18 Uses for Liquid Castile Soap Around The Home

Don’t know how to get started using castile soap? Here are 18 clever uses for liquid castile soap for your hygiene and beauty routine, your home, your garden and more!

Liquid castile soap is a key component of my eco-friendly cleaning supplies arsenal. But did you know there is a myriad of uses for liquid castile soap beyond just cleaning up?

Dr Bronner’s – one of the main brands associated with liquid castile soap – claims there are 18 uses for its soap. To help you out, I’ve rounded up those 18 clever uses for you right now. To help save you soap (and money) – I’ve also pointed out the instances where you might get better results using something else.

18 Uses For Liquid Castile Soap All Around The Home

Here are all 18 of the many wide-ranging uses for liquid castile soap for your body, and all around your home and garden. Use the quick links to jump to a specific section of this post, or keep scrolling for the full post:

• Cleansing Your Face
• Cleansing Your Body
• Use As A Shampoo
• Use In Your Bath
• Use As A Shaving Foam
• Cleaning Your Teeth
• As A Relaxing Foot Soak
• To Clear Nasal Congestion
• Washing Your Dishes
• In Your Laundry
• To Clean Your Floor
• As An All Purpose Cleaning Spray
• To Clean Your Windows
• To Clean Your Toilet
• To Clean Your Fruit & Vegetables
• To Wash Your Dog
• Repel Bugs On Your Plants
• As A Natural Ant Deterrent

1. Cleansing Your Face

A couple of drops of liquid castile soap squeezed onto wet hands is more than enough to cleanse your face. Simply work the soap into a lather, and apply to damp skin – using a flannel or reusable pad to work the soap in, before rinsing with clean water. Follow up with your favourite moisturiser – here are my favourite plastic-free facial moisturisers.

2. Cleansing Your Body

Ditch the shower gel made with unpronounceable ingredients, and instead, try using liquid castile soap. All you need to do is add a squirt onto a wet sponge or flannel, before giving yourself a good scrub and then a rinse down.

3. Use As A Shampoo

Some people are fans of using liquid castile soap as a shampoo, and some aren’t. Personally, I think it depends on your hair type and whether your water is soft or hard.

If you have colour-treated hair, liquid castile soap may strip the colour from your hair. And if your hair is very dry or tangles easily, it’s likely to not respond well to using castile soap.

If you have hard water, then it is likely you will struggle using liquid castile soap as a shampoo. This is down to the mineral content in your water. Rather than rinsing clean away, the castile soap molecules bind to the minerals in the water, and this can leave your hair feeling waxy and greasy.

Should your hair and water type be a match for liquid castile soap, and you are keen to give it a go then there is a technique to shampooing. Instead of applying the soap directly to your hair, it’s best to dilute one tablespoon of liquid castile soap in around 200 ml of warm water. Mix well, and then apply to wet hair, working the solution into a good lather.

Once lathered, rinse well with clean water. To help remove any lingering soapy residue, try a rinse of a 50:50 solution of apple cider vinegar and water, or lemon juice and water.

4. Use In Your Bath

Castile soap can be used in your bath. Whilst it doesn’t bubble up like standard bubble bath, the soap still cleans you without drying out your skin. Aim to add about 2 tablespoons of soap to hot running water, before having a good soak!

5. Use As A Shaving Foam

Run out of shaving foam? Worry not, liquid castile soap makes for a great substitute!

Add a few drops of soap to wet hands, and work into a lather – adding more soap if required. Once you have a good lather, apply it to the area you wish to shave, and then shave as normal.

6. Cleaning Your Teeth

It might sound completely wild, but Dr Bronner claims that one use for its liquid castile soap is cleaning your teeth. Apparently, one drop of soap on a damp toothbrush is all you need to give your teeth a good brush.

Whilst I’m not convinced of the benefits of this for long-term use – and your dentist probably wouldn’t be happy about this as a long-term dental care solution – in a toothpaste emergency then it’s certainly better than nothing.

If you find yourself in a tooth-brushing emergency, then be prepared. I’ve heard that, unsurprisingly, using liquid castile soap as toothpaste does taste like soap. Even if you use the peppermint variety. And no, I’ve not been brave enough to try this one out for myself!

7. As A Relaxing Foot Soak

Feet in need of a treat? Try a relaxing foot bath. Simply add 1½ teaspoons of liquid castile soap to a basin of hot water. Plunge your feet in and soak for around 15 minutes or so. Dry and finish with your favourite foot cream.

8. To Clear Congestion

One surprising use for liquid castile soap is to help clear congestion naturally. Add 1 tablespoon of either peppermint or eucalyptus liquid castile soap to a bowl of hot water. Drape a towel over your head, and breathe in the steam for as long as you can stand.

If you only have the unscented variety to hand, you can add a few drops of eucalyptus essential oil. Do note that the inhalation of essential oils is not recommended for babies and children, or those with asthma. I would also always recommend doing your own research to see if using essential oils in this manner is right for you.

9. Washing Your Dishes

Run out of washing up liquid? In a pinch, you can use liquid castile soap for handwashing your dishes. Simply dilute liquid castile soap – in a 1:10 ratio – with hot water, before adding your dirty dishes. Add a little extra to your scrubbing brush or sponge, and get washing.

Like toothpaste, I wouldn’t use liquid castile soap as a washing-up liquid on a daily basis. It’s a little too thin to tackle greasy pots and pans – and I think there are many other uses of the soap where its use is much more effective.

Oh, a word of warning. Never add liquid castile soap to your dishwasher. I tried this once, and it did not end well. Learn from my mistakes!

10. In Your Laundry

Did you know that you can use liquid castile soap to do your laundry? Add around 50 ml (around 3.5 tablespoons) of liquid castile soap to the laundry detergent section of your washing machine’s dosing drawer, and run your regular cycle. For best results, use white vinegar as a fabric conditioner to remove any soapy residue.

I personally think there are more cost-effective natural laundry solutions. However, if you are in a pinch, and only have castile soap to hand then it is worth using.

11. To Clean Your Floor

Another handy use for liquid castile soap is to use it for cleaning your hard floors. Add 100 ml of liquid castile soap to a bucket of hot water. Mix well, and mop as normal.

12. As An All Purpose Cleaning Spray

You can make an all-purpose cleaning spray, that’s suitable for use on all surfaces of your home – even stone, granite, quartz or marble. Simply add 2 teaspoons of liquid castile soap to 500 ml of cooled boiled water, and decant it into a spray bottle. This will have a shelf life of around 6 to 8 weeks.

You can add around 15 drops of essential oils for an extra cleaning boost. Avoid any citrus-based oils if you are using the spray on stone, quartz, marble or granite surfaces. This is because the natural acid in these oils can damage these types of surfaces. Instead, stick to oils such as lavender or tea tree.

Do read my full guide on cleaning with castile soap for more dos and don’ts.

13. To Clean Your Windows

To clean your windows with liquid castile soap, add 1.5 teaspoons of liquid castile soap to 500 ml cooled boiled water, and decant it into a spray bottle. Spray your windows with the solution and wipe them with a soft cloth. Next, spray your windows with a 50:50 solution of vinegar and water. Finally, buff dry with scrunched-up newspaper for a streak-free shine.

14. To Clean Your Toilet

Liquid castile soap can even be used to clean your loo!

Take an empty washing-up liquid bottle or a squeezy ketchup bottle, and add 2 tablespoons of liquid castile soap and 200 ml of warm water. Next, add 3 drops of tea tree essential oil and 3 drops of peppermint essential oil.

Liberally squirt the bowl with the solution, and sprinkle some bicarbonate of soda on your toilet brush. Thoroughly scrub, and then flush for a fresh-smelling and clean toilet.

If you have limescale, try my guide to cleaning your toilet with citric acid for even better results.

15. To Clean Your Fruit & Vegetables

Fruit and vegetables can also be washed in liquid castile soap to help remove surface dirt and wax.

To wash your fresh produce, add around ¼ teaspoon into a bowl of cold water. Submerge your produce and swish them around the water for a few minutes – using your fingers to scrub any hard waxy fruits. Then rinse your produce in cold water, before drying well.

Alternatively, you can use bicarbonate of soda to wash your fresh produce. This helps to remove any pesticides on the surface of your fruit.

16. To Wash Your Dog

As well as washing your windows and your veggies, liquid castile soap can also be used to wash your dog the eco-friendly way. I know, I know. By this point you’re probably thinking is there anything that liquid castile soap can’t do?

There’s no exact amount of soap to use, as the amount you need will vary depending on the size of your dog, its hair type and length, and just how dirty your dog is. A dog that’s been swimming in the sea will need less than a dog that’s been running in the mud!

Using the soap in this manner isn’t difficult. Using your shower head, wet your dog thoroughly. Once its hair is saturated, start to rub in the castile soap until you have a good lather. Then rinse your dog with clean water, until all the soap is out. Repeat a second time if necessary!

Check out my guide to sustainable dog products for more ways to green your dog ownership!

17. Repel Bugs On Your Plants

Are your plants infested by aphids? Mix up half a tablespoon of liquid castile soap in 500 ml of water. For an extra kick, you can add half a teaspoon of powdered cayenne pepper or cinnamon to the solution. Then decant into a spray bottle and spray regularly wherever you have an infestation.

Castile soap works by damaging the outer membrane of soft-bodied aphids. Once this membrane is damaged, the aphids become dehydrated and die. However, you should only spray the aphid clusters directly, as it can harm other insects if used indiscriminately. This can include beneficial pollinators.

It’s also important to only spray plants at a time of day when they are not in direct sunlight. The soap can burn your plant if applied in full sunlight.

Spraying edible plants? Don’t worry, this solution is not harmful to humans!

18. As A Natural Ant Deterrent

Finally, as well as aphids, liquid castile soap can also be used as a natural ant deterrent. In this instance, you should specifically use Dr Bronner’s Tea Tree Castile Liquid Soap. Just add 2 tablespoons of the tea tree soap to 500 ml of water, and spray along any areas you wish to deter ants from. Do not spray on your plants, as it can burn them.

Where To Buy Liquid Castile Soap

I buy my liquid castile soap online. Find it at a variety of places, including Ethical Superstore, Sephora UK and Big Green Smile. Expect to pay anything between £2.50 for a small trial or travel size bottle, to around £13 for a 500 ml bottle to £22 for a litre bottle.

Remember, a little goes a long way – and you only ever use it diluted – so one bottle should last you a decent amount of time. This is unless you start using it to wash your clothes on a regular basis!

Do you have any uses for liquid castile soap that you swear by? Maybe some uses that I’ve missed? As always, do share in the comments below!