DIY Natural Dish Soap That Actually Cuts Grease

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Last Updated on March 18, 2025 by Kiersten James, BS, RN

This DIY natural dish soap is easy to make, budget friendly, and tough on grease. As an added bonus, it also smells great, keeps your hands soft, and lasts a long time.

I originally started making my own dish soap for a few main reasons. I wanted to save money, I wanted to reduce toxic exposure (my Hashimotos and eczema was SO bad at the time), and it would be one less thing I needed to rely on the store for.

Well…if you’ve ever tried making natural dish soap, you might have noticed an annoying problem…it doesn’t work. Maybe it was a “me” issue but I absolutely could not find one that I liked and that worked well enough to make a permanent switch.

A lot of homemade recipes left greasy streaks on dishes making me scrub twice as hard with double the amount of soap. It just wasn’t worth it.

The good news is that I’ve finally adapted a blend of ingredients that actually work and cleans just as well as commercial brands – without the chemicals.

Why Most Natural Dish Soaps Don’t Work

Most natural dish soaps don’t contain enough grease cutting properties to tackle oils, butter, and baked-on messes. This is because a lot of the recipes rely on Castile soap alone.

While Castile soap is gentle and low-toxin, it doesn’t have the degreasing power needed to break down the oils. Instead of lifting the grease up off of the dishes, it just spreads around leaving dishes feeling gross.

Another issue is pH balance.

Store bought dish soaps are slightly alkaline which helps dissolve grease. Many DIY recipes don’t account for pH levels at all which, again, makes them less effective.

Ingredient Secret Sauce

The (not so secret) secret to an effective natural dish soap is balancing cleansing agents with degreasers. This is what I use:

• Sal Suds – A powerful grease cutting cleaner that’s biodegradable and safe for skin. Unlike Castile soap, it lifts grease instead of smearing it around.
• Washing Soda – An alkaline booster that helps dissolve oils and food grime.
• White Vinegar – Naturally cuts grease, removes odors, and helps soap rinse clean.
• Lemon Essential Oil – Another natural degreaser that also fights bacteria and adds a fresh scent.
• Vegetable Glycerin – Helps keep hands from drying out while acting as a slight thickener.

How to Make a Grease Fighting Natural Dish Soap

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Sal Suds
• 1 tablespoon washing soda
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 15 drops lemon essential oil
• 1 tablespoon vegetable glycerin
• 1 ½ cups warm water

Instructions:

1. In a mason jar or bowl, dissolve the washing soda in the warm water. You might have to stir it a bit to encourage break down.
2. Add Sal Suds, white vinegar, and vegetable glycerin to the washing soda mixture. Stir gently to combine.
3. Add the lemon essential oil.
4. Pour into a pump dispenser.
5. This soap works just like the ones from the store. Squeeze a little onto a sponge or cloth, scrub dishes, and rinse.

Tips for the Best Results

• Shake before using – Natural soaps can separate over time. Just give the bottle a quick shake before each use.
• Use hot water for extra grease fighting power – The combination of heat and soap lifts grease more easily.
• Store in a pump bottle – Helps control how much soap you use and makes it last longer.
• Adjust as needed – If you have hard water, add a little more vinegar. If you want a thicker soap, increase the vegetable glycerin.

Is This Soap Safe for Septic Systems?

Yes! This soap is biodegradable and absolutely safe for septic systems.

A lot of commercial brands contain synthetic detergents and petroleum-based surfactants but Sal Suds and vinegar both break down naturally.

More Natural Housekeeping

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Steak Free Granite Cleaner

DIY All Purpose Floor Cleaner (Smells SO Good)

DIY Natural Toilet Bombs

Save It For Later!

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