Dish soap: Perfect for defrosting ice and even unclogging toilets

We use dish washing liquid every day to wash up our plates and cutlery, and plenty of people use it as a multi-purpose cleaner, soaping up anything from their tiles to outdoor brickwork.

There are, however, also some unexpected uses for dishwashing liquid that you might’ve never thought of before.

Hair shampoo

Plenty of people swear that using dish soap in your hair once a month will give you flawless locks. Dish soap works by removing oil build-up in your hair, giving you a fresh canvas to work with when you put on hair products. It’s recommended that you don’t use this method more than once a month, though, as it will dry out your hair. This isn’t recommended for those with delicate locks! 

Preventing ice

If you live in cold temperatures or simply want to stop your freezer from developing excessive ice, use dish soap by rubbing it on the areas you’d like to keep free from ice. The dishwashing liquid will stop ice from forming temporarily, so you will need to be consistent with this method if you want long-term results.

For driveways and stairs, mix a large dollop of dish soap in a bucket of hot water and cover your problem areas with it. For the inside of your freezer, mix a cup of water with a squirt of dish soap and wipe it on the inside of your freezer, making sure you don’t miss any areas.

Jewellery cleaner

Dish soap cleans most things and jewellery is no exception. You can make a great jewellery cleaner with just two ingredients.

Mix 2 cups of seltzer water and 1 teaspoon of dish soap in a container for about five minutes. Use the mixture to scrubbing excess dirt from your costume jewellery with a toothbrush, then make sure you pat down the pieces with paper towel. It’s important to make sure it’s completely dry to avoid your jewellery tarnishing.

Stain removal

Believe it or not, dishwashing liquid is perfect for removing stains from clothing, especially dark colours. To use it for this purpose, squirt some of the dish soap on the stain and rub it gently with a toothbrush.

Wash it in your washing machine immediately afterward and watch your clothes come out stain-free. This method is particularly useful for removing grease and oil stains.

Unclogging your toilet

It’s a disgusting job to do but we all have to deal with a clogged toilet at one point or another. Before going down the plunger route, try this easy method using dish soap.

Measure out 1 cup of dishwashing liquid and pour it into your clogged toilet. Let it sit for 15 minutes, then flush it with 4 litres of hot water. If this method doesn’t work, it’s time to get out the plunger!

Have you used dishwashing liquid for anything else we have not listed? What is your go-to cleaning product?