Dawn is something that I keep on hand all of the time. One thing I love is if I can find double duty for something I have already.
I don’t like having to make a trip to the store for something, and I’d much rather find a home remedy or another use for something I actually already have.
From ant repellent to removing the skunk smell from an over-curious dog, There are so many amazing ways you can use blue Dawn dish soap besides just washing your dishes!
Dawn Dishwashing Liquid has so many uses that I couldn’t begin to list them all! I LOVE that they even found out this versatile product is used to save wildlife when there are oil spills, too!
12 Everyday Uses For Dawn Dishwashing Liquid
If you have any tips to share about other Dawn detergent uses for everyday items or things most of us have on hand right now, please leave those in the comments!
Everyone loves a new tip, so don’t keep it to yourself! Share them with all of us!
Here are just 12 of the uses for Dawn detergent. Do you know others? If so, please share them in the comments!
1. Liquid Laundry Detergent:
Not only does Dawn soap make a great cleaner for greasy food stains there are many cleaning products you can replace with dawn dish detergent, including Laundry detergent.
You’ll need:
- 1 bottle of Dawn Dishwashing Liquid
- 2 boxes of Baking Soda
- 5 gallons of clean water
Instructions:
Mix together well:
1 bottle of Dawn
2 boxes of Baking Soda
5 gallons water
There you have your own liquid laundry detergent for your washing machine.
2. Bubbles:
You’ll need:
- 1 cup of corn syrup
- 2 2/3 cups Dawn Dishwashing Liquid
- 6 cups water
- 6 glow sticks – optional
Instructions:
For this bubble solution, mix 1 cup of corn syrup into 6 cups of water.
Add 2 2/3 cups Dawn.
Mix the mixture of dawn well without creating bubbles while mixing.
To make these homemade bubbles glow in the dark bubbles add 6 glow sticks.
All you need to make this better is a bubble wand.
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3. Carpet Cleaner:
All you have to do to clean your carpet in an easy yet effective way is to make this carpet cleaning mixture. The best part is you only need Dawn liquid soap, white vinegar, and water!
All you have to do is mix 1 teaspoon of Dawn dishwashing liquid, 1 tablespoon vinegar, and 1 gallon of warm water.
That makes a great carpet cleaner.
4. Remove Skunk Smell From Dogs:
You have heard all your life, or not, that you need to soak a dog in tomato juice to get rid of the skunk scent sprayed on them. That may be true, but you can use Dawn and have much less of a mess n your hands.
All you need to do is soap your pup up with Dawn dishwashing liquid and rinse 2-3 times to get rid of the smell.
You might want to use a scented Dawn to help with this one. Side Note: Why do you never hear of cats getting “skunked”? Are they a bit smarter than dogs about skunks?
5. Cuticle Softener:
We’ve all been to the nail salon and had them soften our cuticles in that little bowl of liquid. It’s actually usually just a bit of shampoo and warm water they use to soften your cuticles to where they can push them back more easily.
So, you can do this at home with Dawn. Just mix a little bit of dawn dish soap in warm water and soak your fingertips in the soapy water. This will soften cuticles, so you push them back yourself and/or nip them.
6. DIY Ice Pack:
It’s always a good idea to have a few ice packs in the freezer, just in case, especially if you have kids (or a husband… ijs…)
Fill a plastic freezer bag (not all the way. Leave room for the mixture to freeze) with 2 parts Dawn and 1 part Rubbing Alcohol and freeze. It’s just that simple to make a homemade ice pack that can be frozen repeatedly.
7. Ant Repellent:
I live in Texas, and we have ants like no one’s business. But luckily, you can use Dawn to make an ant repellent.
Just mix a couple of drops of dawn dish soap with warm water in a spray bottle. Spray mixture on countertops and clean counters. The thin residue left on the counters repels any trail of ants.
8. Kid’s Wading Pool:
Kids love to swim in kiddie pools on hot days. But keeping it full means it gets grungy, and emptying it every time leaves yuck on it,. Luckily there’s a solution! You guessed it: The easy way is Dawn.
Scrub down the sides and bottom of a plastic wading pool with a scrub brush and Dawn to keep it clean and fresh. Any bubbles left when you fill the pool are a bonus!
Using other harsh chemicals can leave a residue that can be harmful to the pool and the children.
9. Laundry Pre-Treater:
Dawn was made to remove grease from your dishes. It does the same to oil-based or grease stains on your clothes, making it a great pre-treater.
Apply Dawn directly to stains, scrub the stains with a toothbrush, add to your laundry and wash as you normally would.
10. Eyeglass Lens Defogger:
You can also use Dawn dish soap to keep your eyeglasses from fogging up, too!
Place 1 drop of Dawn on your lenses, rub it in and then clean them off – there will be a fine coating left on your lenses that will keep them from fogging up.
11. Grill Cleaner:
Soak your grill racks overnight in Dawn mixed in a bucket of hot water, then finish the job with a wire brush. This is also a great way to clean other dirty tools.
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Pet Flea Killer:
Bathe your pets in Dawn to kill fleas. It’s much gentler than flea shampoo and works great for regular shampoo for dogs! Just let it sit on the skin for about 5 minutes and then rinse well.
Leaving any sort of shampoo or soap residue on your pet’s skin can cause itching, and flaking, so be sure to rinse thoroughly.
Do you know of other uses for Dawn Dishwashing Liquid? If so, please share in the comments below!
For more clever reuse ideas, check out our full guide: Clever Ways to Reuse What You Already Have.
Kimberly says
Excellent of heavily soiled jeans. My husband is a cattle archer/ farmer. And Dawn helps remove cow poop,blood grass sains and oil from his jeans.
Dian says
Kimberly,
Yes! It’s great for stains!
Thanks for sharing!
Dian
Laura says
I saw a hint on a website/blog last year that Dawn could be used as laundry detergent straight out of the bottle. The recommended amount was 1tsp. It sounds crazy but I have been using it for over 6 months and am amazed at how great my laundry comes out, particularly the towels. Very soft, and fluffy, much more absorbent.
Dian says
Laura,
Great tip!! Thanks for sharing!
Dian
Jt says
Dawn also works great for coating your plumbing pipes when used….
Dian says
Jt,
Great tip, thanks for sharing!
Dian
Macey says
For the laundry deterg can you use in HE machines, and should I assume that for the laundry that it is the 9 oz bottle shown for the 5 gallon soap?
also do you have a recipe for bug spray on garden veggie plants? and for weed control?
Dian says
Macey,
I don’t have an HE so, I am not sure. I read that some people are using it in HE, but very little as it suds too much if you use more than like 1/2 tsp.
The 9 oz is what you need for the 5 gallon soap.
I don’t have a recipe for garden pest or weed control.. yet… my daughter and I are working on hers and looking for something so, I will keep everyone posted here!
I hope that helps!
Dian
remona johnston says
i use dawn as following to remove just about any type of stain there is; place stain in shallow container-wet with water and cover stain with blue dawn. use clean toothbrush and scrub stain to get dawn into fabric. next cover stain with baking soda and scrub again(use plenty). pour peroxide onto the baking soda. it will foam and you want to get the stain wet. keep water in the base of the dish(just enough to keep fabric damp) do not let it dry!! repeat process until stain is removed. it mayy take several hours but it works!
Dian says
Remona,
Great tip! Thanks for sharing!
Dian
Benita Belbin says
I would be careful putting this on a color garment. As peroxide and baking soda both will work like bleach. They will fade your garment.
Dian says
Benita,
Thanks for the heads up!
Dian
carrie says
You shouldn’t use it as laundry soap. It will eventually built up. Soap is not made for laundry you need detergent. It will also mess up the sensors on your washer. Any type of homemade laundry soap is not good. You can’t buy ingredients that will properly clean your clothes.
patricia reiner says
i use dawn dish soap for everything but best thing is for killing weeds dawn dish soap, apple cider vinegar, and salt. starts killing weeds within 15 minutes
Dian says
Patricia,
What a great tip! Thanks!
Dian
Gail halcomb says
Use Dawn as a flea shampoo for my dogs does great
Dian says
Gail,
What a tip!
Thanks,
Dian
Sara Billiet says
My husband works in a factory swears by Dawn dish washing soap to remove grease and grime from his hands.
kimberly says
this site is so awesome
Dian says
Kimberly,
Thanks so much for the kind words!
Dian
brystle says
Love multiple use items. Anything to save money. With a family of 10 it’s hard.
Di says
1 gallon of white vinegar, 1 cup of table salt & 1 teaspoon of Dawn is a great vegetation killer.
Dian says
Di,
Thanks for sharing – that’s a great one!
Dian
Crystal says
As a fly killer for animals: dawn, Apple cider vinegar and rubbing alcohol or vodka (if you are afraid they will lick it). Works great!!!!
Dian says
Crystal,
Awesome tip!
Thanks for sharing!
Dian
Ashley says
I use it to clean my son’s baseball pants after those especially nasty games! His white pants are white again. I take Dawn and squirt a small amount on the red dirt stains. Then I wet a toothbrush in water and scrub in circles. Stains come out. I don’t have to worry about the blue piping on them getting bleached or having to scrub forever with other cleaners.
Dian says
Ashley,
Great tip! Thanks for sharing – I hadn’t thought of using it that way before!
Thanks,
Dian
Alisa says
My sister keeps a bottle of Dawn in every shower. It helps wash off any of the poison ivy oils her family may have encountered.
Dian says
Alisa,
Great tip! Thanks!
Dian
Debby says
Every few weeks my daughter washes her hair with Dawn. It helps with the build up on her scalp from not washing her hair thoroughly with her regular shampooing. My sister is a hair dresser and suggested it! Also, for kids with blonde hair that turns green in the pool mix a small amount of Dawn and baking soda and make a paste to cover their hair. Let sit for 10 mins and rinse. The green washes out of their hair!
Dian says
Debby,
What great tips!
Thanks!
Dian
David Mckim says
Fyi, 3:1 solution of dawn and water is a great degreaser under your cars hood! Spray on all greasy parts of your COOL engine, and rinse with ample water pressure! Dealerships do the same with trade-ins. That’s how they do it!
Dian says
David,
Great Tip!
Thanks!
Dian
marsha says
Dawn dish soap ans a TINY dab of bleach in the power washer will clean your vinyl siding and take the green mold off a house
Dian says
Marsha,
That’s a GREAT TIP!
Thanks,
Dian
Barbara Burkett says
Dawn (Blue) takes pen ink out of clothing…put straight on ink let sit and scrub…may need to do a few times if really bad…..be care where you sit, I sat on my washer and it took paint off
Dian says
Barbara,
Great tip! Thanks for sharing!
Dian
Sunflower Jones says
I use Dawn as shampoo and my hair is softer than regular shampoo. I even notice I have a little over half less gray hair.
Dian says
Sunflower,
Thanks for sharing!
Dian
tara says
Does anyone think of the harm that this detergent can cause over time? This stuff break down oil, removes blood, kills fleas, and decreases. And we clean our dishes in this stuff and then eat off of them. Thank goodness I don’t have to use this stuff anymore
Michelle Duran says
About a year ago my then 5year old got lice from someone in her kindergarden class. One day we were bathing the dog with dawn and my husband tells me to try the dawn on Valerie’s hair, he said if it works on fleas its gotta kill lice. I had already used that RID shampoo but she still had them so I was actually Picking them out by hand everyday after school, it was a nightmare. Anyway long story short I washed her hair with dawn and it worked beautifully. It killed all of them so I made everyone in the house wash their hair with it. We all had lice,omg!!! We still use it at least once a month just in case.
Dian says
Michelle,
Great tip! Thanks so much for sharing!
Dian
Tiffeny says
1. It works great for fleas on pets. One note… Suds a ring around the pets neck first. When you start washing their body, the fleas automatically race for the animals head. I don’t know why, but my groomer told me that. They use it for fleas at their store.
2. Add one tablespoon of dawn and one tablespoon of rubbing alcohol to a gallon of warm water to prevent snow/ice on sidewalk/drive. It will also melt snow/already accumulated. It worked great for me last week. So much better than everyone tracking in salt.
Dian says
Tiffeny,
Great Tips! Thanks!
Dian
BEtH says
Original Dawn is the preferred choice of spinners to get the grease out of freshly shorn sheeps’ wool– work’s wonderfully!!
Dian says
Beth,
Wow! That’s a fun fact! Thanks!
Dian
Joni says
I use for hair to remove build up once a week. 3 tablespoons dawn, 1 cup vinegar, fill,with water in 32 oz spray bottle. Leaves hair soft. I do this approx. 2 days prior to getting hair colored. Color works better with lack of build up from styling products.
Greasy spots on clothing.
Great soap scum remover in showers and tubs. Wet area, wipe on pure dawn with sponge. Let set for 30-60 min., wet again, wipe down and rinse.
Dian says
Joni,
Thanks for the tips!
Dian
Len Combrinck says
I have some questions about DAWN and is embarrassed to post it here.
Dian says
Feel free to email me.
Jan says
I have kitchen cabinets that don’t go to the ceiling, so grease and stickiness accumulate on the top. After scrubbing three times in a row and still feeling that stickiness, I tried Dawn on a wet sponge. The Dawn, literally, took the grime completely off. It’s the best for removing grease without harming your cabinets. I love all these other uses!
Dian says
Jan,
Oh that’s a good one! Thanks for sharing!
Dian
Mary says
My grandmother taught me this one.. half a cup of dawn (Blue original) gallon of water and bottle of isopropyl alcohol mix in bucket put in spray bottles it defrosts windows and snow slides off easier also spray or pour on sidewalks it is a deicer and you can clean your walks faster without having to worry about pets getting chemical burns from Salt. It works and it keeps sidewalks from icing for days
Dian says
Mary,
Thanks for sharing! That’s a great one!
Dian
Dolly says
You can put dawn on pipes to determine if there is a leak. If gas leak it will bubble. If water it will be lathered
Dian says
Dolly,
Thanks! That’s a great tip!
Dian
Joy says
Never use Dawn in your front load washing machine. Bubbles or foam will get into the inside and ruin your machine. I use Dawn on my garage floor. Dribble a few drops, add 1 cup of hot water and scrub. I have a very old electric scrubber made by Sears. I wish they’d make it again. The head is very heavy so it does the job but hand scrubbing would work as well. Also add a splash of white vinegar when scrubbing dog urine. My little guy won’t use the dog door when it’s raining outside.
Dian says
Joy,
Thanks for sharing such great tips!
Dian
Floscene C.Hill says
Use dawn to clean my deck. Works great. Just a speck with a good bristle brisk, then spray withwateruntil
All suds are gone. Best thing on market. One dollar at dollar store.
Dian says
Floscene,
Thanks! That’s a great tip – I will be using it on my deck soon!
Thanks again,
Dian
Pam says
Been using this for 20+ years on everything I wash it has never bleached anything of mine
Dian says
Pam,
Me, too! I use it on everything.
Thanks for sharing!
Dian
Michelle Guevara says
I use dawn to clean my bathroom sink and counter a lil in my toilet …as well as clean walls works magic
Dian says
Michelle,
Thanks for sharing – that would be a great tip and less costly that other bathroom cleaners.
Thanks again!
Dian
Taly says
I live in Oregon and used Dawn with rubbing alcohol on my car windows. No ice or snow build up. I also wipe my leather boots,with dawn. Keeps then condition and repels ice
Dian says
Taly,
Great tips!
Thanks!
Dian
reba lybolt says
question what is the solution for deicer on car windows?
Dian says
Reba,
Thanks for asking!
Fill a spray bottle with 70% (or higher) isopropyl alcohol and a few drops of Dawn.
Shake the bottle to mix well and then spray the windshield well with the solution.
Wait a few minutes and the ice should melt away.
I hope that helps,
Dian