Homemade Natural Antibacterial Washing Up Liquid Recipe UK

We all have to do the dishes, we may not enjoy it, but washing up after meals is a must. Commercial washing up liquids are full of chemicals including phenoxyethanol, which is safe in small doses but some resources say can cause eczema flare ups and skin conditions right up to life threatening allergic reactions.
Not to mention the fact that they are getting more expensive by the day in our crisis budget here in the UK.
Making your own washing up liquid is not only easy and cheap but also better for your health, and also makes your dishes, steel sink and steel draining boards sparkle!
As with most homemade cleaning products we have to get over the mind hurdle that suds and foam mean clean. They do not… I said this a LOT in my recipe for homemade laundry powder / washing powder – and people once they try it, they get it 😉 Suds and foam do not mean clean 😉
So now you have had the ‘suds do not mean clean’ chat, let’s get on with making this amazing stuff!
Ingredients
2.5 litres of boiling water
40g grated soap or soap flakes
30g soda crystals
30g bicarbonate of soda
30g citric acid
30g white vinegar
30g glycerine
10g salt (table salt is fine!)
8 drops tea tree oil
Method
Mix everything apart from the tea tree oil, carefully so you do not scald yourself with the boiling water, in a large bowl or bucket. You will get a slight fizzing reaction due to the ingredients and this is normal. Once lukewarm add the tea tree oil, mix well and add to bottles and allow to cool completely. As it cools it will go from translucent to opaque the cooler it gets, and it will also become gelatinous! Now this does mildly freak you out the first time it happens but trust the process! Once you get to the gelatinous stage just give it a shake, it will turn into a thick (a little lumpy) liquid. This is the perfect stage for it to be in! Again, trust the process…
How To Use
When ready to use, shake your bottle then squirt or pump 3 lots into your sink full of hot water, if you are pouring your washing liquid in, this is about a tablespoon and a half. Swirl the water around to mix it in with the water and remember, there will be no suds or foam. Wash up as normal! Anything that needed to be pre-soaked with commercial washing up liquid will still need to be pre-soaked with this too, so just use it in the same way.
So, our 2 main differences from commercial washing up liquid and our wonderful handmade natural antibacterial washing up liquid are…
- No chemical nasties
- The price! This recipe costs around 90p to make just under 2.5 litres. Yes that is 90p for 2.5 litres! the equivalent price for Fairy antibacterial washing up liquid at Ocado (for example) works out at £8.05 – that is a whopping saving of £7.15 – AND no nasties!
Enjoy!
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