Dish soap is a great secret weapon at home and extends beyond the kitchen. Whether you’ve just run out of your specific cleaner or are on a budget, these uses for dawn dish soap will help you!
The best part–your regular soap can get the job done! Whatever works for your budget will work on each of these chores.
If you’re interested to know, this is my soap of choice! It’s not too pricey and has some more gentle ingredients. Remember, it is a soap you’re using, so a rinse may be needed depending on the item.
Also, use standard precautions in different hacks that involve stronger ingredients, and grab rubber gloves.
Watch: 21 Genius Dawn Dish Soap Hacks
1. Clean Outdoor Furniture
Lawn furniture can get a little grimy with time, especially more rigid materials like metal or plastic. Simply mix a little Dawn and warm water together and use a sponge to wash the set off.
After scrubbing everything with the mixture, rinse everything to wash away any remaining dirt and soap. Let everything dry before stacking anything for colder weather months.
Ready for more unique cleaning tips? Try these hydrogen peroxide hacks!
2. Get Clean and Sparkly Windows
While cleaning outside, make a second bucket of water and a few drops of dish soap for the windows.
Dip your sponge in, ring it out a bit, and wash your windows like usual, and what’s excellent, Dawn doesn’t leave any residue.
Return with a squeegee, pull from top to bottom, and in between pulls, wipe the blade off with a towel to get less streaking on your windows.
I love this extended sponge and squeegee set–so easy to use.
Enjoy getting all your homes windows clean with more of these ingenious window cleaning hacks.
3. Clean Your Carpets
Instead of pricy carpet cleaners, try this solution the next time you find yourself with a stain on your floor.
Mix 2 ounces of hydrogen peroxide and 1 ounce of soap in a spray bottle and shake it once the top is on.
Spray down the area with the concoction and return with a rag to treat the area. Once the spray’s applied, grab another rag with water and wipe away any remaining debris or discolouration.
You can get an even deeper clean on your carpets with these DIY carpet cleaning hacks!
4. Repel Insects
I like to do this during weather shifts because it always seems some little critter has found its way in!
In a spray bottle, mix a 1-1-1 ratio of hydrogen peroxide, Dawn, and mouthwash–I like to start with a tablespoon, but feel free to combine what you need at any given time.
Spray the troubled areas down and wait five to ten minutes before wiping up the solution and any insect that may be left behind.
5. Clean Your Hair Brush
Your hairbrushes and combs get a little gunky after a while with product buildup and the natural oils from our scalps, so it’s a good idea to clean them regularly.
This idea is technically a bit of a two-in-one hack–clean your hairbrush in your bathroom sink.
Put the stopper into your drain and fill the sink with the following: hot water, borax, and of course, dish soap.
Stir the mixture up to incorporate everything, put in any brush or comb that needs cleaning, and let sit.
Once the tools have sat, pull them out, give them a bit of a scrub to pull anything off, and dry them off with a towel.
6. Unclog Your Toilet
Having toilet troubles–try pouring a mixture of hot water and soap down the drain.
This mix should help offset the clog and cut into whatever the blockage may be; if a bit of help is needed, use your plunger.
7. Sparkle Up Those Eyeglasses
Are your glasses begging for a good cleaning?
In a small spray bottle, you’ll need one part rubbing alcohol, one part water, and a drop of dish soap–shake. Spritz onto the frames and wipe away with this microfiber cloth.
8. De-grease Your Tools
We like to do this trick each season to elongate our tools’ life. For the cleaner, mix warm water and soap in a bucket and drop in any device that needs extra love.
Let sit for a few minutes, or as needed, depending on the griminess of your utensils, and wipe down.
9. Make Your Own Bubbles
Fun for the whole family, made for super cheap! You’ll need six cups of water, a cup of dish soap, and ¼ cup of corn syrup for these homemade bubbles.
10. Improve Your Manicure
Before you paint your nails next time, try this finger soak to help clean your nail beds to help the paint apply better.
In a bowl, add warm water and a few drops of dish soap, this will, as mentioned, will clean your fingernails but will also soften your cuticles.
Don’t forget to dry your hands before painting your nails!
11. Sparkle Up Your Car
I love a good home car wash in the warmer months of the year. The mixture we use here is a gallon of water to about a tablespoon of soap.
Wash everything down with a sponge or rag, and rinse with the hose. If you’re one to wax your car, the soap may strip it off, so make sure to reapply post-wash if you do so!
You can get your car cleaner all around with these lazy car cleaning hacks!
12. Clean Those Floors and Walls
This is a grand mixture to use the next time you do a deep clean on floors or walls. You’ll need ½ teaspoon of soap, ½ cup of borax, and a teaspoon of ammonia to mix into two gallons of water.
I love using this mop for all flat surfaces and a rag for any parts of my home.
Keep with the deep cleaning with these brilliant cleaning hacks that will save you time!
13. Sparkle Up Your Jewelry
Cleaning jewelry is delicate, so I recommend ensuring your soap has nothing super abrasive before trying this hack out.
Mix Seven parts water to one part ammonia and a squirt or two of dish soap, and add your jewelry.
Make sure to wear gloves to pull your items out and give them a gentle scrub with a rag or other cleaning implement.
14. Protect Your Indoor Plants from Insects
Again, battling insects inside, especially near your house plants? Add a drop of Dawn into your spray bottle and fill it with water. Mist your plants with this natural deterrent to keep the bugs at bay!
15. Remove Food Stains from Clothing
Do you or someone you know a ritual stainer of their clothing? Mix a few teaspoons of dish soap and white vinegar into two quarts of water to help fight a stain immediately the next time it happens.
16. Get Clean After Painting
Whether painting a room or for fun, I don’t know anyone who walks away without a paint stain. Apply soap to the spots when cleaning up and let it dry.
Once dry, wash it off, and everything should come off quickly.
17. Fix Squeaky Doors
The easiest way to fix a squeaky door? Apply a bit of soap onto the squeaking offender, and the problem is solved!
A bonus to applying the soap? You’re cleaning some hard to reach spaces, so in my book, it’s a double win!
18. Make Your Own Environmentally Friendly Weed Killer
Weeds are the bane of any homeowner or renter’s existence–keep this on hand to keep them at bay.
Simply mix soap, Epsom salt, and white vinegar in a spray bottle and spritz on any invader that may pop up.
This solution works best when no moisture sits on the weeds, so a clear day with no dew is best for optimal results.
19. Remove Soap Scum
Get rid of your soap scum fast and without sweat mix a combination of dish soap and white vinegar! Let it sit for a bit, then do a quick wipe down and rinse it all away.
I really enjoy using this set of bottles while cleaning at home. They come in an array of sizes, all uniform in colour and look, and the best part, they are dishwasher safe!
20. Clean Your Cabinets and Cupboards
What can easily get forgotten on the regular cleaning checklist in the kitchen are the cabinets.
I’ve really tried to make them a regular habit of mine in my weekly to-dos, and it certainly has paid off, whether it’s a whole deep clean or a regular wipe down.
To give them a good degreasing, add about five drops of Dawn onto your sponge and wipe them all down.
An important note is to scrub only a little hard. An intenser scrub may cause some damage or strip some of your cabinet’s natural look.
Definitely add this to your list of must-know spring cleaning hacks!
21. Clean Stainless Steel
Stainless steel is beautiful, but it does tend to show anything–fingerprints, spills, smudges, etc.
To fight those markings, grab a damp sponge or rag and a few drops of dish soap and incorporate the liquid into your cleaning implement.
When ready, start scrubbing the troubled areas with whatever vigor you may need to get rid of the stains.
Once successful, wipe everything down with a second damp cloth to pick up the soapy remains and any remaining trace of fingerprints or mess.