While I was working in the garage the other day it occurred to me that I could do without most of the stuff that I have, but there are a few essentials that I could not do without. For me they are the big 3, Duct Tape, WD40 and Dawn Dish Soap. Although my personal favorite is WD40, a credit to my dad who always had a can of WD40 with him, just like “Frank’s Red-Hot Sauce” he put that sh@# on everything. I found a list on-line of all the things that can be done with Dawn which makes me excited because I just discovered a couple more uses.
Original Blue Dawn – It’s not just for dishes anymore.
Wild Life
It is the wildlife cleaner of choice after an oil spill? Dawn effectively removes grease but does not cause harm to the skin of the birds. It’s also biodegradable and contains no phosphates.
Bubbles
Dawn makes great homemade bubbles. Bubble makers at many children’s museums use Dawn.
Greasy Hair Problems
Get Vaseline and baby oil out of your hair! Dawn is mild enough to use on your hair and strong enough to remove the most stubborn grease.
Hair Product Buildup
Once a month use the original Dawn as you would shampoo. It will remove excess oil from your hair and scalp and strip away any build-up of styling products without any damage.
Manicure Secret
Soak fingers in full-strength blue Dawn. It makes the cuticles soft and easy to work with.
Repel Houseplant Insects
A safe, effective way to repel insects from your houseplants, including aphids, spider mites and mealy bugs. Put a drop of Dawn Dishwashing Liquid in a spray bottle, fill the rest of the bottle with water, shake well, and mist your household plants with the soapy water.
Clean Your Windows
Try this recipe from Merry Maids: mix 3 drops Dawn in 1 gallon water and fill a spray bottle with the solution. Spritz and wipe as you would with any window cleaner.
Pets and Pests
Use it to bathe the dogs. It kills fleas on contact and is much cheaper than expensive dogshampoos.
Clean Automotive Tools
Soak your dirty tools in Dawn before you put them away to remove all the oil and grime. Dawn also helps prevent rust from forming on the tools.
Ice Pack
Partially fill a strong zip-type sandwich bag with Dawn dishwashing liquid, close and freeze. The liquid soap stays cold much longer and it can be re-frozen many times. It will conform to the place you need an ice pack.
Tub and Shower Cleaner
Take a spray bottle and fill it halfway with white vinegar. Heat in the microwave. Fill the rest of the way with blue Dawn. Put lid on and shake to mix well. Spray on your tub and shower walls. Allow to sit for a few minutes and rinse away. It will totally melt all the gunk, slime, sludge and other stuff that builds up including a bathtub ring.
Repel Ants
Spray counter-tops, cupboards and any other area where you see ants with a solution of Dawn and water. Wipe dry. The slight residue of Dawn that remains will not be a problem at all for kids or pets, but ants hate it. Should you see a trail of ants, go ahead and hit them with the Dawn spray.
Unclogging Toilets
A cup of Dawn detergent poured into a clogged toilet allowed to sit for 15 minutes and then followed with a bucket of hot water poured from waist height will clear out the toilet.
Poison Ivy
Poison ivy spreads through the spread of the oil within the blisters. Washing the affected area with Dawn, especially on children who keep scratching the blister’s open, helps dry up the fluid, AND keep it from spreading.
Driveway Cleaner
If you have gasoline or motor oil stains on your driveway, you can use the kitty litter method to clean up the excess oil and then use a scrub broom and a solution of biodegradable Dawn dishwashing detergent and warm water to safely and effectively remove excess motor oil from the pavement.
Oily Skin
Dawn makes a great facial cleanser for oily skin. A drop or two combined with warm water will do the trick.
Paint or Grease Remover for Hands
Dawn combined with corn oil makes for the perfect paint or grease remover. Simply combine a little bit of both in your hands then rub it over affected areas. The corn oil and the dishwashing liquid both help to dissolve the grease and paint – yet leave skin soft, unlike harsher paint removers.
Cleaning the Kiddie Pool
Plastic wading pools can get very gunky, very fast. Dump the water, then scrub the pool with Dawn and a sponge.
Multipurpose Cleaner
Merry Maids recommends using a drop of Dawn in water to clean ceramic tile and no-wax/linoleum floors. You can also use the spray on:
• Bathroom and kitchen counters and sinks.
• Woodwork, e.g., baseboards, shelves, and wainscoting. (Dry as you go–wood doesn’t like prolonged contact with water.)
• Tubs and toilet seats.
Laundry Pre-Treater for Oily Stains
For oil-based stains such as lipstick, grease, butter, motor oil, cooking oil, and some pen inks, simply apply some Dawn dishwashing liquid directly to the stain and scrub with a small brush or toothbrush until the oil is removed, and then launder as usual.
Non-Toxic Lubricant
Sliding glass doors, door knobs, hinges etc. It lasts much longer than any aerosol type spray that I have tried. And Its non-toxic! It does a great job of cleaning the parts that its lubricating as well!
Sidewalk De-Icer
For icy steps and sidewalks in freezing temperatures, mix 1 teaspoon of Dawn dishwashing liquid, 1 tablespoon of rubbing alcohol, and 1/2 gallon hot/warm water and pour over walkways. They won’t refreeze. No more salt eating at the concrete in your sidewalks
Pool Cleaning
Squirt Dawn down the middle of the pool and all of the dirt, suntan lotion, etc. will move to the edges of the pool for easy clean up! AND it makes the pools sparkle.
Eyeglass Defogger
Simply rub a small drop of Dawn on eyeglass lenses, and wipe clean. It will leave a very thin film that will prevent them from fogging up.
Shower Floors
Cover greasy footprints on shower floors with a coating of Dawn; let sit overnight. Scrub away the gunk in the morning with a stiff brush.
Aphid Control on Fruit Trees
Mix two tablespoons Dawn to a gallon of water and put in your sprayer. Try to get spray both sides of the leaves, branches and the tree trunks. Let sit for about 15 minutes and then rinse the trees.
Let me know what you think.
