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How to make dishwashing liquid from ivy

Making washing up liquid from ivy yourself

Can you really make your own washing-up liquid from ivy? Yes, it actually works. And many people have already learned how to improve their health in this way. Make your own washing-up liquid can. As ivy grows on almost every corner, even in winter, it is not difficult to find the plant near your home. What's more, the ivy dishwashing liquid can save a lot of Save money and unnecessary Avoid plastic waste.

In this article, you can find out why ivy is such a great ingredient for homemade washing-up liquid and how exactly you go about making it.

Notice: There are different types of ivy that may be poisonous. Please make sure that your dishes are always rinsed again with water. In my opinion, there is no need to worry about using ivy as a washing-up liquid - conventional washing-up liquids are also toxic.

Why a dishwashing liquid made from ivy?

How to make dishwashing liquid from ivy
Ivy grows on almost every corner - is it really that suitable for a homemade washing-up liquid?

There are many good reasons why I stopped buying my washing-up liquid in the traditional way from the supermarket a long time ago and instead make it myself from ivy leaves. With the following advantages of ivy washing-up liquid, I would like to suggest that you give it a try.

  • Ideal ingredients: The leaves of ivy contain so-called saponins, which ensure that our homemade washing-up liquid foams nicely later on. What's more, the plant's substances have a fat-dissolving effect - a perfect property for a natural washing-up liquid.
  • Inexpensive alternative: If you don't make your washing-up liquid from ivy, you might regularly reach for unnecessarily expensive products from the supermarket. This is not only very chemical and leaves behind waste, but also costs money. To save money, you can simply make your own washing-up liquid from ivy.
  • Healthy & natural: Unfortunately, the classic washing-up liquid from the bottle is also very chemical and can cause skin irritation and other health problems. So while conventional products from the supermarket are usually real chemical cocktails, the 100% ivy washing-up liquid is natural. As we make it ourselves, we can be 100% sure of this.
  • Waste-free: Completely in the sense of the Zero Waste Lifestylewe not only save a lot of money with our washing-up liquid, but also a lot of waste. Another clear advantage of home-made washing-up liquid is ivy. It is estimated that we use an average of around 24 bottles of washing-up liquid a year - that's a whole yellow bag full of disposable plastic bottles.
  • Quick to produce: Another great advantage of ivy washing-up liquid is that it is quick and easy to make. Pick a few fresh ivy leaves, cut them, boil them and then simply leave them to stand for a short time. As ivy leaves can usually be found somewhere near your home, it really doesn't take long to find them. Just look on trees and house walls - if you consciously look for it, you will notice how common the plant actually is. 

The nice thing about ivy is that it also grows in winter and is even easier to find at this cold time of year. You can find out how to make your own washing-up liquid from ivy in the following paragraph.

Make your own washing-up liquid from ivy

How to make dishwashing liquid from ivy
And this is what the finished ivy dishwashing liquid looks like.

Fortunately, all you need for the ivy dishwashing liquid is 6-8 ivy leaves and water. That's all - sounds simple, doesn't it? Making it is also uncomplicated and can be done in no time at all. Simply proceed as follows:

  1. Search for ivy leaves: Grab a few ivy leaves and make a note of the place where the plant grows so that you can get ivy there in future.
  2. Clean ivy: Wash the ivy leaves briefly so that there are no more foreign substances on them and the detergent is as natural as possible.
  3. Cut ivy: You can cut all the leaves into small pieces with a knife - I always use pieces of ivy about 1-2 cm in size.
  4. Boil water + add leaves:Then simply boil about half a liter of water in a saucepan and add the chopped ivy leaves. 
  5. Leave to cool: After 5 minutes, you can turn off the heat and let the now greenish liquid cool down. I always wait 15 minutes, then the liquid is cold enough to take the final step in the preparation.
  6. Sieve & decant: Now you can just get yourself a strainer and a Stainless steel funnel and filter out the larger leaf parts when decanting the liquid. A bottle with a swing top is always a good idea for storing the ivy washing-up liquid later - but that is of course up to you. 

The washing-up liquid is now ready and when it has cooled down, you can simply shake it once vigorously. If it foams now, you have done everything right and the detergent is ready for use in the sink. 

Use of the ivy rinsing agent

You can basically use the washing-up liquid like any conventional washing-up liquid. I might add a splash more than I used to with conventional washing-up liquid. I then also clean my dishes with Wooden dishwashing brushes. This way I stay plastic-free and 100% of course. If water consumption is now reduced to a minimum, washing up couldn't be more sustainable. 

Homemade washing-up liquid made from ivy

How to make dishwashing liquid from ivy
The dishwashing liquid made from ivy leaves is the ideal natural and plastic-free alternative to conventional washing-up liquid.

As you can see, making and using ivy dishwashing liquid is anything but complicated. The ivy leaves are quickly found, cut and boiled. An ideal alternative to chemical washing-up liquid from a plastic bottle, isn't it? I couldn't help but write an article about it for our DIY Household Blog to write.

Just give it a try and make your own washing-up liquid from ivy at home. You will see that it will lighten your wallet and reduce your waste. Feel free to recommend it to others so that even more people can use a natural, wonderfully effective washing-up liquid made from ivy in a short space of time in the future. Have fun!

Do you have any questions, tips or your own experiences with ivy dishwashing liquid that you would like to share? Then please leave a comment below this article.

Stay clean,

Living plastic-free - Less plastic waste in the environment

PS.: In the DIY Blog you can learn many more things. Take a look directly at how you can also improve your Make oven cleaner yourself simply by following your heart.

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* Links with asterisks are so-called Affiliate linksIf you click on it and buy something, you automatically and actively support my work with CareElite.de, as I receive a small share of the proceeds - and of course nothing changes in the product price. Many thanks for your support and best regards, Christoph!

Christoph Schulz

Christoph Schulz

I'm Christoph, an environmental scientist and author - and here at CareElite I'm campaigning against plastic waste in the environment, climate change and all the other major environmental problems of our time. Together with other environmentally conscious bloggers, I want to give you tips & tricks for a naturally healthy, sustainable life as well as your personal development.

12 thoughts on “Spülmittel aus Efeu selber machen”

    1. Hi! And conventional dishwashing liquid is not toxic? 😉 If you wash everything off and dry it, then you do not have to worry. Not even with the dishwashing liquid from ivy.
      Many greetings
      Christoph

  1. You might want to replace the first picture with the cherry laurel, otherwise all readers will try it. A reference to the possible contact allergy with the actually poisonous ivy would also be recommended - simply for the sake of completeness and correctness.

    1. Hi Michaela! Thank you for the tips! Agree with you completely and have adjusted everything 🙂
      Many greetings
      Christoph

  2. Hello! That's a great idea, which I will try out soon. In the garden I have enough ivy, which will probably be cut a little more in the future. Great thing!

    1. Hi Ulli! Thanks for your feedback on the Ivy Rinse. Give it a try, it works flawlessly.
      Best regards
      Christoph

    1. Hi Rafael! I have not tried it yet. That is also difficult, since the ivy rinsing agent is liquid. Does anyone else have an idea or experience with it?
      Thank you and best regards,
      Christoph

  3. Hello Christoph,
    The P-seminar of my school is creating a homework booklet around the topic of plastic and its prevention.
    So I wanted to ask if we could use the recipes from your blog.
    Thanks in advance!

    1. Hi Emma! Thank you for the feedback. You are very welcome to use the recipes. Good luck and best regards, Christoph

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