How do you wash dishes?

[majormark]

What substances do you use for washing dishes?

I've been thinking of more natural alternatives to the kitchen solution used to wash greasy dishes, like lemon juice, sodium bicarbonate and vinegar.

My goal is to make/find something that does not smell bad and can wash greasy stuff easily.

Any suggestions?

[Hannibal]

I use only warm water; sometimes some fresh lemons, like Aajonus.

[RawZi]

What substances do you use for washing dishes?

I've been thinking of more natural alternatives to the kitchen solution used to wash greasy dishes, like lemon juice, sodium bicarbonate and vinegar.

    For the dishes I just use for myself, I first wipe them (only if necessary), then I rinse them well with cold water, then again well with warm water.  Sometimes I wipe them off then, others I let them air dry.  I don't use soap on them.  My kitchen is sunny too.  

    For the bottles I get milk in, after the thorough rinsing, I stick them in the dishwasher on high heat wash and high heat dry.  The milk is mostly not for my consumption, and I don't want anything unplanned for growing in it.

    I just got my first real fresh kefir grains fermenting some milk now.  I always made kefir from scratch before, and once I tried that powder from Canada.

    At Ann Wigmore's we soaked the dishes in water, then I washed them with eucalyptus Dr Bronner's liquid diluted.  Then ran them through the dishwasher with no cleaning products on high heat.  We didn't consider the dishwasher necessary for health, but we did it for the health department in case they would ever come and inspect.  

    Eucalyptus and baking soda should take the grease off your dishes.  

[majormark]

Warm water does not seem to work so well because the dishes are still oily to the touch.

I will probably not use vinegar because it smells like crazy. So my first try will be lemon juice and than mixed with sodium bicarbonate.

How long will the lemon juice last? I want to make a big bottle if it works.

[RawZi]

I will probably not use vinegar because it smells like crazy. So my first try will be lemon juice and than mixed with sodium bicarbonate.

How long will the lemon juice last? I want to make a big bottle if it works.

    I don't know.  I used to squeeze one of those lemons that are bigger than a grapefruit (I had the lemon tree) into my laundry every time.  I know for drinking, lemon gets acidic within a few hours after it is squeezed.  Freezing the juice before that happens extends the less "acidiness" (keeps it at that stage in ways).  I don't know if any of that affects dish-washing one way or the other.

[William]

I eat pemmican from the container, and the recent discovery of dried sheets of ground beef need no plate, but the unseen bits of tallow come off a dish with boiling water.
Miracle II soap for the fussy.

[kurite]

I use a product called 7th generation dishwashing soap. Its all natural and 100% biodegradable.

[Neone]

I use a wooden plate. I just keep using it until there is too much mold/fat/blood/gunk caked up on it, then i just put it in some hot water to melt the fat off, give it a little scrub and its good to go again for another month or two

[jessica]

there are a lot of pretty common roots you can dig up and then boil to create soap
"soap wart" is a pretty ubiquitous "weed" in the americas perhaps your local has something analogous?

hot water and an abrasive sponge seem to work well enough, perhaps not for "company" but one who feasts on rotten meat neednt be to discriminating at the cleanliness of dishes :0

[majormark]

^ I'm not on rotten meat yet, the oldest raw meat I ever eaten sat in the fridge for 7 days. When I have 'company' I switch to eggs, butter and fruits.

I prefer a liquid solution that is good at getting the fat off the plate without me having to soak it in boiling water.


Edit: lemon juice alone works a little better than warm water and when is mixed with sodium bicarbonate it makes a lot of foam. It doesn't look like they are very good at degreasing compared to the commercial solution.