Dish soap is probably one of the most versatile everyday items lying around your house. It's affordable and packed with ingredients that are safe for humans, which means you can use it when cleaning just about anything. It's also meant to clean tough stains, like those left by oils and grease, making it incredibly potent. So, the next time you find yourself out of a specialized cleaner and need to tackle an everyday job, save some time and refer back to these life hacks.
Finally Clean Those Sliding Doors
If you have a sliding door or window in your home, then you're probably already aware that the slides can get pretty dirty. When this happens, it can make doors and windows more difficult to slide back and forth. However, you might already have one of the best things to clean those doors and windows just hanging out by your sink. Try giving them a scrub using your dish soap.
The soap will not only act to get all that dirt and grime out of crevices, but it'll also lubricate the slides, making it easier to move your doors and windows.
Use Dish Soap To Relieve Skin
This one might come as a surprise to a lot of people. It certainly came as a surprise to us. But, did you know that you can actually use dish soap to help soothe eczema? Just take a little and use it the same way you would a skin cleanser. According to some reports, people experienced results that were just as good when they used dish soap instead of traditional cleansers.
However, while this might be a cheap alternative for some, always be sure to consult with a doctor if you find that a little bit of dish soap is actually making the irritation worse.
Get Rid Of Makeup Stains
Makeup stains can be an annoying part of everyday life, especially when you find yourself wearing white. Dish soap can actually be a pretty cheap alternative to makeup remover, and in many cases, it works much better. All you need to do is put a couple of drops on the stain, wait around five minutes and the stain should lift off your shirt. Couldn't be easier right?
We didn't think so. So, really there's no need to spend all that money on stain remover just to get stains out of clothes, just start carrying around a small bottle of dish soap wherever you go.
Time To Clean Your Fireplace
The soot that builds up around fireplaces can be easy to forget about. However, it's actually really easy to clean and return your fireplace to a sparkly-looking state with this dish soap hack. All you need is some dish soap, salt, and warm water. Throw equal parts dish soap and salt into a container. Then, add water until the consistency looks like a paste. You then rub this onto the soot and let stand for around 10 minutes.
After everything is nice and soaked, you can simply rub the soot off with a rag or sponge and some more warm water. Your fireplace will thank you for the cleaning.
Cleaning Your Car
We're sure most people out there have seen someone using dish soap to wash their car before. If not, then prepare to never spend another dime on expensive car cleaners again. Instead, mix a tablespoon of dish soap with a gallon of water and watch the suds fly. However, do take note that any wax you may have had on your car will be gone and you'll have to rewax.
You should also probably take some of that money you saved by using dish soap instead of a car cleaner and invest in some high-quality towels as well. The last thing you want is to cause scratches while you're washing your car.
Shower With Dish Soap
This one comes with a caveat, but if you ever find yourself out of shampoo, then you can use dish soap to wash your hair. The soap will easily strip away any grease or oils in your hair. However, your hair also naturally produces oils that are beneficial not only for your hair but also for your scalp. So, use this one with caution and only when you have no other options.
That said, if you find that your hair is much too oily, it might be beneficial to wash your hair with dish soap at least once in a while.
Protect Your Trees From Pests
Gardeners are all too aware of the threat aphids pose to their trees, particularly fruit trees. The tiny bugs target the trees and if left untreated can kill your plants. However, not many know that they can actually get rid of the pests using dish soap. All you have to do is mix around a tablespoon of soap with a gallon of water and spray your trees to kill the bugs.
You can use a spray bottle for maximum effect. It also helps if you continue this routine once a week to make sure those pesky aphids don't return to wreak havoc on your plants.
Tune Up Your Garbage Disposal
Plumbers can be expensive and the last thing most people want to have to do is wait around for one to get to your house and then fix your drains. So, the next time you find that your garbage disposal is clogged or looking a little worse for wear, try using some dish soap to fix it up. All you have to do is remove the rubber seal and soak it in soap. Then, throw a few ice cubes in the drain and pour on the dish soap.
Turn on your garbage disposal and let it crunch up the ice and soap. This simple hack should clear up any clogs, while also sharpening your blades at the same time.
Avoid The Back Pain When Cleaning Your Tub
Bending over to clean your tub can put pressure on your spine and cause back pain, but there is an easier way. Instead, try dousing your tub in dish soap and then giving it a good scrub with a clean broom. The soap will strip away any dirt or grime in the tub while the broom works as an abrasive to wipe away those tough stains.
This will not only save your back some pain but also save you the hassle of having to use a specialty cleaner when your normal everyday dish soap will work just as well.
Take Care Of Old Oil Stains
One of the key advantages of using dish soap to clean is that it's already made to tackle tough stains left by oils and grease. This makes it an excellent choice when setting out to rid your driveway of old oil stains left by cars or lawnmowers. All you have to do is rub the dish soap into the stain using a fairly tough brush until it starts to become loose.
Then, you hit it with the hose to wash away the oil and grime. This might take a couple of repeats for particularly tough stains. On the last go, throw some baking powder on the stain and then wash away.
Free Up Toilets
Not everyone keeps chemicals around to clean their pipes and if your toilet gets clogged this can come back to haunt you. However, this simple hack uses dish soap to unclog toilets and it doesn't require much work. Simply pour around a cup of dish soap into your toilet bowl and let it sit for around 20 minutes. Afterward, pour a gallon or so of hot water down the toilet and there you go.
This ingenious little tip should leave your toilet unclogged and your mind at ease. Basically, the dish soap helps lubricate and break down anything that might be causing the clog.
Get Rid Of Fleas
While you can use dish soap to clear away any aphids from your trees, you can also use it to get rid of pesky fleas making themselves at home on your carpet or on your couch. Just mix some dish soap and warm water into a spray bottle and then spray down your carpet or couch. Once this is done, take a rag and wipe the surface down. Then take a vacuum to everything you sprayed.
This neat little hack should keep you and your furry friends free of any fleas. Just don't try to spray and then vacuum the animals themselves.
Keep Glasses Clear
Foggy glasses can be really annoying, especially if you find yourself wearing a mask. However, a little dish soap can help keep them clear. Just take some soap and pour it on a soft washcloth. Then, rub your classes down with the soap. This should add a protective layer to your glasses that keep them from fogging up and keeps you from getting annoyed. Of course, remember to wipe them with a dry cloth after rubbing them with dish soap.
However, it should be noted that you might want to use a dish soap that doesn't contain citrus as the acid in these soaps is not good for your glasses.
Scrubbing Your Grill
Grills can be a real pain to get clean with all the debris that's usually leftover after cooking. However, there's actually an easier way to clean those grates that cause so much frustration. Just mix together baking soda, dish soap, and vinegar, and then rub it onto your grill using a brush. Let the solution sit for around eight hours and then scrub it all off using a grill brush or something abrasive.
The mixture should loosen up all that dirt, grime, and charred food sticking to the grill and make it 10 times easier to get off the grate.
Keep Jewelry Sparkling
While there are a plethora of options out there when it comes to keeping your jewelry sparkling clean, not many are as cheap as using dish soap. Simply mix up a tablespoon of soap and club soda in with some water in a small container or bowl. Then, put your jewelry in the container and let the soap start working its magic, clearing up any dust and grime.
Remove your jewelry and scrub away all the first with something small, like a toothbrush. Afterward, you can rinse away anything that might be left on your jewelry.
Washing Your Face
Face cleansers can be extremely expensive, but you probably have a much cheaper solution sitting right there in your kitchen. That's right, you can use dish soap to wash away any excess oils that might be hanging out on your skin. We've already detailed how dish soap is safe for people and how it's meant to wipe away oil, so this one actually makes perfect sense if you think about it.
All you have to do is add a little bit of dish soap to some warm water and then rub it into your skin. The suds should lift and wash away any dirt or grime and leave you feeling as clean as freshly washed dishes.
Getting Rid Of Squeaks
The first thing that might come to most people's minds when they're about to get rid of a squeaky hinge, is usually some WD40. However, lubricants like that often contain harsh chemicals and nobody wants those roaming around their house. So, try using some dish soap to lubricate your doors instead. All you have to do is squeeze out a few drops on the hinges and then open and close the door repeatedly.
The soap should get down into the hinge and clear up any squeaks plaguing your door. In fact, you can use this hack on just about anything in your house that might be squeaking.
Cleaning You Nails
This is actually a pretty awesome tip for anyone out there who gets their nails done. Before you go to have a manicure, you want your nails as clean as they can be so that polish can stick to them properly. So, try soaking your nails in some warm water and dish soap before your next appointment. The soap will remove any oils on your nails and leave them squeaky clean for your nail tech.
This also has another benefit. Cleaning your nails in this way will make your cuticle more malleable and easier to work with. Of course, it also ensures that your nails look clean before you show up to have them done.
Never Suffer Foggy Windows Again
As we've already seen, you can use dish soap to clean your glasses and prevent them from fogging, but this little hack can also be used on a much larger scale. All you have to do is pour a small amount of dish soap in some water and use that to spray down your windows. Wipe away the cleaner and you now have fog-resistant windows. You can also use this for things besides the windows in your home.
For example, this can be applied to the inside of your car windshield, your mirror, and your shower door. Who would have thought something so cheap could be so useful?
Make Makeup Sponges Good As New
In another post, we saw how you can use dish soap to take care of makeup stains on clothing, but you can also use it completely clean your makeup sponges. To do so, simply add two tablespoons of soap to some warm water. Drop your makeup sponge in and let it stand for around half an hour or so. When it comes out, rinse the sponge and repeat until all of the makeup is gone.
This should leave your makeup sponges looking good as new. However, always remember to dry your sponges as nobody wants to end up rubbing their face down with a moldy sponge.
Lubricate Cables
Guiding cables or strings through just about anything can be a painfully annoying task. However, there is an easier way. You can make a lubricant using water and soap the next time you want to guide a cable through something. Mix two drops of soap in a spray bottle with water, then simply spray down whatever you're trying to guide through and the mixture should work to lubricate and make it easier to guide.
However, make sure that when you add the soap to the water, you shake it well so that it mixes thoroughly. In addition, you now have a spray bottle with dish soap you can use to try out some of the other hacks on this list.
Toning Down The Hair Dye
Dyeing your hair can be a precarious affair. It's easy to get it wrong and end up a couple of shades too dark. If this ever happens to you, then you can use dish soap to gently work away at the hair dye. As we've seen, you can safely use dish soap as shampoo. This is basically what you want to do to get rid of excess hair dye.
The soap will strip away a few tones at a time, so if it still looks too dark after the first wash then wash again using dish soap. Continue this until you reach the desired color.
Cleaning Dirty Grout
While there are plenty of cleaners out there you can buy to clean your tiles' grout, you can also make a cleaner at home using everyday items. Those items of course include dish soap, along with vinegar and water. Start by throwing a cup of vinegar in the microwave for around a minute. Then put it in a spray bottle and mix it with around a cup of dish soap.
Spray down the dirty tiles and let the mixture sit for a second before scrubbing away all the dirt and grime covering your tiles. Afterward, wash away with water and watch it all come clean.
Look For Holes In Your Tire
This one is an old mechanic's trick. It can often be hard to spot where exactly a hole in your tire is leaking air. So, if you can hear air leaking out but can't find the puncture, mix a few drops of dish soap with some water. Spray or dump the water on your tire. You might have to rub the mixture in a bit in order to produce suds.
The air coming from the leak will push those suds up creating more bubbles and there you go. You've found the puncture in your tire and can now proceed to plug it.
Clean Your Floors
There really is no need to buy special cleaners every time you go to mop your floors. All you need is a few common items from around the house. Throw a cup of vinegar and a cup of dish soap into a mop bucket filled with water. The result is a cleaner that naturally lifts dirt and grime off your floors and leaves them looking and feeling squeaky clean.
The mixture should be safe for all types of floors, including wood, tile, laminate, and others. However, you might want to stay away from soap mixed with citrus as the acid can eat away at finishes over long periods of time.
Get Rid Of Carpet Stains
Carpet is one of the hardest floorings to maintain and stains especially love to stick to your carpets. However, you can use a mixture of dish soap and hydrogen peroxide to lift even some of the most stubborn stains from your carpet. Simply mix one ounce of dish soap with two ounces of hydrogen peroxide. You can mix it in a spray bottle or in a container depending on how much you want.
Then, either spray or dip your rag or sponge into the mixture and start working away at the stain. It might require a bit of effort, but the soap should lift away most stains that muddle your carpet.
Protect Your Indoor Plants
Yes, dish soap not only works to protect your outdoor trees and plants from aphids but it also works on your indoor plants. And the best part is it's completely safe for both your plants and your home. All you have to do is mix a couple of drops of soap with water and pour it into a spray bottle. Then, spray down your plants and now they're protected from any bugs that might want to do them harm.
You can even work this into your usual routine of watering your plants and spray them down with the mixture on a weekly basis to make sure they remain healthy and happy.
Cleaning Your Hair Brushes
With all the little prongs on a hairbrush, it might seem like you should just throw them out whenever they start to look a bit gross, but you can actually clean them using dish soap. The soap helps lift all the oils and grease that transfers from your hair onto your brush. All you have to do is let your sink fill up with warm water or use a container and add a couple of drops of soap.
Let your brushes sit in the mixture for a little bit, while the dish soap works its magic and removes any oils on the brush. Then, simply rinse all the grime away.
Clean Up Oil-Based Paints
When painting your home or furniture, you're often going to pick between two types of paint: latex and oil. Latex is a thinner paint and will often come off with a little water and scrubbing. However, oil-based paints can be a pain to remove if they're spilled. Luckily, dish soap is specially designed to remove oil and grease. All you have to do is pour a bit on the paint or mix some soap and water together and get to scrubbing.
The dish soap will lift the oils in the paint and allow you to wash away whatever is left with some water. It also works on latex-based paints but simple water should suffice for those.
Get Rid Of Fruit Flies
Fruit flies, while harmless, can be just as annoying as regular flies. So, the next time you find yourself having trouble keeping the little critters away, use these everyday items to trap them. Just mix around 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar with half a tablespoon of soap in a small container. Then cover that container with wrap, poking a couple of small holes in it so that the fruit flies can get in.
However, be sure to stir the two ingredients gently so that you don't produce any suds or bubbles. The flies will get in but be trapped and won't be able to get out.
Wash Your Laundry
Yes, you read that title right. You can use dish soap to wash your laundry and the price beats buying regular detergent from the store. To make laundry detergent using dish soap, mix a fourth of a cup of Borax with a gallon of distilled water. Then, add in two tablespoons of dish soap and a third of a cup of washing soda. Bam, you know have homemade laundry detergent.
You can pour the liquid where you would normally put your regular detergent. The dish soap will help lift any stains, as well as dirt, from your clothes.
Clearing Hair Of Adhesives
We're sure most everyone has suffered through getting gum stuck in their hair as a child. And while your parents probably opted to just cut it out, did you know that dish soap can actually be used to get sticky stuff out of hair? The soap, much in the same way it cuts through oil-based paints, works to break down the adhesive. So, the next time you or your child get gum in their hair, use dish soap instead of scissors.
Soap will also work for other things besides gum, like peanut butter or candy. And you can use it in the shower as you would a normal shampoo.
Getting Rid Of Ice
Icy sidewalks can be slippery and dangerous during the winter. And the last thing someone wants to do is slip and fall on their way to work in the morning. Instead, de-ice your sidewalk using a mixture of dish soap, alcohol, and hot water. Mix a small amount of the first two items with warm water and pour it on your sidewalk and watch the ice melt away.
This will make your home safer and only takes a couple of minutes to mix together. The soap actually speeds up the melting and if you want, you can use the same method on a smaller scale for your car window.
Managing Weeds
While yes, we have been over how beneficial dish soap can be for your garden and plants, it can also help manage weeds if you add in another ingredient. Mix vinegar, soap, salt, and water in a spray bottle to make a DIY weed killer free of harsh chemicals. The mixture will work to starve the weeds of moisture, and they should dry up after a couple of days.
However, be careful not to spray your desirable plants as the mixture will do the same to them if it happens to get on them. Too much salt is also not great for the soil.
Keep Your Pool Clear And Clean
One of the biggest gripes of anybody lucky enough to have a pool is how hard it can be to clean. They often require continued maintenance. So, the next time you want to make life a little bit easier on yourself, use some dish soap to help clean. Pour a large amount of soap in the middle of the pool and it will work to push all the dirt and grime to the edges.
This will make it easier to scoop up anything on the sides, while also keeping your pool clean and clear. It's also safe for the human body.
Exterminating Ants
While most ants are pretty harmless and only want to get into your pantry, there are those that can quickly infest a home and also have a pretty gnarly bite. If you ever find yourself dealing with an ant problem, the solution might be in a bottle of dish soap. Mix some soap and water in a common spray bottle and take it to any ants you see or their lines.
Not only will this kill any ants that are there but it will also help repel them from coming back. It also helps keep your pantry safe from any pests.
Cleaning Stubborn Stains
We've already seen how you can use dish soap to make laundry detergent, so it only makes sense that it can help remove tough stains as well. All you have to do is dab a bit of dish soap onto a stain and then rub it in with a toothbrush. The soap will help lift and remove the stain during the next process. Afterward, simply throw the clothing in the washer.
You can wash as usual and use normal laundry detergent. When it comes time to throw your clothes in the dryer the stain should be long gone and your clothes should be clean.
Keep Your Pup Clean
Specialty dog shampoos can be expensive and even worse contain harsh chemicals. Instead, did you know that you can actually use dish soap to wash your cuddly friend? All you have to do is use it the same as you would regular shampoo and it will lift any dirt and oils from your dog's coat. It will also help keep away things like fleas and other bugs that might want to bite your dog.
However, just as you would with regular shampoo, be careful when washing around your dog's eyes as dish soap can burn them if it gets in there.
Ditch General Cleaners
As we've seen, dish soap to use as a cleaner for a variety of applications. So, why not ditch expensive general cleaners altogether and make your own all-purpose cleaner? There are actually two ways of doing this. We'll start with the tougher cleaner first. Mix together half a cup of dish soap and a cup of white vinegar in a spray bottle. To make mixing easier, you can heat the vinegar in the microwave beforehand.
The result is a cleaner you can spray and let sit before wiping away with a rag. The second method mixes just dish soap and water and can be used for lighter jobs.
Take Care Of Your Tools
Keeping tools clean can be a real chore, just ask any mechanic. Better yet, take a look in their toolbox and you're likely to find some tools covered in grease. However, there is an easy way to keep those expensive tools clean and lasting longer. All you have to do is create a mixture of warm water and dish soap, either in a container or in your sink, and let the tools soak.
After they have taken a bath for about half an hour, you can bring them out and wash rinse them down. The soap will have helped lift the grease and oils on the tools.