Mock-Power Wash Spray
This homemade power wash is great for more than just dishes. You can power away deep set in stains and even grease in clothing. Set in stains in clothing items that have already been through multiple wash and dry cycles may lift for you using this pretreatment spray. It also works on tough stains on walls and floors, and so much more. You can even use it to remove labels.
Yield: 1 Bottle
Cost: $1 each
1 Spray Bottle Any industrial size will do but it will work better with the Dawn Power Wash bottle or continuous spray bottle which mists the liquid better.
1 Set of Cup Measures 1 cup and 3/4 cup
1 Set of Spoon Measures Tablespoon and Half Tablespoon
1 Funnel Optional
- 1 Bottle Dish Soap (any brand will do)
- 1 Bottle 70% Isopropyl Alcohol I use 90% but it works with 70% or higher; vodka will also work
- 1 3/4 Cups Distilled Water I used water straight from the tap and it still worked
Pour 1 3/4 cups distilled water into the clean, empty spray bottle.
Add 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) Dishwashing Liquid.
Add 1 1/2 tablespoons 70% isopropyl alcohol.
Screw on the spray top.
Swirl gently to combine ingredients.
Allow to sit for a few hours to allow everything to incorporate.
Here are a few more tips and points to make your recipe more successful
- Any dish soap or scent will work. You may opt for the Dawn Platinum brand of dish soap as it is more concentrated, but I find this recipe works with anything you have on hand except for the foam varieties and dishwasher varieties of dish soaps.
- Any 70% or higher alcohol will work. Alcohol is a solvent - it works to break up grease and other stains. Dish soaps is a surfactant. So if all you have is some vodka on hand, go for it. 90% proof or more will make the mix more powerful.
- Tap water will work, but if you have hard water or softened water expect different results. You will simply be adding other unknown chemicals, chlorine, and minerals into your cleaning product and have unexpected or unsafe outcomes.
- The ingredients will make a large number of recipes so feel free to pull out some math and make more of it at a time and store it for later refills. This is where the savings is at: the initial recipe is roughly $14 or so for ingredients, but you really only use about $1 of those ingredients per recipe. Compare that to $7 a bottle for the Dawn Power Wash Spray.
- Do not use dishwasher soap, laundry soap, or tallow based soaps for this recipe. Stick with actual dish soaps meant for handwashing dishes, There are other chemicals in the other types of soap and you may potentially make unsafe chemicals by mixing them with alcohol.