Dawn PowerWash Recipe

Jun 11, 2025 10:03 PM

theyallwenttoMexico

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2481

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20

This is a screen-grab of a YouTube short.
I mix some of my cleaning liquids but have not tried this recipe yet. Going to try it.

Wait til you find out about brown sugar and wipe-on poly.

9 months ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Companies love selling you water and air. I just switched to laundry sheets. They do save a little money, but not enough that the sellers aren't making extra profit while saving on shipping and packaging. However, replacing a giant plastic jug with a cardboard envelope it worth it.

Also, Dawn and water in one of those soap foaming bottles works just as well as the original formula

9 months ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

What do you recommend for the alcohol, maybe Svedka vodka?

9 months ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Guinness.

9 months ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

You want to punish these motherfuckers, stop buying the product all together

9 months ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

One of my "Elder Millennial" Tips i like to give the peps living on their own for the first time. Save / get a spray bottle squirt a tablespoon or so of dish detergent in it fill with water. Everytime you take a dish to the sink, spray it and wash it right away.
Its quick and easy to clean the plate / bowl / cup you just dirtied hardly an chore. But if you just put them in the sink you will tell yourself "i will clean it when the sink is full" then its a whole chore that you will put off

9 months ago | Likes 9 Dislikes 0

I prefer 6tbs dawn, 2tbs 70%, rest of the bottle water. To me the other ratios do not give the same effect.

9 months ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 1

In reality, you can use ANY combination of ratios you choose for this...it will work regardless!

8 months ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Who the hell is wasting good alcohol on cleaning?

9 months ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

Would buying the cheapest vodka you can find suffice - you can literally get a 40oz bottle of rot gut vodka for like, 12 bucks which would make for a lot of power wash base.

9 months ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

They got rid of the original scent about 3ish years ago and put out the "New Scent". Its smells..weirdly chemical and sickeningly sweet. A lot of people hate it and wrote in to change it back, they still haven't. Its a bummer cause I felt original was pretty neutral, a lot of dish soap smells like shampoo and I don't like it. I only have a little bit left before I'm gonna have to just cope and use something else. Sick of shrinkflation and greed.

9 months ago | Likes 12 Dislikes 1

I hate it and am allergic to the scent, which truly sucks as Original Dawn was one of the few cleaners that I did not react to.

9 months ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 1

Its horrid. Someone said to them it smelled like sewage or chemical sewage and I have to agree. I hate that others are having reactions to it, but I'm also glad its not just an in my head thing, I was so jarred when I smelled it, then I had to replace my sponge and rewash my dishes. I had bought a big bottle too ugh. Have you found any good neutral dish soaps?

9 months ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 1

Was able to snag a big bottle of the original, dreading when it runs out and I have to try and find a new neutral or unscented dish soap.

9 months ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Dunno if it helps, but I have the same problem: my skin reacts to most fragrances and even some other ingredients. Unscented Seventh Generation isn't quite as good as Dawn was, but it's close, and it has no smell at all. It's what I ended up switching to since you can't find the unscented Dawn anywhere but Target around here.

9 months ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

1 bottle of Alcohol huh!

9 months ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

All these laundry detergent brands have these snarky ads talking about how much "water" is their opponents pods as opposed to theirs, and so their brand has more "detergent" per pod, and I'm just over here still using powdered detergent, which is... uhhh... 100% detergent?

9 months ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 0

Pre-HE washers and definitely now with HE washers, powders never seem to 100% dissolve. I'm sure there are tricks to it, but I'd just use liquids that I know will dissolve.

9 months ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Are you using too much? My HE front-load washer uses about 2 Tbsp of powder detergent per load. Maybe 3 Tbsp, if it's a big load of towels.

9 months ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

We're talking dishwashers, just FYI. ;)

9 months ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Well, how am I supposed to fit a full load of towels in the dishwasher? :(

9 months ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

I have been making my own since I bought the first bottle. I just use water and dawn, no alcohol.

9 months ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

The magic ingredients are the emulsifiers and surfactants, which is really what makes it work. Don’t get me wrong, it’s all chemical nonsense you don’t need, but this replacement “recipe” isn’t that close.

9 months ago | Likes 17 Dislikes 0

The difference is the whole "no scrub". I can let PowerWash sit on a baked-on pan for 2-3 minutes and the baked on stuff comes right off. Doing the "make your own" recipe doesn't do that. It's not meant as a dish soap replacement.

9 months ago | Likes 12 Dislikes 0

Water and dawn by itself will do that. Baked on food just basically needs to be rehydrated so it comes off. And the power wash stuff certainly doesn't cut grease as well, because it's so dilute compared to the regular dawn ultra.

9 months ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 2

That hasn't been my experience, tbh.

9 months ago | Likes 8 Dislikes 0

And here I am like a mad man pumping 7 time for dish washing soap to get it nice and foamy when I wash the dishes

9 months ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

We bought one bottle, just cuz we liked the sprayer, and have been refilling it with the recipe ever since. Had been mixing soap and water in a sprayer beforehand, but genuinely liked the dawn sprayer. Has a nice handle on it and decent pump.

9 months ago | Likes 185 Dislikes 15

I did that with the dawn foaming soap dispenser but it broke on the first refill. Sad trombone.

9 months ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

It IS a good sprayer, we have been mixing g our own but haven't added alcohol, will try that

9 months ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

I have 2, one for disk soap one for bathroom cleaner. Its a great sprayer

9 months ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

That dawn sprayer is wild. It sprays like an aerosol can almost but it's not! Blows my mind

9 months ago | Likes 34 Dislikes 0

It's s really good design, so powerful. Almost like a spray can.

9 months ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

it's great. And those sprayers are useful for all sorts of other stuff too!

9 months ago | Likes 7 Dislikes 0

And this product (D@WN) is just regular dish soap with some ammonia. Backtrack one more step and you can save countless dollars instead of continuing to give money to this company that you just proved is ripping us off.

9 months ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

I've been mixing this for a while now, you don't need the alcohol. Also buy the dial foaming hand soap just for the dispenser. It works with other soaps and it works with a gel soap and water mix. I've had mine for over a decade. They really are out there just nickel and diming us.

9 months ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

Last time I tried mixing cleaning chemicals it made a funny smell and I fell asleep

9 months ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

Wakey wakey Rip Van Winkle.

9 months ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Which type of alcohol? Ethanol or isopropyl alcohol ?

9 months ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 1

ethanol is expensive

8 months ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

google says isopropyl

9 months ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 1

They wanted to get into the squirty cleaner market. I hate corporations and greed too but this seems like a pretty fair thing to do. Who wants to muck with mixing your own? And sometimes you need a thin, spray-on cleaner. So this is fair play as far as I can tell.

9 months ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

I drank it and went blind. WTF

9 months ago | Likes 8 Dislikes 0

@OP ammonia and bleach mixed is called a knock out

9 months ago | Likes 19 Dislikes 2

Watch out Bucky, this crowd will do exactly that. Kinda like Trump saying to drink bleach to “cure” covid.

9 months ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

Never do this.

9 months ago | Likes 9 Dislikes 0

Mustard gas from Wish

9 months ago | Likes 7 Dislikes 0

Like "drinkable yoghurt", what was advertised here some years ago. Take normal yoghurt, add 50% water and double the price.

9 months ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

But it's 5x!

9 months ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

This is similar to the Mr. Clean "magic eraser" which is just a melamine sponge. On amazon, a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser is 4x more expensive than regular non-branded Melamine sponges.

9 months ago | Likes 137 Dislikes 9

.

9 months ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

some of the cheap ones don't hold up. Not that the magic erasers are worth the money

9 months ago | Likes 7 Dislikes 0

the worth is what you do with them! Here's a tip...do you have shower glass with hard water stains? If so, you know that no matter how much bathroom scrubbing bubbles you use, you will not get rid of those water stains. The closest I could get to getting rid of them is using CLR, but that still leaves plenty of hard water spots. During a shower, take a magic eraser and wipe down the shower glass...2 minutes...that's it...hard water stains are now gone!

8 months ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

I had been using these also, but it seems like melamine might be really bad for shedding microplastic pollution.

9 months ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

you're right. we should loot & steal... but Mr. Clean got my muddy white runners brighter than new. Don't mess with Mr. Clean. Mr. Clean & I cannot allow that.

9 months ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Thank you!

9 months ago | Likes 19 Dislikes 0

.

9 months ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

I have never heard of a "melamine sponge" and have no idea how I'd go and buy one...I just went to my local big-box hardware store for some supplies and realized that I needed some Magic Eraser pads...there were no generics there and no "melamine sponges"...

8 months ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Don't worry. IMHO they aren't great.

8 months ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

been getting my knock off magic erasers at the dollar store for years and they work just as good

9 months ago | Likes 14 Dislikes 0

I wondered if there was a difference.

9 months ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Misread, I think I got the wrong stuff...

9 months ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

I thought I heard that the Mr. Clean ones came first and the cheaper ones are just brandless. ...also that they release a shit ton of microplastics. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.4c00846

9 months ago | Likes 9 Dislikes 0

More than 4x. I bought a box of 100 several years ago for $10. Before I knew about the micro plastics.

9 months ago | Likes 13 Dislikes 0

in melamine sponges?

9 months ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

doctors are already finding microplastics in peoples brains :(

9 months ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

I once got hair dye all over my face and looked like I’d had a facial from papa smurf. In a panic I grabbed a magic eraser and scrubbed it all off. I never realized those soft sponges were just fine sand paper. My face was beet red for a week and burned like rug burn.

9 months ago | Likes 11 Dislikes 0

jumpin' tacos don't do that

9 months ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

I used a Mr clean eraser on my neck to get of hair dye too. You are not alone

9 months ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

What does the alcohol do?

9 months ago | Likes 37 Dislikes 1

It's gonna get get get get you drunk.

9 months ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 2

It makes existence more tolerable.

9 months ago | Likes 11 Dislikes 3

Yeah IDK I don't use alcohol either. All you need is water and soap, and then shake vigorously.

9 months ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 0

well when cleaning my smoke pipe out, soap and water alone does NOT cut the resin at all, like rubbing alcohol does, RA makes that crud wipe off like magic, so id def say it adds some extra cleaning strength to the mix. idk if this stuff is stronger than the dishsoap alone, but youd think there was something extra in there to put the "power" in the "power wash" and id bet it is the rubbing alcohol cause that shit cuts through what soap dont

9 months ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Keeps my inner demons at bay

9 months ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 2

Helps me forget my parents

9 months ago | Likes 26 Dislikes 3

Gives the grease a solid headache.

9 months ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 1

Degreaser?

9 months ago | Likes 16 Dislikes 0

I hardly know her.

9 months ago | Likes 12 Dislikes 1

Calms the shakes.

9 months ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 2

Alcohol is a strong degreasing agent. Add that to the detergents and the surface-tension removal of soap? It just makes grease melt and get carried away easier/faster. I think.

9 months ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 0

Probably just breaks the surface tension.

9 months ago | Likes 25 Dislikes 1

Isn't that soap's entire raison d'etre?

9 months ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 0

This. It works on dates too.

9 months ago | Likes 40 Dislikes 2

So it breaks the social tension, too.

9 months ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

9 months ago | Likes 24 Dislikes 1

Helps Dawn forget the horrors of the last oil spill cleanup.

9 months ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 2

Just another solvent. Somethings dissolve in alcohol but not water. You could also add something like turpentine or kerosene, but alcohol is the least offensive

9 months ago | Likes 8 Dislikes 0

Love washing the dishes I eat from with kerosene, gives a nice subtle flavor that you just don’t get with other solvents.

9 months ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Ethyl or denatured alcohol?

9 months ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Sure, but normal dish soap doesn't have alcohol, so why is it necessary when making the foaming squirt kind?

9 months ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

well when cleaning my smoke pipe out, soap and water alone does NOT cut the resin at all, like rubbing alcohol does, RA makes that crud wipe off like magic, so id def say it adds some extra cleaning strength to the mix. idk if this stuff is stronger than the dishsoap alone, but youd think there was something extra in there to put the "power" in the "power wash" and id bet it is the rubbing alcohol cause that shit cuts through what soap dont

9 months ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

You're supposed toic water and alcohol together first to form a solute in order to evenly combine the water and soap. Which isn't necessary. I've been doing this for a while now and I prefer no alcohol. I don't measure either. Just kinda wing it till it's right lol

9 months ago | Likes 28 Dislikes 1

Yeah, I juat put a squirt of the ultra concentrated into an empty bottle, then fill it with water

9 months ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Yeah, I do the same, Didn't even realize they're supposed to be alcohol. just pour the concentrated soap in the bottom and add water till it squirts the right way. Heyo.

9 months ago | Likes 15 Dislikes 0

*to mix

9 months ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 0

To toic?

9 months ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

Alas! Poor Toic! For I knew him well!

9 months ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 0

Same. I bought a bottle literally right before the pandemic and I've been refilling it with soap and water ever since. I buy a giant thing of Dawn from Costco for like $10-$15 and it lasts for a year or more.

9 months ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

With the money savings, pickup a foaming sprayer. There are some decent ones in auto detailing. Though a lot of those are a little large for a kitchen sink location.

9 months ago | Likes 352 Dislikes 26

9 months ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

I replaced my handsoap pumps with foaming ones and user regular handsoap dilluted accordingly. much cheaper in the long run. foaming handsoap is just pre dilluted for you and more expensive...

9 months ago | Likes 10 Dislikes 0

Same!

9 months ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

But for the love of your deity, don't use dishwashing detergent to clean your car, it'll get dirty a lot quicker afterward! Use products that are meant for car cleaning

9 months ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

I do a lot of detailing and bought a few bottles of Super Clean Foaming Spray bottles. Kept the bottles and are about normal size.

9 months ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

we should be filtering all hazardous chemicals out before releasing from waste water treatment plants. https://krakensense.com/blog/the-overuse-of-chemicals-in-water-treatment-facilities

9 months ago | Likes 8 Dislikes 2

I usually don't brag about cleaning products. Having said that, Dr. Bronners hemp castille soap is amazing. I use it laundry detergent, shampoo, body wash, laundry detergent, house cleaner. Just dilute and enjoy.

9 months ago | Likes 7 Dislikes 1

This is my favorite for the foaming soap pumps, but I like peppermint.

9 months ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

My friend bought one bottle of Dawn Powerwash to get the bottle and now they just refill it

9 months ago | Likes 24 Dislikes 0

That's what I do. I had to replace the bottle once after a couple years because the sprayer crapped out.

9 months ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

Lot of uses for an atomizing sprayer. Water delicate plants, laying down chemicals, home haircuts

9 months ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 0

Atomizing is a fun word for a non english native.

9 months ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Yeah they're super useful. I have one I keep cooking oil in. No more aerosol nonstick spray!

9 months ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 0

Yup. I got a pump one for Christmas and it's awesome.

9 months ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

9 months ago | Likes 8 Dislikes 0

I should get one of those for cleaning my car.

9 months ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 1

This is exactly what I pictured when I thought of a power washer being used for a hair cut...

9 months ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Now I kinda want to try doing the dishes with a power washer....

9 months ago | Likes 37 Dislikes 0

I have wanted something like a sandblasting cabinet, for pressure-washing dishes.

9 months ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Film it and post the video.

9 months ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

*OP is not responsible for breakage*

9 months ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Do it, it's fun, just put towels down lol

9 months ago | Likes 9 Dislikes 1

the sprayers are a nice advancement.

9 months ago | Likes 25 Dislikes 4

They're old tech, Dawn didn't advance shit.

9 months ago | Likes 10 Dislikes 4

Why is Dawn the only brand with the sprayer then?

9 months ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 2

Because that's the bottle they used for their product.
Foaming sprayers are not new, you can just buy them like any other spray bottle. Dawn just shipped their product in one. Possibly because this particular blend works better when sprayed as a foam.
The bottle isn't new, special, or innovative. It's just an easy to acquire, commercially available, cheap spray bottle.

9 months ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 0

I literally squirt dawn into a small condiment bowl and then fill it with water and just dunk my scrubber whenever I need more soap on it. Soap can pretty much always be diluted

9 months ago | Likes 253 Dislikes 21

When my ex and I moved in together, I realized he did this, to my horror!! Only took a few days and I was convinced. 15 years later, I still use this method.

9 months ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

You SHOULD always dilute it. It's much much less effective unless diluted, usually by at least 10:1. --a nerdy kid who did a science fair project in high school.

9 months ago | Likes 18 Dislikes 0

get a spray bottle. 80% water, rest with soap, shake it up. Best kitchen cleaner.

9 months ago | Likes 11 Dislikes 2

Kills ants too.

9 months ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 1

👍😊

9 months ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 2

Or, keep a second bottle. Fill it with the regular concentrated stuff just a bit, add water for the rest. Squirt bottle into dishes, clean by hand.

9 months ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 0

TIL: damn, you young'uns are smart.

9 months ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

I make this shit alllll the time at work. And the alcohol they’re mentioning isn’t rubbing alcohol—it’s isopropyl alcohol.

9 months ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 6

Isopropyl is rubbing alcohol, its just typically 70% instead of 100% concentration. There are some ethanol varieties too, but its less common as household rubbing alcohol than isopropyl.

9 months ago | Likes 17 Dislikes 0

I use the 100% concentration. It’s the only thing that removes adhesive from any smooth surface.

9 months ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Same, this is the way especially if you don't have double sinks.

9 months ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

This. Guys, dish soap is crazy concentrated. The bloody commercial shows cleaning a lasagna dinner with a single drop...and it's accurate.
If you "squirt" it on anything, you definitely should be watering it down 10 to 1 first or you are just wasting soap.
They also compared the full price. You only buy one sprayer. The refills are 1.25$
Feel free to make your own, but you aren't saving money unless your own time is worthless to you.

9 months ago | Likes 106 Dislikes 1

My wife buys the upside-down bottles.
I don't know why we have two...
...so far...
They are convenient, but I always feel frustrated that I can't just get one drop.
Maybe the motion-activated ones are better.

9 months ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Sorry to shill for Dawn like I work there, but I've never used a better dish soap. Plus they donate boatloads of it whenever there is an oil spill. They are essentially the only company in a position to help oily animals and they choose to do so for free (as well as fund rehab support for the animals).
When companies are generally so evil, it seems relevant to point out the cases where they choose the light.

9 months ago | Likes 66 Dislikes 2

There's no such thing as a benevolent corporation. They have reasons for doing that beyond the goodness of their hearts.

9 months ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 2

Yeah, but no. Benevolent corporation is a term of art for a type of non-profit. Private corporations may also be ran for goals beyond profit (think municipal utilities). But once they're listed in NYSE, late stage capitalism demands that there is only one relevant stakeholder and that is the stockholder.

9 months ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

As long as our tax code allows it...

9 months ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Tell us the sinister reasons of ben & jerry

9 months ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Where are they now

9 months ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Are you sure Dawn isn't causing the oil spills so that they get good PR when they help clean up? /s

9 months ago | Likes 34 Dislikes 1

It's the Dawn of a new conspiracy

9 months ago | Likes 28 Dislikes 1

We've reached out to rival company Ajax, but they were out conquering grease.

9 months ago | Likes 14 Dislikes 1

When companies do good for tax write off a little piece of me hates it because yes the good deeds get done but they are still tax dodging, kinda like feeding a homeless guy for TikTok views but on a larger scale

9 months ago | Likes 12 Dislikes 3

I'm not a fan of tax-dodging corps but there is no scenario in which a company gets back more from claiming a donation than the amount spent on the donation itself (unless we venture into fraud territory). Same goes for donating personally.

9 months ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

They get it back in brand recognition and free advertising

9 months ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

I get it, but I also write off my donations. That's not WHY I do it, but if you can, why wouldn't you?

9 months ago | Likes 10 Dislikes 0

You cant compare yourself to a corporation in terms of taxes with the reasoning being if you a citizen does it they should too. Close that loop whole and I guarantee you all charitable donations from corporations stop that same day, not even worth the pr and exposure as that money can be allocated to other forms of advertising

9 months ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 1