If you wash your hands as often as I do through a workday, your skin can become overly dry with painful cracks at the fingertips. I’ve found that using castile soap in my hand-soap dispenser at home goes a long way toward soothing dry skin and avoiding painful cracks.
Dr. Bronner’s castile soap is the best; the hard part is choosing which essential oil you’d like included… lavender, tea tree oil, orange, hemp, etc. Each essential oil has a particular strength, so have fun researching and trying out the different varieties. You can’t go wrong with any of them.
I don’t use castile soap for house cleaning much (for wood now and then; very diluted) because I don’t want the trace of oil left behind as a residue. Mold loves to eat oil. But for personal care, that trace of oil is marvelous!
1 part castile soap to at least 2 parts water in a foaming hand-soap dispenser and you’re all set. (Try it for shampoo and body wash, too.)
A quart of Dr. Bronner’s (depending on the variety) runs about $10-$18 and makes many, many refills. You’ll be able to tell a difference… please tell your hard-working hands I said “You’re welcome!”
Nice tip!! I’ll be sure to use this! I love castile soap and used to clean with a splash in my peroxide mix. Your comment of “mold loves oil” makes me second guess doing it again….does the soap attract mold or intices it to grow?
Hi Julie- thanks for the feedback! Mold spores are pretty much everywhere, but to become established they need a moist condition, a food source (almost anything plant-based), and a little nook to call home… such as a tiny crevice in grout. I tried using castile soap for cleaning because I love the stuff, but began noticing mold in the caulk around sinks, etc., on my return visits. I decided it wasn’t the ideal cleaner to use in moist places. (Fats are used to produce soap of any kind, but castile soap has added oils which can leave a trace.) I switched to a clear, mild dish soap and solved the problem. Could be the peroxide in your formula keeps you out of trouble~ it’s known to kill mold. I use hydrogen peroxide with dish soap all the time, and add some baking soda for tough stuff. Works great!
Very informative Kate! I appreciate it. I used to use some alcohol in my mix as well. I’ll have to try it out on my own shower to see if it attracts mold. Do you add the baking soda to your spray bottle? Or just use separatly as needed? I think baking soda is great but have had issues with residue at times. Unfortunately, the residue shows after the area is dry.
For a shower, I rinse away debris, then spray with diluted dish soap (1 1/2 tsp per qt) from bottom to top, wait a minute, then scrub from top to bottom. If mold is a problem, I liberally squirt hydrogen peroxide over the area before scrubbing. If mineral deposits: white vinegar (unless natural stone). If deeper cleaning is needed I’ll break out the baking soda to include in the scrub (I keep the baking soda seperate)… then rinse immediately to avoid a residue. If baking soda even begins to dry, it won’t rinse completely. Argh!
I use rubbing alcohol everyday for shining up… not so much in the shower though, unless the glass or fixtures need a polish.