Making homemade cleaners is a possible way that many homeowners can save money. It’s convenient to pick items out of the pantry and prepare something with a bit of measuring and mixing. However, you will find plenty of things you shouldn’t mix.
One of the more common things you may encounter is mixing Dawn and vinegar. Even here, two sides think it is safe to mix vinegar and dawn dish soap, while others are unsure. However, you may think there isn’t an issue as you can use dawn dish soap in place of commercial insecticidal soaps formulated to be used on plants.
However, things aren’t that simple. In our guide, you can learn what happens when mixing vinegar and dish soap. While you won’t get a dangerous byproduct like dangerous chlorine gas if mixing bleach, there could be a chemical reaction. By the end, you’ll know more about using Dawn dishwashing liquids and vinegar.
You may also find a few different reasons you should mix dishwashing liquids and why you shouldn’t mix your favorite natural dish soap. (Read Does Vinegar Kill Weeds Permanently)
Vinegar Doesn’t Mix With Everything
Vinegar is a fantastic all-purpose cleaner, and there are a plethora of homemade cleaning methods that utilize vinegar.
However, vinegar is an acidic liquid that rarely mixes well with other substances. Therefore, one of the three combinations above has the potential to produce a dangerous byproduct.
Vinegar & Hydrogen Peroxide:
Peracetic Acid is a type of peroxide. While it may be tempting to combine these two natural disinfectants, doing so produces peracetic acid, a caustic acid that is irritating to the skin and eyes.
Instead, you can mix them individually to make a highly efficient disinfection duo at home. Just don’t mix them in the same spray container!
Vinegar & Baking Soda
Sodium Acetate & Water is safe as vinegar, and baking soda’s acidic and alkaline properties cancel each other out.
However, experts feel this mix isn’t effective. Instead, it can lead to a solution that resembles salt water after all the fizzing and chemical reaction.
An alternative can be baking soda and lemon juice, which effectively measures soap scum buildup.
Mix White Vinegar & Liquid Castile Soap
This is a combo that is neither hazardous nor useful. But, again, these two components cancel each other out (one being acid and the other base).
Both vinegar and castile soap are popular green cleaners, but adding vinegar to castile soap turns it hazy white and lumpy.
The soap will degrade and become oily and curdled, rendering it useless for cleaning.
Careful When Mixing Bleach
Bleach doesn’t show in many cleaning formulations, yet it is used for cleaning most surfaces.
You’ll find it used to clean the toilet bowl and more where there are tough stains.
However, bleach should never be mixed with anything else, or you can create dangerous chlorine gas.
Here are examples of where and why not mix bleach with other chemicals.
Bleach & Ammonia
Together, you end up with toxic Chlorine Gas, and inhaling this toxic chlorine gas can lead to shortness of breath, chest pains, throat burns, and other respiratory harm.
Bleach & Vinegar
Toxic chloramine vapors are released when you mix vinegar and bleach. You can end up coughing, watery eyes, and lung and eye damage.
Bleach & Rubbing Alcohol
Mixing these leads to another lung irritant where vapors cause nausea and dizziness along with damage to the lungs, eyes, and the nervous system
Something as simple as drinking grapefruit juice on top of medicine can have adverse effects. (Learn How To Unclog A Toilet Clogged With Baby Wipes)
What Happens If You Mix Dish Soap And Vinegar?
Here you can find the first contention to mix dish washing liquids with vinegar.
Many claim you shouldn’t mix a quality liquid dish detergent with vinegar as they could be at opposite ends of the pH scale.
For example, when Palmolive dish soap is mixed, vinegar cancel the cleaning power as one is acidic and the other alkaline.
You can also find out if you will use the combination for washing dishes. For example, some suggest washing with soap, such as your Palmolive dish soap, before dipping into vinegar water as your rinse.
Using dish soap and vinegar this way, you find that if you use enough dawn dish detergent, it will quickly be dissolving grime, and the soap will get grease, oil, etc., off your dishes.
After dissolving tough grime, dipping into vinegar water kills most germs.
Can You Mix Vinegar and Blue Dawn Dish Washing Detergent?
- This mix works wonders if you want to prevent soap scum buildup in your tub or on your shower doors.
- Add equal parts Dawn and vinegar to a spray bottle and shake gently.
- If you have really tough deposits, you can heat the white distilled vinegar in the microwave before mixing.
Can You Mix Hydrogen Peroxide, Vinegar, and Baking Soda?
Rather than following those who suggest washing with soap or Dawn liquid dish detergent, baking soda, vinegar, and hydrogen peroxide are better to kill most germs.
You can find a more effective homemade cleaners to wipe shower doors naturally using white distilled vinegar and baking soda with a dash of hydrogen peroxide.
Can You Mix Palmolive and White Vinegar?
- Use one cup Dawn dish soap and 3 cups of distilled white vinegar.
- Add the White vinegar to the liquid soap, close the spray bottle, and shake.
- If you don’t have blue Dawn dish soap, you can use Palmolive dish soap.
- Using the same spray bottle, spray onto soap scum and let it sit on the surfaces while dish soap and vinegar melt soap scum.
- Wipe down with a damp cloth or rinse the dawn dish soap mix.
Can You Mix Dawn And Baking Soda?
- Form a paste with 1/2 cup baking soda and enough Dawn dish detergent to make a soft scrub.
- Mix 2 tablespoons of white vinegar, 1 to 2/3 cup baking soda, 1/2 cup castile soap or other high-quality liquid dish detergent, and 1/2 cup water.
- Stir till dissolved.
- Add the Dawn soap mix to scum and mildew. Use a sponge soaked in the mix, and the soap will get grease, oil, etc., off most surfaces.
- Baking soda, and vinegar can sit a while before rinsing, and use a damp cloth to wipe away.
Can You Mix Baking Soda and Hydrogen Peroxide?
If you wish to clean them, combine equal parts baking soda and hydrogen peroxide in a spray bottle and spray them over white fabric or hard surfaces. (Learn How To Unclog A Bathtub Drain With Vinegar)
Scrub the stains carefully with hot water, and they will come off.
On glass top stoves and kitchen appliances, the same mixture works.
Can You Mix Vinegar and Detergent?
You can use both vinegar and laundry detergent in the same load, but make sure you don’t mix soap with the white vinegar.
If you’re using detergent, add your vinegar to the rinse cycle. Otherwise, your clothes may become oily.
What Happens if You Mix Baking Soda And Dish Soap?
A chemical reaction does not occur when mixed with warm water, soap detergent, and baking soda.
When citric acid is added to the mix, however, a reaction happens, resulting in the formation of carbon dioxide, which causes the bubbles observed in the suds.
If you washing dishes with stubborn stains, the baking soda can cut through the tough stain as the soap breaks down oils.
What Can’t White Vinegar Be Mixed With?
It’s also crucial to carefully combine vinegar with other substances. For example, never mix vinegar with other cleaning chemicals like bleach, ammonia, or blue window cleaning products like Windex. Doing so could release deadly chlorine gas.
Where Else Can I Use Dawn Dish Soap?
At a 2% concentration, Dawn liquid dish detergent is an effective alternative to commercial insecticidal soaps for killing and repelling insects like aphids, mites, and scale from plants.
However, as Dawn is not designed for use on plants, you need to treat a small area first before using your spray bottle.
Depending on the outcome, you can reduce the concentration, or you may need a different insect repellant.
How To Make
- Mix 2 1/2 tablespoons detergent in 1 gallon of water to make a 1 percent Dawn soap spray solution.
- For each 1 percent, you want to strengthen the solution, add another 2 1/2 tablespoons per gallon, up to a 4 percent mixture.
- Use one-fourth of the detergent amount and 1 quart of water to make a smaller batch of soap solution.
Alternative Use of White Vinegar and Dish Soap
All the above can be effective in the home and garden. However, there is one area you can use dish soap and vinegar with your trusty spray bottle.
Hand pulling weeds is usually the best option, but I recognize that herbicides are sometimes necessary.
But for small outbreaks or perimeter weeds, I favor non-chemical solutions.
Fortunately, a quick and easy natural solution using cupboard products can do the trick. True, but
Weed Killer Recipe
- 1-gallon white vinegar
- 1 cup of salt
- 1 tbsp liquid dish soap
To get the most remarkable results, combine the components in a spray bottle and apply them to weeds during the sunniest part of the day.
A combination of vinegar, salt, and liquid dish soap offers all the elements needed to quickly kill weeds as a natural alternative to herbicides.
The vinegar’s acetic acid and the salt’s sodium chloride effectively draw moisture from weeds.
Dish soap functions as a surfactant, a substance that lowers surface tension, allowing the weed-killing mixture to bead on the leaves rather than being absorbed by the plant.
The consequences of this DIY spray will be seen in a matter of hours on a hot, sunny day when weeds turn brown and wither.
The outcomes can be quick, depending on the weeds and the season.
However, there are drawbacks. Because this mixture is not designed to work its way into the root system like specific chemical solutions, many applications will probably be required to keep weeds at bay. (Read Does Vinegar Repel Deer)
When seeking a speedy treatment, sunlight is crucial, and the 5% acetic acid in most household vinegar may fall short of expectations against tougher weeds.
Keeping a spray bottle of this homemade solution on hand is an affordable and efficient weapon against weeds that may appear along walkways, fences, or house foundations, despite its shortcomings.
Spray only the weeds you want to kill, not the soil or neighboring plants. Ensure there is no wind and wear protective goggles as you spray as it could cause eye irritation.
