18 uses for Dr. Bronner?

[kis95]

I was finally able to get my hands on some Dr Bronner's soap. I'm wondering about different uses for it, and whether or not I can use it in place of dishwashing soap in my borax/dw soap/vinegar/EO all-purpose cleaner recipe? I've been trying to find the "18 uses", but I haven't had much luck!

Thanks!

[Yo Becca]

My all-purpose spray cleaner recipe is:

1/4 c. Dr. Bronners (scantly measured)
25 drops Tea Tree essential oil
15 drops Lavender essential oil

for a standard-sized spray bottle. Smells like heaven at my house, and I am so comfortable spraying it on our eating surfaces.

I'd love to hear other recipes for Dr. Bronners. I haven't been happy with it for dishwashing (doesn't cut grease when well-dilluted, more expensive than 7th gen soap when less dilluted) or handwashing.

[spiderdust]

Well, one of the 18 uses used to be as birth control, but I do NOT recommend that use! :bigeyes

I've used it as toothpaste, as shampoo (although I wasn't crazy about how it made my hair feel... YMMV), laundry detergent (with baking soda), to scrub my bathtub (again, with baking soda), as hand soap, body soap (using the peppermint variety meant I often didn't need to worry about deodorant)... probably a few other things that I've forgotten.

[Ziggysmama]

Well, one of the 18 uses used to be as birth control, but I do NOT recommend that use! :bigeyes

I've used it as toothpaste, as shampoo (although I wasn't crazy about how it made my hair feel... YMMV), laundry detergent (with baking soda), to scrub my bathtub (again, with baking soda), as hand soap, body soap (using the peppermint variety meant I often didn't need to worry about deodorant)... probably a few other things that I've forgotten.

Please explain..... (look spidey, i am saying something ;) and refresh)

[spiderdust]

I swear, I cannot make this stuff up. The peppermint soap label used to say:

"11th: Essene & Chinese birth controls must reduce birth or Easter Isle type overpopulation destroys God's Spaceship Earth! God's law prevents all conception below pH3. Therefore, Essene contracepted for 400 years with rosehips, pH2! So, absolute clean, apply vaseline, oil, butter or cream, insert teaspoonful juicy lemon pulp, pH2. O.K.! Next day, douche with qt. soapy water, pH8, restoring pH5 balance God made! Eggwhite is pH9, Dr. Bronner's Soap, pH8, guaranteed the mildest made; below pH8 soaps biodegrade, synthetic-sulfides cannot. At conception, 10 grams contain 100 million humans! or... 10 humans in 1 invisible microgram - smaller than dust! Absolute cleanliness is Godliness! Then, who else but God gave man Love that can spark mere dust to life! The Moral ABC, uniting All One, brave, all life. Who else but God! Who else!"

I don't personally know anyone who has tried this, and certainly not successfully.

StraightDope.com had something about it too, I think.

[Ziggysmama]

Woah. I am never going to look at Dr.Bronners the same way again...

[spiderdust]

I haven't found it on the label in a couple of years... I'm guessing someone tried it and sued after the 17th child was born. ;)

I still like it a whole lot for other things! I forgot to mention that using the eucalyptus scented variety when camping seems to help repel bugs.

[brightonwoman]

i just use it for toothpaste!

i have heard it's a nice base for laundry mixes, and my friend uses sal suds to bathe her dog...that's not the same soap though is it?

dang on the contraception!!! And I gotta say, trying to read those lables is like reading greek. seriously!

[spiderdust]

i just use it for toothpaste!

i have heard it's a nice base for laundry mixes, and my friend uses sal suds to bathe her dog...that's not the same soap though is it?

dang on the contraception!!! And I gotta say, trying to read those lables is like reading greek. seriously!

Sal Suds is made by the same company, but it's a totally different product. I've heard some people have more success with it in the laundry than regular Dr Bronner's soap.

When I worked at a health food store 16 years ago, I was the only one (other than the customers) who was in the store during my shift and I was often bored out of my mind. Reading the Dr Bronner's label was my entertainment.

[Leilalu]

diaper wipes solution/spray- http://www.fuzbaby.com/articles/makeyourown_laundrycleaners.htm#wipesolution

use it in the bath.
mixed with honey, and glycerin as a gentle facial cleanser


I am sure there are many more.

[spiderdust]

My all-purpose spray cleaner recipe is:

1/4 c. Dr. Bronners (scantly measured)
25 drops Tea Tree essential oil
15 drops Lavender essential oil

for a standard-sized spray bottle. Smells like heaven at my house, and I am so comfortable spraying it on our eating surfaces.

I wonder... if you used the lavender scented Dr Bronner's, would you still need to add the lavender oil?

[EkkaGrrl]

I wonder... if you used the lavender scented Dr Bronner's, would you still need to add the lavender oil?

I was wondering the same thing.

[wombatclay]

Dr Bronner labels are just... well... I love them!

Let's see... I use it as toothpaste, shampoo, body wash (and ditto the peppermint replacing deoderant), dish soap, hand soap, shower and toilet cleaner, for washing down the fridge/freezer and counters, mixed with baling soda into a paste it works to clean the grill/stove, as a room spray, well diluted as a wipes liquid. I've used it in the laundry with borax and it worked about as well as Charlie's Soap. We take it camping and use it for just about everything. We wash the dog with it, spray it (again well diluted) on outdoor furniture. And a few drops in outdoor pools to keep down mosquitoes.

Gotta love it! :lol

[Susannah M]

Dr Bronner labels are just... well... I love them!

Let's see... I use it as toothpaste, shampoo, body wash (and ditto the peppermint replacing deoderant), dish soap, hand soap, shower and toilet cleaner, for washing down the fridge/freezer and counters, mixed with baling soda into a paste it works to clean the grill/stove, as a room spray, well diluted as a wipes liquid. I've used it in the laundry with borax and it worked about as well as Charlie's Soap. We take it camping and use it for just about everything. We wash the dog with it, spray it (again well diluted) on outdoor furniture. And a few drops in outdoor pools to keep down mosquitoes.

Gotta love it! :lol

Do you just squirt some on your toothbrush? :shy

[spiderdust]

Do you just squirt some on your toothbrush? :shy

yup! :brush

[barose]

The only "alternative" way I use it is as a toothpaste, but ONLY if I run out of what I normally use. I couldnt do that 2x a day every day.

It dries OUT my skin and hair so I only use it as a hand soap for my body.

DP buys it at cost and orders it by the gal (x5 per order) so I'm always finding ways of using it around the house (except on wood).

[mlh]

I use it to clean the floors and counter tops. I use it as a shampoo on the kids and body wash for the whole family. I put a few drops of the lavender in the bath.

[Bleu]

I hope for your sakes that no one but me needs this information (and no, it has nothing to do with B.C.!) but you can use it to make homegrown oven cleaner. Commerically made oven cleaner is, as you know, horribly toxic, and the Dr. Bronner's solution was easy to make, easy to use, and incredibly effective. And my oven was a disaster when I used it. Cannot recommend this enough - if you don't have a self-cleaning oven. Of course, that's even better!

recipe (http://http://www.thegreenscene.com/shows-and-tips_details.cfm?show_tipID=72)

[happyhats]

Slightly off topic, but does anyone know how to make Dr. Bronner's a little thicker or sudsier? I enjoy the scent in the shower, and it makes me clean enough, but I just don't like how thin it is.

I use it for general cleaning, but it in the bath water, and I've washed dishes with it but hubby doesn't care for it that much so I let him have his say...hey, he washes the dishers, after all! I've never used it in the washing machine, but I've hand washed a few things before and it seemed to come out easier than regular detergent (granted, I'm not the best at handwashing).

[mamavegan]

I hope for your sakes that no one but me needs this information (and no, it has nothing to do with B.C.!) but you can use it to make homegrown oven cleaner. Commerically made oven cleaner is, as you know, horribly toxic, and the Dr. Bronner's solution was easy to make, easy to use, and incredibly effective. And my oven was a disaster when I used it. Cannot recommend this enough - if you don't have a self-cleaning oven. Of course, that's even better!

recipe (http://http://www.thegreenscene.com/shows-and-tips_details.cfm?show_tipID=72)

Thanks for this! I was all set to try this out tonight, but I just ran out of baking soda. :angry I'll give it a try tomorrow or this weekend.

Here's the fixed link: recipe (http://www.thegreenscene.com/shows-and-tips_details.cfm?show_tipID=72)

[mamavegan]

Made the oven cleaner and used it today. It worked and smelled great!

[Bleu]

I'm so glad! :) We were shocked that it worked, and so well! It made the chemical kind seem really unnecessary.

[jrabbit]

the oven cleaner link still doesn't work for me ...

we use Bronners in the toilet, too (following FlyLady's example of almost-daily swishing with a dilute soapy solution instead of resorting to toxic stuff once a month)

[mamavegan]

http://www.thegreenscene.com/shows-and-tips_details.cfm?show_tipID=72

[clothdipemomof2boy]

Does this do well with self cleaning ovens? And just wanted to say thanks for the ideas i will be using it more now that I know what it can be used for.

[hippiemommaof4]

I haven't found it on the label in a couple of years... I'm guessing someone tried it and sued after the 17th child was born. ;)

I still like it a whole lot for other things! I forgot to mention that using the eucalyptus scented variety when camping seems to help repel bugs.


lmao

[cristeen]

For those of you who use it in the laundry, how do you do that? I have a front loader and I'm scared of trying it because of the risk of sudsing... but I'd love to be able to use it because it's so great at removing grease, much better than detergents.

I use the peppermint as a spot-treater, and it's great, but using it instead of soap for the whole load is a bit scary to me.

[Curious]

happyhats:

I've thickened Dr. Bronner's soap.

I don't seem to use the stuff like others here. I had a large bottle with a handle and a narrow top purchased many years ago. Like 10. Before Dd was born (she's now 7), the cap broke and I've left it open since. I'm not sure how many years it took, but the stuff is thick.

Consider it like fine wine - remove the cap and let it age. Eventually it'll be where you want. Mine is practically solid but in less time you should have it a bit thicker.

[jwoodbri]

I definitely need to get some more Dr. B's. I have only been using it as hand soap but am now inspired to try some other ideas particularly the oven cleaner as our oven is a disaster. What's the easiest way to "cover the wet surface with baking soda?" I envision myself covered with it!

[Norasmomma]

I wash my face with it, and I swear it has helped clear up my hormonal, cystic acne.

I also used to clean pee off the couch the other day-it was lavender, and I didn't do anything but use that.

I really do swear by it on my face though, 2 months ago I had the worst skin of my life, I started cleaning it with Dr. B and taking my vitamins and I am better.:joy:

Seriously my face sucked. I never had acne like that.