I hand wash dishes and, at times, our clothes,
and I am rather concerned of these harsh chemicals that my skin absorbs while doing
these chores. Some of the issues I have with the usual commercial dishwashing
liquid or paste and detergents are: (1) they have numerous chemicals that can
cause skin allergies; (2) my hands get dried up after washing; (3) they are harming
the environment, and (4) who knows what these chemicals are doing to my skin
that absorbs it?!
Case de Lorenzo’s Calamansi Castile Soap and
Palm Oil Castile Soap
I did research on using Castile soap to
address my concerns and decided to try it because it is more environmentally-friendly
and less skin damaging. Since I already order some of my castile soaps and
essential oils from Case de Lorenzo, I asked them about the effectiveness of
their liquid Castile soaps in cleaning dishes and clothes. The company generously
offered to send a liter each of their Calamansi and Palm Oil Soap to conduct my
experiments.
This picture below is bigger than what was sent to me obviously haha.
This is the link for their website for those who want to order: http://www.thecasadelorenzo.com/
This is the link for their website for those who want to order: http://www.thecasadelorenzo.com/
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| Calamansi Castile Soap |
The Results
I tried both Case de Lorenzo’s CalamansiCastile Soap and Palm Oil Castile Soap as dishwashing liquid and as laundry
detergent. I used a 1:1 ratio (example, one tablespoon of Castile soap for one
tablespoon of water) for the dishwashing liquid.
It worked quite well in
washing not-so-oily dishes. When we ate oily food, I added a bit of baking soda
and I let it stay for ten minutes.
We have hard water, so sometimes, I add a
bit more of Castile soap, if I don’t get enough cleaning effect.
Among the two,
I prefer the Calamansi Castile Soap for its cleaning ability and scent. In
terms of washing clothes, I think Palm Oil does a better job, but my hubby does
not like its scent, so I decided to stay with Calamansi Castile Soap.
For both variants, I like how my hands do
not feel dry after washing. I also especially enjoy that I have reduced the
amount of factory-made chemicals that my skin is absorbing and that are being
thrown into our water resources.
Below are the recipes for the Homemade Castile
Soap Dishwashing Liquid and Homemade Castile Laundry Detergent.
Homemade Castile Soap Dishwashing Liquid
Ingredients
Castile soap
Baking soda (optional)
Baking soda (optional)
Instructions
1) Mix Castile Soap with water at
1:1 ratio.
2) Scrape food bits off first before using the soap.
3) Add baking soda for oily
dishes.
4) Let the dishes stay for 10 minutes or more, depending on how oily/dirty your dishes are. Some bloggers say
they let the dishes soak overnight or an hour. They use dishwashers.
As for the liquid laundry detergent, I used
the recipe from Natural Living Ideas.
Homemade Castile Laundry Detergent
Ingredients
1 cup liquid Castile soap
1 cup baking soda
2 cups water
Instructions
1) You have to dissolve the baking
soda in warm water.
2) Pour everything in a gallon container
and mix it.
3) Use 1/4 of a cup or more for
every washing.
I find this soap effective in cleaning
different kinds of clothes. For really soiled ones, I still use what we
Filipinos call Zonrox (bleach). I
definitely want to replace this one, but so far, I have not tried other green alternatives.
My only concern in using Castile soap for
many household purposes is the price. Castile soap is expensive in my country. I
do hope prices will go down once demand picks up. For now, I use it as often as my budget permits me.
Skin and Earthy Goodness
Castile soap is not only good for your
face, but also your hands that wash dishes and do the laundry. Mother Earth
will thank you too for choosing green alternatives over harmful dishwashing soaps
and detergents.
Have you tried switching to Castile soap for something other than washing your face/body? How did it go for you?
