After we perfected the dishwasher tabs, I decided to add a little sunshine to my dish routine by creating this Homemade  Liquid Dish Soap recipe with Lemon and Basil. The scent of this is so cheerful and bright that washing dishes could be almost fun! Almost.
I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned before how much I dislike doing dishes. It’s basically how I introduce myself. “Hi, my name is Beth. I don’t like to do dishes. Nice weather we’re having!”
In the past, I had played around with using regular Castile soap for my dishes. Yes, I basically tried to use Castile soap for everything around the house. It is really great for foaming hand soap, laundry, and many other uses.
But, honestly, I missed the bubbles and the lather in the sink. I’m sure it’s psychological, but I always feel like bubbles prove it’s working. Am I right? I’m probably wrong, but the lack of bubbles didn’t work for me so I went back to my old chemical dish soap.
Well, then I discovered Sal Suds from Dr. Bronner’s. Where in the world has this amazing stuff been all my NATURAL life?
Here’s what you’ll love about this stuff:
- Sal Suds cleans (no, really). It does the job you need it to do on dishes, floors, laundry, and all-purpose cleaning.
- It rinses clean in hot or cold water.
- It works in soft and hard water conditions (yes, all you hard water people can REJOICE!)
- Sal Suds contains no synthetic dyes, preservatives, or fragrances.
- It’s gentle on your skin.
- It biodegrades quickly.
- It is organic and fair trade.
I combined this powerhouse cleaner with two of my favorite oils in the kitchen:  Lemon and Basil Essential Oils. I just love this combination in the dish soap because the citrus and herbal scent is so cheerful and bright. It makes my kitchen smell so … clean! Check out more essential oil suggestions below the recipe.
New to essential oils? Learn more about how we use them and why you should use them as well.
Homemade Liquid Dish Soap
Yield –Â 15 ounces
Ingredients
- 13 ounces water
- 2 ounces Dr. Bronner’s Organic Sal Suds Liquid Cleaner
- 6 drops Lemon Essential Oil
- 3 drops Basil Essential Oil
- pint jar
- pump dispenser
Directions
- In the jar, add the water and essential oil. Then add the soap.
- Place the pump assembly on the jar and screw down tightly.
- Shake gently to stir.
To use:
- Add a few drops to your dish water. A few pumps is enough for an entire sink full.
Some other fun kitchen essential oil scents you could try in this homemade liquid dish soap recipe:
10 drops Lavender Essential Oil
5 drops Peace and Calming Essential Oil + 4 drops Roman Chamomile Essential Oil
5 drops Lemongrass Essential Oil + 4 drops Tea Tree Essential Oil
JoAnn says
Is the liquid dish soap good at cutting grease?
Thank you.
Donna Clark says
Do you have to use a pump or can it be used in just a squirt tpye bottle?
Beth K says
We use a regular pump for this recipe. No special foaming pump required.
Trish says
I can’t find this locally and it is terribly expensive on Amazon and comes from the United Kingdom. Do you have another source for it?
Denyse says
It’s $8.99 for a 16oz on Dr Bronner’s website, free shipping in the US for orders over $35
Elaine says
Do you have to use a foam type pump dispenser or will a regular pump work?
Beth K says
We just use a regular dispenser for this recipe.
Trish says
I am using a non-foaming dispenser but the mixture is so thin that it doesn’t come out well or at all sometimes. Any suggestions for making it thicker? It cuts grease well and I like it other than the problem I have getting it out of my dispenser. It’s an xoxo soap dispenser and works great with thicker dish soaps Iike YL Dish Soap. Thanks for any ideas you can give me to thicken it up.
Elizabeth says
I have the same problem. Mine will leak a little after use also.
I might try increasing sal suds and decreasing the water.
I love the YL dish soap but have a hard time with the price. I’ve diluted that as well and it’s too thin also. Do you think mixing sal suds would help? Thoughts?
Diana M says
You can also try adding a bit of baking soda or citric acid if you find it too watery.
Amy says
The link that you have attached to the Sal Suds shows that it (the product) has SLS in it (second ingredient on the ingredient list). Is there, possibly, another product that would work similar to the Sal Suds? I choose to stay away from SLS. Thank you!
Beth K says
You might enjoy the version we posted here. 🙂
5 Easy Ways to Replace Harmful Chemicals in Your Home
Michele Bauer says
When is your book coming out?
Recipes With Essential Oils says
Hi Michele! At this time we don’t have a printed book, but we do have 2 eBooks available for purchase. Check it out here: https://www.recipeswithessentialoils.com/store/#!/Essential-Oil-eBooks/c/21783257/offset=0&sort=nameAsc
yonah malka says
What is a good substitute for basil?
Diana M says
Hello! You can try Rosemary in this recipe or even Lavender.