Recipe

This process takes about 10 minutes from start to finish. Work in a well-ventilated area. Washing soda powder can be irritating if you inhale it directly, so avoid leaning over the pot.

Heat the water: Pour 1.5 cups of distilled water into a small saucepan. Heat it on the stove until your digital thermometer reads exactly 120°F to 130°F. Don't let it boil. Boiling water will degrade the surfactants in the Sal Suds later and create a massive foam explosion.
Dissolve the washing soda: Remove the pan from the heat. Slowly sprinkle the 1/2 cup of washing soda into the hot water. Whisk continuously for 2 to 3 minutes. I'll be honest, this takes a bit of elbow grease. The mixture will look cloudy at first. Keep whisking until the liquid turns completely clear and no gritty powder remains at the bottom.
Cool the base: Let the washing soda solution sit on the counter for 15 minutes. It needs to drop below 100°F before you add the soap. Adding Sal Suds to boiling hot water creates an unmanageable foam volcano that will ruin your stovetop. I learned that the hard way.
Add the surfactant: Once the liquid is warm but not hot, gently pour in the 1/2 cup of Sal Suds. Stir it slowly with a spoon. Do not whisk. You want to combine the liquids without whipping air into the mixture.
Add essential oils: Drop in 15 drops of sweet orange or lemon essential oil. Give it one final, gentle stir to distribute the oils evenly.
Bottle it up: Place your silicone funnel into the 16 oz amber glass dispenser. Slowly pour the soap in. Leave about an inch of headspace at the top so the pump tube has room to displace the liquid without overflowing.

How to Use It

This DIY dish soap is highly concentrated. You only need a pea-sized amount on your sponge. If you have kids who track mud everywhere and drop greasy plates in the sink, this formula handles the mess effortlessly.

Application Techniques

Wet your dishcloth or sponge first. I prefer using a Scrub Daddy dampened with warm water. Squeeze one pump of the soap onto the sponge. Work it into a lather before touching your dishes. The suds won't be as massive as commercial detergents, but the cleaning power is actually higher. Suds do not equal clean. Surfactants do the heavy lifting. For baked-on messes, fill the pan with hot water, add two pumps of this soap, and let it soak for 15 minutes. The food will slide right off.

If you are dealing with cloudy glassware from previous commercial detergents, soak them in a basin of hot water with two pumps of this soap and a splash of white vinegar in a separate rinse bowl. The difference in clarity is immediate.

Safe Surfaces

Use this soap on everyday kitchen items. It is perfectly safe for stainless steel pots, ceramic plates, glass bakeware, and silicone spatulas. I also use a diluted version to mop my sealed hardwood floors. Just mix one pump per gallon of warm water. It leaves zero streaks and smells incredibly fresh.

Surfaces to Avoid

Keep this away from unsealed wood and natural stone. The high alkalinity of the washing soda can etch marble countertops and strip the finish off wooden cutting boards. For those delicate surfaces, stick to a pH-neutral castile soap mixed with plain water. Also, avoid using this in your dishwasher. It will create too many suds and flood your kitchen floor. When your landlord inspects next week, you don't want water damage on the baseboards.

Storage & Shelf Life

Because this recipe uses distilled water and lacks commercial preservatives, shelf life is a valid concern. Store your amber glass bottle in a cool, dark cabinet away from direct sunlight. Heat and UV rays break down the essential oils and degrade the surfactants over time.

In my experience, a 16 oz batch lasts about 3 to 4 months before the essential oils lose their scent. The soap itself remains effective for up to 6 months. You might notice the washing soda crystallizing at the bottom of the bottle if your kitchen gets cold in the winter. This is totally normal. Just run the glass bottle under warm tap water for 30 seconds and give it a vigorous shake. Shake it like a polaroid picture to recombine the ingredients before pumping.

Always slap a piece of painter's tape on the bottle and write the date you made it with a Sharpie. It is incredibly easy to forget when you mixed your last batch, especially if you make multiple cleaners on the same Sunday afternoon.

Cost Comparison: DIY vs Store-Bought

This isn't the cheapest option upfront, but the long-term math heavily favors the DIY route. Let's look at the real numbers based on current retail prices.

Product	Volume	Retail Price	Cost Per Ounce
DIY Sal Suds Soap	16 oz	$3.15	$0.19 / oz
Dawn Platinum Powerwash	16 oz	$5.49	$0.34 / oz
Seventh Generation Liquid	18 oz	$4.29	$0.23 / oz
Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day	16 oz	$4.99	$0.31 / oz

The DIY batch costs roughly $3.15 to make, assuming you already bought the bulk ingredients. You save nearly 50% compared to premium eco-friendly brands. Over a year, that keeps an extra $40 to $60 in your pocket.

FAQ

Can I use liquid Castile soap instead of Sal Suds?

You can, but I don't recommend it for dishwashing. Castile soap reacts with the calcium and magnesium in hard water to create an insoluble scum. This leaves a cloudy, waxy film on your glassware and silverware. Sal Suds is a synthetic-free surfactant that rinses clean regardless of your water hardness.

Why did my soap turn into a solid, cloudy gel?

This happens when the washing soda crystallizes in cold temperatures. It is a completely normal physical reaction and doesn't mean the soap has gone bad. Simply hold the glass bottle under warm running water for a minute, then shake it vigorously to re-dissolve the crystals.

Is this homemade dish soap safe for septic systems?

Yes, this formula is entirely biodegradable and septic-safe. The Sal Suds breaks down rapidly in water, and the washing soda is just a naturally occurring mineral salt. It won't kill the beneficial bacteria in your septic tank like antibacterial commercial soaps do.

Can I add white vinegar to this recipe for extra cleaning power?

Never mix vinegar directly into this soap bottle. The acetic acid in the vinegar will react with the alkaline washing soda, neutralizing both ingredients and creating a salty, watery mess. If you want to use vinegar as a rinsing agent for hard water spots, keep it in a separate spray bottle.