Does anyone make their own washing up liquid?  I've been having a go but it just doesn't cut the grease so hubby won't use it, not even for non-greasy things    I need a better recipe.  Can anyone share please?

It would help to know what you're using now so we don't suggest that very thing!

Here is a list of recipes, the best (IMO) are the ones calling for liquid castile and vinegar or lemon juice. I imagine baking soda in water would work as well though for greasy dishes I'd go for the soap solution and sprinkle baking soda on as needed to scour.

http://www.ehow.com/search.html?q=dish+soap&skin=home

You can liquify bar soap & add in a nice scrubby material to it.

For liquid soap, grate the bar soap, add a little water & heat it up until it melts. While its still warm, add a bit more water until it is a bit thinner than regular liquid soap (it will firm up a bit when it cools) Mix it well using a wire whisk or blender.
Then add in some pumice, coffee grounds, clean sand, ground apricot, kelp, oatmeal or other abrasive material, and put in a container. You will need to shake the container before using.

The scrubby stuff will help get the grease off.

I also have made bar soap (hot process) that had coffee grounds in it. It works very well.

Microwave ovens work well for melting soap.  i know a guy who puts all of the butt ends of bars into an old sock, zaps it in the microwave, and ends up with a holdable soapy scrub rag.

I've started using soap nuts for doing my laundry.  I order in bulk and make a tea by simmering the dried berries in water, then straining and storing in the fridge. I use the liquid for all my laundry and a fair amount of my cleaning. You can dilute it and it makes a great window cleaner. Use it full strength with a little baking soda for scrubbing.

The leftover smushy soap nuts are just thrown out in the garden. No chemicals and no waste.

If you are interested, I can give my exact recipe for making the soap nut tea. I will never go back to commercial laundry detergent! My towels are soooo fluffy and absorbent and the clothes don't irritate sensitive skin.

I order them from NaturOli. You can find info about using them on soapnuts.pro. I stumbled on it by accident and now wonder why the organic/no chemical people aren't all over it!

Thanks Becky, I had been thinking about soapnuts for laundry - I currently make my own liquid from washing soda, bicarb etc.  It does a fine job but it was for doing dishes that I had the problem, hence the post.

T. Joy - the recipe I have is for the very things you mention - vinegar, lemon juice, and castille soap.  The only thing I did differently was that I used an organic liquid soap base that wasn't castille.  Do you think that makes a difference?  Maybe it was watered down so much that it's not so good when mixed with more water as per the recipe.  Perhaps I'll try more soap in the mix - just didn't want to put out more soap into the earth than was necessary, even if it's organic.

If you don't mind buying rather than making your soap, NaturOli has recently come out with a dish washing soap, but it is not for use in the dishwasher. I haven't tried it, but they are raving about it on their site. I have to say that my communications with them have been very helpful and exceeding low on the BS factor. They would certainly be worth looking at.