28 Clever Dish Soap Uses

Lots of blog posts offer lists of alternative uses of dish soap. But many of those suggested uses are actually unsafe if you’re using conventional dish soap, because of the toxic ingredients most dish soaps contain.

Most dish soap brands include harsh toxins that shouldn’t be used to wash dishes in the first place, let alone be used all over your entire home.

What alternative uses (besides washing dishes) does a genuinely natural dish soap offer you that aren’t safe to do with conventional dish soap?

Here are 28 great alternative uses of dish soap that are safest to follow when using a nontoxic, genuinely natural dish soap.

1. Clean your retainer

Taking good care of your retainer is important. You don’t want slimy, stinky germs growing on something you wear in your mouth. At the same time, you also don’t want any harmful substances to cling to your retainer and enter your body. This makes a truly natural dish soap the best option for keeping your retainer clean. Rub your retainer with a few drops of natural dish soap and wash it off with clean water to keep it clean and non-smelly.

2. Wash your toothbrush

Here’s one of the more creative dish soap uses. Have you ever dropped your toothbrush on the bathroom floor or into the sink? No need to get a new one right away. Let it soak in a mix of clean water and natural dish soap. Or put a few drops of natural dish soap on your fingers and rub your toothbrush until you can tell it is clean. Rinse with plenty of water. All set! No dirty toothbrush, and no toxins.

3. Clean your plants

Do you have houseplants with dull or dusty-looking leaves? Add a few drops of natural dish soap to a small container of water, and gently wash off the leaves. This will remove dust, allowing your plants to photosynthesize more easily, and leaving them looking and feeling healthier. A neat side effect this is that it also protects your plant from tiny parasites in the near future. Don’t worry about the soap harming your plant. If you are using a genuinely natural dish soap with only all-natural and eco-friendly ingredients, it will not put your plants in danger.

4. Wash your baby’s pacifier

How many times a day do infants drop their pacifiers? Too many to count. Floors aren’t just home to healthy bacteria that strengthen a little one’s immune system. They also collect a layer of dust made up of nasty micro-particles of plastics, flame retardants, and lead that are constantly wearing away from your home’s upholstery, carpeting, and building materials. So it’s best to wash that pacifier off. But no worries. With a few drops of of natural dish soap and some clean water, in a matter of seconds the pacifier will be safe to use again. Since the pacifier will be going straight into your kiddo’s mouth, natural dish soap brings the peace of mind that harsh chemicals won’t be tagging along with it.

5. Wash baby bottle nipples

If you’re looking for more dish soap uses here’s another one. The same that goes for pacifiers also applies to baby bottle nipples. While you should sterilize them on a regular basis, washing them with some natural, nontoxic dish soap gets the job done in between sterilizations.

6. Give your pet a bath

Squirt a bunch of natural dish soap into the bath water or get your pet wet, and then coat her thoroughly in soap. Lather, rinse, and dry her. Truly natural dish soap works better than regular soap for pets with sensitive skin, and costs less than expensive dog shampoo. Definitely one of Fido’s favorite natural dish soap uses.

7. Use as shower gel

One of our favorite uses for natural dish soap is in the shower. Most people would never consider using conventional dish soap as a shower gel because its harsh ingredients are not good for your skin or your overall health. A truly natural dish soap, however –one that has the most natural ingredients you’ll find on the market-- is safe to use as a shower gel on your whole body

8. Use as hand wash

A genuinely natural dish soap works great for washing your hands because it’s gentle on the skin keeping your hands soft, while still being tough on grease and dirt. It even works great for removing any paint stains or grease from your hands. When you buy truly natural dish soap for your kitchen, there is no need to purchase any additional hand soap, so it’s good for your skin and for your wallet.

9. Wash your face to remove makeup

Yes, that’s right! When you’ve read your dish soap’s ingredient list to ensure you are buying a truly natural soap that has a genuinely natural formula (with no SLS, etc.), it’s so safe that you can even use it to wash your face. We use this one to wash off makeup.

10. Clean your kitchen

One of the most common natural dish soap uses is to clean your kitchen. Your countertops, your sink, your stove and even your oven can be cleaned with a few drops of soap and some water. Don’t forget to also give your fridge some TLC from time to time. The same goes for your dish rack. It would be a shame if you washed your dirty dishes only to place them on a dirty rack!

11. Clean your bathroom

Natural dish soap works great as an all-purpose cleaner, and can be used to clean your bathroom, including sink, surfaces, and bathtub. You can even clean your toilet with natural dish soap. Squirt some soap directly into your toilet and use the toilet brush to spread it around and scrub. And if you're looking for a bunch of creative DIY cleaner recipes, check out this post.

12. Clean kids’ toys

One of the handiest dishwashing soap uses is to clean your kids’ toys. Anything your kids play with should remain free of toxic chemicals. Natural dish soap is your safest choice to wash dirty toys to keep ‘em clean and non-toxic. It’s as simple as that.

13. Wash your eyeglasses

When your glasses get hard to see through, natural dish soap can come to the rescue. Wet the lenses with water, and with your fingers, rub a drop of soap onto each lens until you can tell you’ve removed the smudges. Rinse, and then dry with a non-scratching, lint-free cloth.

14. Give your baby a bath

Truly natural dish soap with all-natural ingredients is safe enough for babies’ skin. Fill up a little tub and give your precious one a warm bath. Because natural dish soap doesn’t include any harsh toxins like SLS whose sole job is to create an enormous amount of foam, your baby is in for a real health treat.

15. Wash out stains (laundry pre-treatment)

Throwing a stained garment directly into the laundry, without pre-treatment, can risk setting the stain permanently. That’s why pre-treating stains is important, and natural dish soap can help. Wet the stain with cold water, and add some natural dish soap. Carefully rub the soap into the stain until you see some lather. Do this with great care in order not to damage the fabric. Wash out the soap and let your garment dry. If the spot is still there, simply repeat.

16. Manicures

Here’s an easy tip to make your nail polish last longer: remove the natural grease from your fingernails before applying your nail polish. Add some natural dish soap to a small container with warm water and let your fingertips soap for about 5 minutes. Dry them well before applying your polish.

17. Wash hairbrushes

This is one of the most overlooked natural dish soap uses. Did you know that your combs and hairbrushes accumulate dust and leftover shampoo? Here’s how to clean them. First remove all the hair that’s stuck in your comb or brush. Then squirt some natural dish soap into a container with warm water, and let your combs and brushes soak. Remove them after an hour and rinse them well. Your combs and brushes will look as clean as new.

18. Clean your piercings

Here’s another one of the more creative natural dish soap uses you might not have thought of. Since your piercings go back into your body, you need to clean them from time to time. But you also don’t want to fill them up with toxic ingredients. Cleaning them with a bit of natural dish soap that contains essential oils can remove any piercing buildup, while also reducing risk of infection.

19. Clean your grill

Fill your sink (or a sufficiently large plastic tub) with hot water, and add a nice big squirt of natural dish soap. (This should cause the water to become cloudy, even though it might not foam). Allow the grill rack to soak for about an hour. Scrub with a grill-brush that will not scratch the rack’s surface, rinse, and allow to dry. Your racks will be all ready for your next BBQ, without the toxic residue of conventional dish soap.

20. Launder hand-washable clothes

Natural dish soap is a great stain remover, but that’s not all it can do. It also works great for hand-washing delicate items. Add some dish soap to a container with warm water, and allow your piece of clothing soak. After soaking, you may choose to apply extra dish soap directly onto particularly soiled areas, and work the soap into the garment with your fingers to loosen all dirt. Then rinse several times with clean water, carefully remove excess water without damaging the fabric, and allow to air dry. If you want to learn more about how to wash your clothes with a truly natural laundry detergent then this post will be perfect for you.

21. Remove carpet stains

From chocolate stains to pet accidents, natural dish soap can remove stains like a pro. Dab the affected area with a bit of water to get it wet. Then add a few drops of natural dish soap. Rub it in carefully (so as not to damage the carpet fibers) until you see some foam. Let it sit for a few hours. Then wash it out. If needed repeat one more time. This spares you from highly toxic carpet-cleaning products, and gets the job done just as well. (Exercise caution when cleaning expensive rugs, though. Fine rugs and standard carpeting are made from different materials. Genuinely natural dish soap is slightly alkaline, which can affect the color of the dyes used in fine rug-making.)

22. Cleaning upholstery

Just like with carpets, natural dish soap works great for removing stains from upholstery because it’s mild enough not to harm the fabric. Dab some water on the stain, carefully rub in a very small amount of natural dish soap, allow it to sit and do its magic, and then wash it out.

23. Washing makeup brushes

Since your makeup brushes are used directly on your face, you need to keep them clean of dust, dead skin cells, and old makeup. At the same time, you also don’t want to leave behind toxic residue from harsh conventional soaps, especially if you go to the trouble of buying nontoxic makeup. Allow the tips of your brushes to soak in a solution of warm water with a squirt of dish soap in it. If they are very dirty, you can also rub some additional natural dish soap directly onto your brushes. Make sure you rinse them out with plenty of clean water, and allow them to fully dry before using. Your bushes will feel like new without having to apply harsh chemicals.

24. Clean your blender (the easy way!)

This is the easiest (and funnest) way to clean the pitcher and knife mechanism of your blender. First, rinse your blender with some water-- or if it’s already got crud dried on it, allow it to soak. Empty it out. Then, add some warm water with a squirt of natural dish soap. Secure the lid and turn on your blender for a few seconds. Pour out the soapy water, and rinse.

25. Treat yourself to a hot towel massage

After a long day, you deserve a treat. Add a few drops of natural dish soap to a container of comfortably warm water. Dip a soft, clean sponge or washcloth into the water, wring it out, and place it on your face and forehead. Massage softly with your fingers. Repeat on each area of your body until you feel entirely relaxed.

26. Take a relaxing, all-natural bath

Natural soap is perfect for sensitive skin. Enjoy a warm soak in some of the finest natural ingredients. Perfectly mild, with a soft, relaxing scent from lavender essential oil!

27. Enjoy a relaxing foot soak

Add a tablespoon of natural dish soap to a gallon of hot water and treat yourself to that spa feeling. Let your feet soak for about 15 minutes until you feel relaxed and refreshed.

28. Fruit and vegetable wash

Another good use for dish soap is to wash off the pesticides and bacteria on the skin of your vegetables. Rub a few drops of natural dish soap on the outside of your fruit and vegetables and rinse with clean water. Enjoy your veggies without a side of pesticides or toxic soap residue!

Whichever alternative dish soap uses are your favorite remember to always use a natural dish soap that protects your health and the planet.

If you haven’t seen the most natural dish soap there is you should check it out now.

In this post we showed you our most favorite alternative uses for dish soap.

What are yours?

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