No washing up liquid? Here are some alternatives you can use instead
Despite the fact that most of us do the washing up every day, it is often an afterthought. We're usually so busy thinking about the food that we forget we're going to have to clean all the dishes up afterwards, and this is why people often find themselves without any washing up liquid. But what do you do in this situation? Well, if you've run out of washing up liquid then don't panic, there are plenty of alternatives you can try using things you'll probably have around the house. Let's take a look at what you can try:
Diluted citrus juices (with a pinch of bicarb)
If you've got lemons or limes in the house, you can very easily make an excellent alternative to washing up liquid. Just squeeze a few teaspoons of lemon or lime juice into a cup with some hot water, and if you've got bicarbonate of soda in the house add a teaspoon of that too. The citrus acid in the juice of these fruits is antibacterial, making it absolutely perfect for washing dishes. The bicarbonate of soda adds a bit of bubbling and texture to make it even easier to scrub your plates. Honestly, once you've tried this homemade mix for washing your dishes, you might not go back to washing up liquid!
Shampoo (made with natural ingredients)
We mean it! It might seem very strange to use shampoo to wash your dishes, but again it's all about diluting it - you only need to mix a very small amount (about a tablespoon) with 500ml of hot water, and you'll have a pretty powerful, grime-busting solution which will work very similarly to washing up liquid. Some people will recommend using any type of shampoo for this, but we'd actually say that you should try to only use a shampoo which has been made from natural ingredients such as the Original Source range (pictured). Give it a shot!
A bar of soap
Before washing up liquid was launched, people would usually wash their dishes with just a simple bar of soap. And this still works really well! The molecules in the soap bind to dirt and bacteria, which applies to both dirt on the skin and the sort of dirt and bacteria you find on plates after dinner. The key here is ensuring that you clean the soap off really well, because nobody wants their next dinner to taste soapy.
Anything else to mention?
Yes, if you've got any amount of washing up liquid left in a bottle (even a tiny amount), dilute it with water and use that. Washing up liquid contains detergent molecules which can cut through grease and grime, and this is what makes it so effective. So as good as our above suggestions are, a diluted washing up liquid is going to be even more effective.
So hopefully we've proven that you don't need washing up liquid to get sparkling plates! Let us know what washing up liquid alternatives you've tried in the comments!
Finn H
Finn is the editor of You Well and has been writing about travel, health, and more for over 10 years.