Real-world examples of homemade dish soap for zero-waste living

Everyday examples of homemade dish soap for zero-waste living

Let’s skip theory and start with the sink. When people talk about examples of homemade dish soap examples for zero-waste living, they’re usually doing one of three things:

• Using a solid dish bar and a scrub brush.
• Mixing a simple liquid soap from castile and water.
• Getting creative with vinegar, citrus, baking soda, or leftover oil.

Below are real examples, with enough detail that you can actually try them tonight.

Solid bar setups: the simplest example of zero-waste dish soap

One of the best examples of homemade dish soap for zero-waste living is also the least fussy: a solid dishwashing bar. No bottle, no pump, no mystery ingredients.

A typical setup looks like this:

You keep a palm-sized soap bar in a shallow dish by the sink. Next to it, a wooden or bamboo dish brush. To wash, you wet the brush, rub it on the bar for a few seconds, and go straight to the dishes.

Basic solid dish bar formula (coconut-heavy soap)

This example of a homemade dish soap bar is adapted from traditional cleaning soap formulas:

• High percentage of coconut oil (for strong cleaning and big bubbles)
• A smaller amount of olive or sunflower oil (to keep it from being too harsh)
• Sodium hydroxide (lye) for saponification
• Optional: salt to harden, a few drops of essential oil for scent

Coconut oil is popular because it cuts grease well. However, it can be drying on skin, so many zero-waste makers balance it with softer oils and wear gloves when doing big sinkfuls of dishes.

If you’re new to working with lye, it’s worth reading a safety overview from a reputable source first. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has general guidance on chemical safety and skin protection that’s useful when you’re handling strong cleaners or lye-based soap at home: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/skin/

Once cured, this bar can last weeks or months, depending on how many dishes you wash. For a lot of households, this is one of the best examples of homemade dish soap examples for zero-waste living because it’s low-waste, long-lasting, and simple to store.

Liquid castile mix: a gentle, fast DIY example for busy kitchens

Maybe you prefer a squeeze bottle and a liquid texture. Another of the most popular examples of homemade dish soap examples for zero-waste living is a diluted castile soap mix.

Basic liquid castile dish soap example

You can start with an unscented liquid castile soap (often sold in bulk or in large refillable containers) and dilute it with water:

• About 1 part liquid castile soap
• About 3–4 parts water
• Optional: 1 teaspoon of washing soda per cup of liquid for extra degreasing
• Optional: a few drops of lemon or tea tree essential oil

You pour this into a reused dish soap bottle or a glass pump. That’s it.

This example of a homemade dish soap is especially good for people with sensitive skin, because castile soap is usually made from plant oils and doesn’t rely on synthetic surfactants. If you’re worried about skin irritation or allergies, it’s wise to patch-test new ingredients and check reputable sources like Mayo Clinic or WebMD for general guidance on contact dermatitis and sensitive skin care:

• Mayo Clinic on contact dermatitis: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/contact-dermatitis/symptoms-causes/syc-20352742
• WebMD overview of sensitive skin: https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/sensitive-skin

For tougher grease, many people just add a sprinkle of baking soda directly to the sponge along with the castile mix. It’s not glamorous, but it works.

Citrus-infused vinegar and soap: one of the best examples for greasy pans

If you cook a lot of oily foods, you’ve probably discovered that some gentle soaps struggle with baked-on grease. That’s where a citrus-infused vinegar blend becomes one of the best examples of homemade dish soap examples for zero-waste living.

Here’s how a typical setup looks in real homes:

You keep a jar in the fridge where you toss citrus peels—lemons, oranges, limes. When the jar is full, you cover the peels with white vinegar and let it sit for about two weeks. The citrus oils slowly infuse into the vinegar, giving you a more powerful degreaser.

Citrus-vinegar dish solution example

• Strain the citrus-infused vinegar.
• Mix roughly 1 part infused vinegar with 2 parts water.
• Add a small squirt of liquid castile soap.

You don’t want to mix large amounts of straight vinegar and soap in the same bottle because vinegar is acidic and soap is alkaline; in high concentrations they can partially cancel each other out. But a small amount of soap in a mostly-vinegar spray works well for pre-treating greasy pans before scrubbing with a dish bar or castile mix.

This is one of those real examples of homemade dish soap that turns literal trash (citrus peels) into a useful cleaner, reducing food waste and plastic at the same time.

Baking soda paste: a targeted example for stuck-on messes

Not every zero-waste dish needs a special soap. Sometimes you just need a targeted cleaner for that one scorched pot.

A very practical example of homemade dish soap for zero-waste living is a simple baking soda paste. You sprinkle baking soda into the pan, add just enough water to form a paste, and let it sit for 10–20 minutes. Then you scrub with your regular dish bar or castile mix.

This isn’t meant to replace your daily dish soap, but as a spot treatment, it’s one of the best examples of a low-cost, low-waste helper. Baking soda is mildly abrasive, so it helps lift stuck food without harsh scratching on most cookware.

If you’re cleaning cookware with nonstick coatings or specialty surfaces, it’s worth checking the manufacturer’s care instructions and general guidance from reliable sources. For example, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has resources on kitchen safety and cleaning practices that can help you avoid damaging surfaces while still keeping things sanitary: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety

Soap nuts and saponin-based liquids: plant-powered examples

While more common in laundry, soap nuts (or soapberries) are another interesting example of homemade dish soap for zero-waste living.

Soap nuts contain natural saponins—plant-based surfactants that create mild suds. Some people simmer a handful of soap nuts in water for about 30 minutes, strain the liquid, and use this as a very gentle dishwashing liquid.

This example of a dish soap is:

• Low-foam compared to conventional soap.
• Very mild on skin.
• Best for lightly soiled dishes rather than heavy grease.

Because saponin-based liquids are so gentle, they often work best in combination with another example of homemade dish soap, like using a solid bar for greasy pans and soap nut liquid for glasses and utensils.

Leftover cooking oil turned into soap: a circular economy example

In many households, used cooking oil goes straight down the drain or into the trash. Turning that leftover oil into cleaning soap is one of the most satisfying examples of homemade dish soap examples for zero-waste living.

The basic idea is simple: you filter used vegetable oil (like sunflower or canola), then use it in a standard cold-process soap recipe with lye. The result is a firm, slightly rustic bar that works beautifully on greasy dishes and cleaning brushes.

This is a more advanced example of homemade dish soap because you need to:

• Carefully measure oil and lye with a scale.
• Use proper safety gear (gloves, eye protection, good ventilation).
• Allow the soap to cure for several weeks.

Done correctly, you’re closing a loop: food oil becomes cleaning soap instead of waste. It’s a very literal, very gratifying example of how zero-waste thinking can transform everyday habits.

If you’re new to soapmaking, it’s smart to cross-check recipes with trusted educational resources. While not soap-specific, university extension programs and chemistry departments often explain how saponification works and why accurate measurements matter. For example, the University of Illinois Extension offers accessible chemistry explanations that can help you understand the basic reactions involved: https://extension.illinois.edu/

Dishwashing with minimal water: how these examples work in real homes

All of these examples of homemade dish soap examples for zero-waste living share a few things in common when they’re used day-to-day:

• People usually scrape and pre-rinse less, relying more on soaking and good tools (brushes, scrapers, dishcloths) than on running water.
• A solid bar plus a strong brush often replaces a big puddle of liquid soap.
• Many households keep two or three options at the sink: a gentle daily soap, a stronger degreaser, and a scrub paste.

For example, a typical zero-waste sink might have:

• A coconut-based solid bar for most dishes.
• A diluted castile mix in a pump bottle for quick hand-washing and glasses.
• A small jar of baking soda for scorched pots.
• A spray bottle of citrus-infused vinegar for greasy pans.

These real examples show that you don’t need one perfect miracle soap. You need a small toolkit that covers your usual messes without creating a mountain of plastic bottles.

2024–2025 trends in zero-waste dish soap making

In 2024 and 2025, several trends are shaping how people approach examples of homemade dish soap for zero-waste living:

• Refill stations and bulk castile soap are more common in co-ops and natural food stores. Many people now combine store-bought bulk soap with homemade boosters (baking soda, citrus vinegar) instead of making everything from scratch.
• Fragrance-free and hypoallergenic formulas are in higher demand, as more people report sensitivities to synthetic fragrances. This pushes homemade recipes toward simple, fragrance-light examples.
• Ingredient transparency is a bigger deal. People want to know exactly what’s in their cleaners, which makes homemade dish soap examples especially appealing.
• Online community testing: Social media groups and forums are constantly testing and refining recipes, sharing what actually cuts grease, what separates in the bottle, and what leaves film on glass.

These trends all point toward the same thing: practical, tested, real examples of homemade dish soap that respect both the planet and your time.

How to choose the best examples for your kitchen

With so many examples of homemade dish soap examples for zero-waste living, how do you decide where to start?

Think about three things:

1. Your water hardness
Hard water can leave film on glasses and make some soaps feel less effective. If you have hard water, you may find that:

• Solid bars with higher coconut oil content perform better.
• Vinegar rinses (a quick splash in a basin of water) can help remove residue.

2. Your skin sensitivity
If your hands get dry or irritated easily, you might lean toward:

• Diluted castile soap as your main dish liquid.
• Gloves when using stronger degreasers.
• Minimal or no essential oils.

Here again, checking reputable health sources like Mayo Clinic or WebMD for general skin-care advice can help you adapt recipes safely to your needs.

3. Your available time and energy
If you’re busy and tired (which, let’s be honest, is most of us), choose the lowest-effort example first:

• Buy a pre-made solid dish bar in paper packaging and pair it with a wooden brush.
• Or mix a quick 1:3 castile-and-water solution in a reused bottle.

Once those habits feel normal, you can experiment with more advanced examples like citrus-infused vinegar or leftover-oil soap.

FAQ: Real questions about homemade dish soap examples

What are some simple examples of homemade dish soap I can try today?
Some of the easiest examples of homemade dish soap you can try right away include a diluted castile soap mix (1 part castile, 3–4 parts water) in a reused bottle, a baking soda paste for tough pans, and a store-bought solid dish bar paired with a wooden brush. These require little to no special equipment and dramatically cut down on plastic.

Can you give an example of a homemade dish soap that works for very greasy dishes?
A strong example of a homemade dish soap for greasy dishes is a coconut-heavy solid bar used together with a citrus-infused vinegar spray. You spray the greasy pan with the vinegar blend, let it sit for a few minutes, then scrub using the solid soap bar and a stiff brush. This combo handles most everyday grease without synthetic detergents.

Are these examples of homemade dish soap safe for septic systems?
Most simple recipes—like castile soap, solid bars made from plant oils, baking soda, and diluted vinegar—are generally considered septic-friendly because they’re biodegradable and used in small amounts. That said, septic systems can vary, so it’s smart to check local guidance or consult your system’s manufacturer. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) offers general information on septic system care that can help you think through what you put down the drain: https://www.epa.gov/septic

Do these real examples work in dishwashers?
Most examples of homemade dish soap are designed for handwashing, not dishwashers. Liquid soaps and homemade mixes can create too many suds and potentially damage your machine. If you want a lower-waste dishwasher option, look for powder or tablet detergents in cardboard or metal packaging rather than trying to run homemade liquid soap through the machine.

What if my homemade dish soap leaves a film on glasses?
This is a common complaint. If you see film or streaks, try one or more of these tweaks:

• Use slightly less soap per sinkful of water.
• Add a quick vinegar rinse (a small splash of vinegar in a basin of clean water) before air-drying.
• Experiment with a different example of homemade dish soap, such as switching from a very oily bar to a more coconut-forward formula.

With a little testing, you’ll land on the best examples for your water, your cookware, and your personal preferences.

The big takeaway: there is no single perfect zero-waste dish soap. Instead, there are many real-world examples of homemade dish soap examples for zero-waste living that you can mix and match. Start with one simple recipe, pay attention to what works in your kitchen, and let your routine evolve. That’s how zero-waste living becomes a habit, not a chore.