Amazing Dish Soap Hacks

#1 Green your lawn

Fill the reservoir of a 10- or 20-gallon hose-end sprayer with water and 12-ounce can of beer or non-diet cola, 1 cup of corn syrup or molasses or household ammonia, or 1/2 cup mouthwash—and 1 cup of dishwashing liquid. The dishwashing liquid helps spread the concoction more evenly across your lawn, and as an added bonus, helps it stick to individual blades of grass. Water your lawn approximately every three weeks, and watch your neighbors turn green with envy—like your lawn.

#2 Unclog your toilet

If your toilet is clogged, a cup of dish soap might do the trick. Wait about 10 minutes after adding the soap and then pour a bowl of hot water into the toilet and flush once. Your clog should now be cleared!

#3 Hair Product Build-up

Once a month use Dawn dish soap as you would shampoo. It will remove excess oil from your hair and scalp and strip away any build-up of styling products without any damage. Perform this once a month and you won’t have to buy expensive salon products that do the same thing.

#4 Repel Ants

Spray counter-tops, cupboards and any other area where you see ants with a solution of Dawn soap and water. Wipe dry. The slight soapy residue that remains will not be a problem at all for kids or pets, but ants hate it. Should you see a trail of ants, go ahead and hit them with the Dawn soap spray.

#5 Keep it cool

Clean your foam or metal mesh air conditioner filters once a month during the summer—or whenever you routinely use your AC—with dishwashing liquid. Soak the filter in a bath of warm water and dish soap, then scrub it gently with a toothbrush. Once you've removed any debris, rinse it and dry it completely. Put it back in the air conditioner, and enjoy a sweat-free day with cleaner air.

#6 Weed Killer

This is a wonderfully safe and affordable alternative to harsh weeding chemicals. Add a squirt of dish soap to a clean, empty spray bottle, then add 1/2 cup salt. Fill the rest of the way with another Clean My Space staple—vinegar!

Just spray this solution directly on any weeds, or in weed-prone areas. Do be careful to contain it, though—it’s non-toxic, but will kill any plant you spray it on.

#7 Bubbles

According to Bubbles.org, Dawn dish soap makes great homemade bubbles. Here is a recipe for “giant bubbles” used in bubble makers at many children’s museums.

Mix together 1/2 cup Ultra Dawn soap, 1/2 gallon of warm water, and 1 tablespoon glycerin, which should be available at any drug store. (White Karo syrup works in place of glycerin, if you have that on hand!) Stir gently. Skim the foam off the top of the solution, as too much foam will break down the bubbles. Dip your bubble wand and get ready for some good, clean fun!

#8 Wash your pets

A warm bath with a little dish soap is a great way to wash away the grease and bacteria from your pet's fur.

#9 Batik art

Dish soap is a main ingredient for this beautiful, colorful artwork. Fill a bowl with milk and add different food coloring. Now, soak a cotton swab in soap and put it in the bowl. Kids will be amazed by what happens!

#10 Pre-Manicure Soak

Here’s a handy tip for those, like me, who have a fascination with nail polish! Before you apply your polish, soak your fingertips for five to seven minutes in a mixture of 1 part dish soap and 20 parts warm water. This will remove some of the oils from your nails and make it easier for the the nail polish to apply evenly!

#11 Banish oil stains from concrete.

If you spy a spot on your garage floor, cover the stain with baking soda and then pour some dish liquid over it. Scrub with a plastic brush, and let everything sit for a few hours. Rinse and repeat until the stain is gone.

#12 Shine your jewelry.

A little dish soap mixed with seltzer is a quick way to clean your baubles — the bubbles help loosen dirt and help the soap get into tiny nooks and crannies. Combine the seltzer and soap in a bowl, soak the jewelry for five minutes, and then swish it through the suds. Use a soft toothbrush to scrub out any stubborn grime.

#13 Clean Hairbrushes

Add just a bit of dishwashing liquid to warm water and easily work away hairbrush buildup.

#14 Cleaning of Blinds

Blinds are the nemesis of many who hate taking them down to clean. While it's still not a favorite chore, you can make it easier as dish soap is one of the best choices to get blinds clean.

#15 Cabinets

Cabinets are hard to clean. Not only does your kitchen probably have a ton of them, but they get dirty. Grease and spills from your kitchen tend to stick to the wood, covering them in a nasty film. Thankfully, there's no better grease fighter than dish soap, so a few drops of this in a bucket of hot water should do the trick.

#16 Clean the BBQ Grill

Brush your grill surfaces with dishwashing liquid to clean it, just as you would your pots and pans.

#17 Get rid of fleas in carpeting:

Put a tablespoon in a spray bottle, mix with water, and spray on carpet to kill insects.

#18 Remove Soot from Fireplace Bricking

Heads up — this will take some serious scrubbing. If you can't get rid of the soot stains on your fireplace's external bricking, try mixing equal parts dishwashing liquid and salt, recommends HowtoCleanStuff.net. Add a small amount of water to soap-salt mixture to achieve a scrub or paste consistency, then spread the mixture on the soot stain, and let it dry for 10-15 minutes. Use a brush to scrub away the soot then wash the area clean with water. Voilá, your fireplace looks like new!

#19 Prevent poison ivy from spreading:

Poison ivy rashes spread through oil, so wash the affected area with Dawn to prevent it from spreading to other parts of your body.

#20 Clean your wheels

It's not easy to remove brake dust from the wheels of your car, but a mixture of warm water and dish soap will do the job with just a light scrubbing.

#21 Take care of oily skin:

Use a dime size amount on face with warm water, and wash it off. It will extract excess oils from your face.

#22 Wash extra dye from hair:

If you dyed your hair too dark, wash with Dawn to lighten the color.

#23 Create tie-dye art:

Put milk and a few drops of food coloring on a paper plate. Dip a cotton swab in Dawn and then dip the cotton swab into the center of the plate to watch the magic happen.

#24 Lift makeup stains:

If you spill a bottle of liquid foundation or get makeup on your clothes, it will easily come out by rubbing hot water and Dawn on the surface.

#25 Multi-Purpose Cleaner

Merry Maids recommends using a drop of Dawn soap in 8 ounces water to clean ceramic tile and no-wax/linoleum floors. You can also use the spray on:

Bathroom and kitchen counters and sinks

Woodwork, like baseboards, shelves, and wainscoting (Make sure to dry as you go; wood doesn’t like prolonged contact with water.)

Tubs and toilet seats

#26 Make Your Own Ice Pack

Double bag a ziplock sandwich bag and add your dish soap to the innermost bag, sealing both tightly. According to LifeHacker, the dish soap turns into gel consistency when frozen and is able to contour to the body where needed.

#27 Launder hand-washable clothing.

In a pinch, you can use a tablespoon of dish soap in place of the detergent you use to hand wash delicates.

#28 Clean the bathroom

Save some elbow grease the next time you clean your bathroom. Pour equal parts of dish soap and white vinegar into a spray bottle and shake to mix. Spray the mixture on your bathtub, sink and toilet, and let it sit. Rinse away after about 15 minutes and your surfaces will be clean — no scrubbing needed.

#29 Clean your blender

Forget about taking your blender apart to wash it thoroughly. Instead, fill it partway with warm water and dishwashing detergent, cover it, and run it for a few seconds. Empty it, rinse it, air-dry it, and call it a day.

#30 Glass Cleaner

Diluted dish soap can be used to clean glass surfaces, and it's the best one to use on really dirty glass. Try using diluted dish soap to thoroughly clean glass before going back over the surface with a glass cleaner to shine it up. If you use a squeegee with your dish soap on glass, glass cleaner may be unnecessary.