CASTILE SOAP
Castile soap has been touted as a near-miracle product: non-toxic, biodegradable, cruelty-free and vegan, with a long list of household uses.
But what is castile soap, and what can you do with this marvelous product?
Where does it come from?
First of all, it turns out Castile soap isn’t exactly new. Named for the Castile region of Spain where the style of olive oil-based soap originated in the 17th century. it was mostly found in health food stores before the green cleaning movement became mainstream. Today, castile soap is much more readily available.
6 CASTILE SOAP
CLEANING USES
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​Dish Soap When hand washing dishes, fill your sink with warm water and add castile soap at a ratio of 10:1. Wash as usual. Rinse with a vinegar solution if you have hard water.
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​All-Purpose Cleaning Spray Mix ¼ cup of castile soap with one quart of water in a spray bottle. Use on virtually any nonporous surface, though if you’re unsure, you may want to test a small, inconspicuous area first.
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​Mopping Solution Add ½ cup of castile soap with three gallons of hot water in a bucket for an effective mopping solution.
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Laundry Detergent For a large load in a normal washer, use ½ cup of castile soap in place of detergent. Add ½ cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle, especially if you have hard water. High-efficiency (HE) machines will use half of these measurements.
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Tub and Surface Scrub Combine ¼ cup of bakingsoda with 2-3 tablespoons ofcastile soap for a scrubbing paste with soft abrasion. Great for tubs, tile, stove tops, sinks, and other hard, grimy surfaces.
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Cleaning Wipes Mix one cup of warm water and one ounce of castile soap in a large glass jar. Add soft cleaning rags (pro tip: cut up an old t-shirt!) to the jar and let them soak for reusable cleaning wipes that can be laundered and reused over and over again.
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