Top 10 Helpful Tricks for Using Dawn Dish Soap

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When it comes to cleaning products, few items manage to be as popular or as much of a go-to multitasker for its original purpose and various other hacks than “blue” Dawn Ultra Dish Soap. Here are our Top 10 Clever Tricks and Uses for Dawn Dish Soap to help save you money, time, and maybe a little effort too.

1. Use It as a Laundry Pre-Treat

When I first tried this hack out, I thought I was a genius. But it turns out others figured it out, too. So I guess I’m only mildly brilliant. Nevertheless, one popular hack is to use Dawn Ultra a try as a pre-treatment. It often works well as a basic pre-treat for organic or food-type stains when in a pinch. Some also like to add a little baking soda or borax to the soap for an added whitening effect.

2. Try It as a Powerful Glass Cleaner

Sometimes windows can experience a lot of buildup that can be difficult to remove. In situations like this, it may require more than glass and window cleaner products.

One easy and inexpensive trick you can try is to use a little Dawn mixed with water. This is what many professional window washers like to do. Ajax is also a popular choice for some window-cleaning services.

3. Tackle Kitchen Grease and Gunk On Cabinets and Appliances

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If your cabinets and appliances, such as the microwave, haven’t been cleaned in ages, you might notice a thick layer of sticky film or grease covering them that can be pretty hard to remove. This is where using Dawn can come in handy since it’s also a powerful degreaser. More so with their stronger versions, like Dawn Ultra or Dawn Platinum 4x.

Try a mix of warm water with a few drops of Dawn on the surface of cabinets and/or appliances. Let the solution sit, or dwell, for a few minutes or as needed. Then wipe the cabinets clean with a slightly damp cloth and then dry with a dry towel or cloth afterward.

It may require a few applications if the cabinets are really old and dirty. Some people find it useful to test an inconspicuous spot before using the mixture on visible areas of their cabinets.

4. Use This Dawn Trick as a Fruit Fly Trap

Fruit flies can undoubtedly be a nuisance in some areas and during certain times of the year. Fortunately, getting rid of them doesn’t have to be. Adding a small squirt of Dawn to a little bowl full of vinegar (white or apple cider works) can be an inexpensive yet effective way to get the job done. While the vinegar draws the flies in, the Dawn handles the rest.

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5. Deep Clean the Dishwasher

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We love to use a little Dawn along with hot water to deep clean the dishwasher. It’s effective at eliminating grease and buildup, and it’s also cost-effective and able to be tailored to suit your needs.

For instance, when dealing with mineral deposits, you can add a little vinegar to your soapy water. Mixing Dawn with baking soda can be a great way to add some extra scrubbing and whitening action.

Note: Make sure not to use too much Dawn or to wipe the dishwasher clean before running a rinse or wash cycle if you’re unsure. This is due to the soap not being designed for dishwashers, and it can sometimes cause a sudsy overflow if too much is used.

^{Interested in more dishwasher cleaning tips? Check out these posts on how often you should clean your dishwasher for regular cleaning tips. And click here for a step-by-step guide on how to deep clean a dishwasher (with pictures).}

6. Ditch the Gunky Film on Your Eyeglasses

If you have a lot of trouble with your eyeglasses getting gunked-up and greasy, apply a drop or so to your lenses, gently rub it onto the lens and frame with your fingers, then rinse clean thoroughly.

While I usually prefer to use E-Cloth Glass Polishing Cloths on my glasses, this is my go-to method for days when I may have my glasses propped on the top of my head a lot or just got done sweating, cleaning, or cooking.

7. Clean Baseboards and Other Painted Wood Surfaces

ecloth-microfiber-cleaning-cloths-shower-cleaning — E-cloth General Purpose Cloths (external link)

If you don’t clean your baseboards more than once a year, you may notice a thin film or a considerable amount of dirt. As with cabinets, it can be a little tricky to remove since dirt, dust, and other bits of debris can adhere to surfaces over time and when humidity is present.

Using Dawn 4x Ultra as a cleaning hack can be great for removing that film along with any debris and grease from baseboards, doors as well as door frames, and other types of painted wood surfaces that seem difficult to clean. You only need to use a drop or so in a small bowl or spray bottle full of water.

Too much soap can actually attract more dust and dirt later on and build its own film, So just use a drop or so. You just need enough to break things down a little. If, however, you use too much or aren’t sure, simply wipe things clean with a slightly damp cloth.

Note: The more often you clean, the less effort you’ll need to put in each time. After you’ve cleaned your baseboards or wood trim of buildup, you should be able to use just a cloth or microfiber cloth with ease the next time. However, this will probably mean needing to clean them twice a year or so. Since there’s no scrubbing or detailed work to do when it’s done more often, it’s far less effortless and time only takes a few minutes.

^{Check out these tips on other items you can benefit from cleaning more often.}

8. Clean Up Nasty Hand Tools

Hand tools are usually prone to accumulating dirt and grease. Using Dawn can quickly eliminate both issues quite easily. What’s more is that it may even help to lubricate certain tooths with moving parts, such as a wrench or pair of pliers. For difficult messes, try allowing the tools to soak for a short while in a more powerful version of Dawn, such as Dawn Ultra, to enable it to do its thing.

9. Clean Your Shower Without the Fumes, Hassle, or Mess

cleaning-shower-with-oxo-tub-and-tile-brush-and-dawn-dish-soap — Oxo Tub & Tile Scrubber Brush (external link)

For days when we feel like we need more than just our E-Cloth Microfiber Cloths and good old-fashioned water to clean our showers, we tend to prefer to use a few drops of Dawn dish soap with a nylon sponge or shower brush, such as Oxo’s Tub & Tile Brush every now and then too.

This method works great on most buildup types, and, as mentioned before, it can work great on glass. It’s ideal for eliminating grease left behind by hair products or treatments. You also won’t have any fumes or overly strong chemicals to work with as you go about cleaning your shower.

^{To see how you can make the process a little more bearable and easier to do, check out these}^{17 Clever Ways to Make Cleaning Your Shower Easier}^.

10. Eliminate Oil Stains

One of our favorite ways to use Dawn Dish Soap is to use it for oily stains, which is why we’re mentioning it separately from the pre-treat mention. If you tend to use oils for your skin, such as a castor oil pack, hair treatment, or even if you tend to get splattered with oil when you cook, then you’re probably no stranger to the dreaded oil stain.

Dawn Dish Soap is excellent for treating oil stains, thanks to its degreasing capabilities. If you happen to notice a spot, apply a drop or so of Dawn before washing. Let it rest for a few minutes, rinse it clean, or throw it into the washing machine. If it’s a really tough-looking stain, we may even prefer to let it soak in the washing machine after pre-treating and before a regular wash.

I’ve actually had this work a few times on oil stains that had already been through the washer and dryer, and where the stain was pretty much set. It’s probably one of my favorites out of these 10 tricks and uses for Dawn dish soap. So it may not hurt to give it a try!

Conclusion

In the end, utilizing these Top 10 Clever Tricks and Uses for Dawn Dish Soap around the home can be an ideal way to save money while gaining the benefit of its multifaceted cleaning capabilities.

And while it may not be the most environmentally friendly product than other options on the market, we do feel it’s better than some of the harsh cleaning products out there. Best of all, it only takes a few drops, which means a bottle can last us for ages—especially when compared to the various kitchen and bathroom cleaning products we’ve managed to cut back on.

^{Have a natural product that’s just as good as Dawn, or know of another cleaning hack to use it for? We’d love to know! Let us know in the comments down below.}