Dawn has been my preferred dish soap since I started blogging in 2011, which made my decision to create a DIY Dawn Powerwash recipe a no-brainer. Dawn Powerwash dish spray is a brilliant product, but my copycat Dawn Powerwash recipe is much more affordable.
With just water, a bit of dish soap, a splash of vinegar or alcohol, and some lemon essential oil, you can make a homemade dish spray that works just as well as the original!
Table of Contents
What Is Dawn Powerwash Dish Spray?
While Dawn dish soap needs to be added to water or a wet sponge for it to work properly, Powerwash dish spray is pre-diluted and starts breaking down grease and grime right away. Just spray it onto dirty dishes as you put them in the sink, and you can reduce the time and effort required to wash them later.
I loved the idea of this dish spray both in theory and practice, but I was less enthusiastic about the price of the refills. Once the bottle was empty, I decided to do what I do best: create a homemade version that works just as well!
DIY Dawn Powerwash Recipe: What’s In It?
| Ingredient | Properties |
|---|---|
| Dish soap | Breaks down grease, oil, and food residues |
| Water | Powerful solvent, makes for an easy-to-use spray |
| Vinegar (optional) | Counters the effects of hard water and kills bacteria |
| Alcohol (optional) | Dissolves impurities and kills bacteria |
| Lemon essential oil (optional) | Powerful degreasing agent with a fresh, clean scent |
“[Instead of alcohol,] I used four pumps of SANELL 63% hand sanitizer, which the bottle states also contains moisturizers and vitamin E. I imagine each ‘pump’ was about 1/2 oz. When I tried this solution it replicated the original [product] perfectly.”
– OGT Reader Molly P.
How To Make Homemade Dawn Powerwash
Ingredients:
- Liquid dish soap
- Water
- White vinegar or rubbing alcohol (optional)
- Lemon essential oil (optional)
Directions:
Remove the spray top from a continuous spray bottle (or an empty Dawn Powerwash bottle) and add 1 tablespoon of dish soap (classic blue Dawn, Dawn Platinum, and homemade dish soap are all great options). Fill the remainder of the bottle with water.
Add a splash of distilled white vinegar or rubbing alcohol to offset the effects of hard water, if desired, or a few drops of lemon essential oil for its fresh scent and grease-cutting action (or both!)
Replace the spray top on the bottle, then gently shake it to mix.
If you don’t have an empty Powerwash bottle or continuous spray bottle at home, you can use a standard bottle, but you might have some issues with the thick foam clogging up the spray nozzle. Just something to keep in mind!
Jillee’s Take:
How To Use This DIY Dish Spray
Keep your DIY dish spray next to the kitchen sink, and as you prepare your meals, generously spray dirty dishes before placing them in the sink. The soap and other cleaning agents will start breaking down tough food residues right away.
Once you’ve finished eating and are ready to clean up, the dish spray will have worked its magic! Whether you wash the dishes by hand or load them into your dishwasher, your dishes are sure to end up sparkling clean.
More Ways To Use Homemade Dawn Powerwash Spray
Dawn dish soap is a powerfully effective ingredient in several of my favorite homemade cleaning products, including a homemade shower cleaner, DIY cleaning wipes, a homemade granite cleaner, a DIY window and mirror cleaner, and much more!
More Ideas You'll Love
You can also use this homemade Powerwash spray to clean more than just dishes. Here are some other things you can clean with this DIY dish spray:
- Microwave oven
- Stainless steel appliances
- Fridge interior
- Kitchen countertops
- Spills and splatters
- Cupboard doors
- Tabletops
- Countertop appliances
- Clothing stains
- Tools
- Tile backsplashes
I bought a 2-pack of continuous spray bottles, and I’m glad I did! I made one spray with vinegar for use in the bathroom, and the other with alcohol for use in the kitchen and on our new stone countertops. Both formulas are great for everyday cleanup!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Make This DIY Powerwash In A Regular Spray Bottle?
Yes, but you might experience issues with the spray nozzle clogging up due to the foam created by the spray.
Is Powerwash Just Diluted Dawn?
The main ingredients are Dawn and water, but the label does list a few other ingredients, including alcohol.
Can You Use Rubbing Alcohol In Dawn Powerwash?
Absolutely. A splash of alcohol helps break down tough grease and grime.
Do You Have To Rinse Dawn Powerwash?
The answer depends on how you plan to wash the dishes. You don’t need to rinse the spray off before washing dishes by hand, but you do need to rinse the spray off before loading them into your dishwasher.
How Long Can I Store Homemade Powerwash?
The spray will keep for about a year stored in a cool, dark place.
Conclusion
This Dawn Powerwash hack is a brilliant way to save time and money in the kitchen. Plus, using it outside of the kitchen makes it even more useful!
Have you tried using a dish spray like Dawn Powerwash in your own kitchen?
DIY Dawn Powerwash (Recipe)
Equipment
- Continuous Spray Bottle or empty Powerwash spray bottle
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp dish soap
- 9 oz water
- 2 tbsp white vinegar or rubbing alcohol
- 5 drops lemon essential oil
Instructions
- Add the dish soap and water to your spray bottle.
- Add the vinegar and lemon essential oil to the bottle, if using.
- Replace the spray top and gently shake the bottle to mix.
Video
Notes
More Ideas You'll Love
I also use it for handwashing! I spray it on particularly dirtier area then handscrub getting it washed in to the entire garment. The diluted Dawn does its thing while the alcohol really sanitizes bacteria out! Great for bras!
I’m wondering if using BOTH alcohol and vinegar would be of any benefit? Or simply too redundant?…
Please log in or create a free account to comment.That’s a great idea, Lauri! There really wouldn’t be any reason to use both. The alcohol does the same thing as the vinegar.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Very effective and affordable
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Hi, I read somewhere of a hack to keep your stainless steel sink shiny after you finish the dishes but can’t find it now. I don’t know if it was rubbing alcohol or something else. I remember you spray it down and wipe out. Any suggestions?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Margaret, here’s my trick. Hope it helps :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.The Surprising Secret That Will Make Your Sink Shine Like New
I’m loving these bottles alone! I’m adding one to my cart for my bathroom (water to spritz my hair) and a larger one for Dawn in the kitchen. I may switch this around a bit by adding the water first so not to end up with too many suds. Thank you for the link and great ideas, Jillee!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My son showed me this trick about 6 years ago using just a regular cheap spray bottle. It is the handiest hack EVER. It’s great for cookouts, camping, traveling, wherever you need to wash something up real quick. I am never without my Dawn spray!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Been DIY for years with this homemade dish spray. I use approx 2 tablespoons of Dawn in a 32 oz sprayer of water. That is plenty of Dawn to do the job, no need for as much as the recipe here.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.This is only as good as the soap you buy, so why not just use Dawn? Also why is this being repeated 3x over? I now remember why I hate this site, all the ads are ridiculous. And to pay, please
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I very happily pay for my plus membership. It is well worth the price.
Life hack: Something you may not have heard before…”If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all. “
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Angela, thank you so much for your kind words. As you know there are many more wonderful benefits OGT Plus members receive that make the price you pay to join OGT Plus worth every penny. The access to all of my eBooks is worth over $400 alone, the discount and free shipping in my ByJillee Shop, are just a couple examples. In addition, the ads that non-members see are what allow me and my team to offer all of my advice, recipes and tips to all readers for free. You made my day, Angela! It’s people like you that make what team and I do so rewarding! :-)
What size bottle did you buy from Amazon? They have 5, 10, 17, and 24 oz. sizes
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I use the 10 ounce for my recipe.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Then ingredients on the Dawn power wash list alcohol as the first ingredient, I add two tablespoons and one cup of Dawn and fill
Please log in or create a free account to comment.With water , seems to work well for us
Here’s another version that I found works when other tries didn’t and the spray output before did not look anything like the original Dawn power wash spray, so here goes.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.The container bottle of original Dawnn power wash contains 16 ounces. Following the advice of others who have posted before me, after totally rinsing out the original power wash container to remove all the bubbles, I then poured slightly over 12 ounces of tapwater into the base. Then I tried 70% rubbing alcohol followed by pouring in 2 ounces of dawn ultra dish soap, replacing the spray handle and gently shaking it back-and-forth.
This did not work well at all and was very runny so, based on a tip that I read it perhaps elsewhere, i used four pumps of SANELL, 63% hand sanitizer which the bottle states also contains moisturizers and vitamin E? The picture of the Sanell ha d sanitizer wouldn’t post but it’s a 30 oz bottle and I imagine each ‘pump’ may be about 1/2 oz,
When I tried the solution it replicated the original bottle perfectly.
It appears that the isopropyl alcohol may be the ‘secret sauce’ ingredient.
I then refilled all of my empty Dawn Power wash containers, tested all three and ‘voila’! I am one happy clam.
Hope that helps.
I’ve always been a wash as you go gal. If there is something that has baked on or cooked on food I’ll let it soak before washing it.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’ve been spraying my dishes this way for years. I usually ‘clean as you go’ while cooking but sometimes they get sprayed and sit overnight, to be washed the next morning. Put a tiny drizzle of Dawn in the bottom and fill up a 32 oz trigger sprayer with water. You can spray a lot of dishes and get plenty of suds. I buy the slightly more expensive ‘chemical resistant’ trigger sprayer bottles because they’re higher quality. The triggers work well, have excellent spray patterns, and last many years.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’ve been making a Dawn and water mixture for several years. I spray it on my stovetop and counters after cooking so I can easily degrease and clean them. I then do a quick follow up with a plain wet dishcloth to remove any residue. Makes cleanup so easy.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Would this work with any dish soap that cuts grease? I try to use Method or Mrs. Mayers (sp?).
Please log in or create a free account to comment.If you hate chemicals, Dawn is full of toxins…the regular dishwashing liquid all they way to the powerwash. I check products on EWG.org for the chemicals which are graded A, B, C, D, F. If you can’t find your product then you can type in the name of the chemical or cut and paste the name from the list of ingredients you find online on the products. Powerwash wasn’t on the site yet but many others are which have been graded mostly D’s and even some were graded F.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I just made this and I am not getting the foaming like the refill bottle.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Same result here, are we doing something wrong?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Just wondering if you ever got an answer to your question?
I have the same issue! I really like to see the foaming action.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Jillee, I have been a fan for a while now. Love your tips, hacks, etc. I must share this w/u. I am a subscriber to Consumer Reports. The latest had warnings re: white vinegar as a aditives to dish washers, and front loading washers. I have been using vinegar as a water softener in dishwasher, as a clothes softener in wash., etc. there was skeptism on the part of CR, as a water softener. they claim the vinegar did absolutley nothing to soften clothes, also, it does significent damage to the rubber gasket in the washer, especially front loaders. i have been using vinegar for decades, w/o noticible damage to the gasket. what is your opinion? thanx.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Me too.I always use vinegar in my washing machine rinse cycle to remove any detergent. We have sensitive skin problems.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I really liked the idea of this DIY wash but decided to purchase the Dawn bottle first. I tried it and then made yours. My first bottle I thought was a little runny and didn’t quite do what the Dawn did so when I made another bottle I used a little more soap and a good dose of lemon essential oil. My oh my did it do a great job of cutting grease and the smell was wonderful. Thank you so much for the starting point, Jillee.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Would this recipe and spray bottle work on the tub and shower? I usually spray the tub/shower with white vinegar. If it is bad or has been longer than it should’ve been I spray it liberally two to three times letting it sit between spraying. Next, I use a generous amount of Dawn Liquid Detergent and squirt it all around the tub. Instead of a scrub brush I use a small to medium sized broom that is only used for the tub (easier on my back.) If the soap scum is heavy I may do a repeat.
I was thinking this recipe, since it sprays so fine, could be used daily after showers therefore preventing buildup. Would that work?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Mel, I have a post sharing the broom and Dawn process to clean the bathtub. Yes, you could use the recipe for the tub and shower. Here is the recipe I use for the shower and tub. This One Simple Thing Will Keep Your Shower Cleaner, Longer
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I was all excited to make my own spray, which I may still may I like to soak or pre soak things to clean up easier. But the bottles run about $18-24!!! That is a bit pricey if you are trying to save money but spend a fortune on a bottle. Thanks for the recipe. Will have to try in regular spray bottle.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.It will still work wonderfully with a regular spray bottle! :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Some cleaners on the market now come in a continuous spray bottle. One in particular is 16 ounces of cleaner for $4.99. The cleaner is great, and once the bottle is empty, it can be reused for this DIY idea.
I always clean as I go. I learned this as a child and it has served me well! I hate to go to someone’s home and instead of rinsing as they go save it until after dinner. I want to groan at the mess as I offer to help!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Totally clean as you go and seldom use the dishwasher any longer unless there is a crowd at the house and it just makes sense. But there are currently only 2 living here :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love Dawn! When I have say a dirty pan that I just cooked rice in, I will put it in the sink, put 1 drop of dawn and fill it up with hot water. Then when I have time, I will wash it and pour the soapy water into another dirty dish that needs soaking. I don’t need to buy the Powerwash dish spray. I saw that in the stores and thought ” I don’t need to speed extra money on something that I don’t need. I need to save money not spend it on something like this.
But Thanks for all your Wonderful/ helpful posts! I love them!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My husband is a neat freak…. sometimes. He’s a nut about keeping the kitchen clean. We won’t discuss the piles of Stuff that surround him everywhere else. :)
I have been cooking for umpty-ump years and I don’t interrupt the process to clean things. I set them on the counter or in the sink till I’m ready to clean them. I fill them full of hot soapy water if I’m not going to get to them quickly. The idea of soaking dirty dishes drives my husband berserk. I don’t know why. He just won’t do it. Therefore I’ve seen him time and time again trying to use the full force of his arm to get things clean. I have long since lost track of how many times I have said “If you have to use that much energy to clean something, you are using the wrong tools or the wrong technique.” I have also seen him interrupt the process of cooking to carefully scrub something clean, and scorch whatever it was he was trying to cook while his attention is diverted to washing things.
Now that he’s retired he’s cooking more often. I think maybe he’s finally coming to understand the reasons why I wouldn’t stop in the middle of something to carefully wash all the pots and pans. I’m thinking that something like this might persuade him that soaking things till later won’t cause the world to come to an end either. Gonna go buy another spray bottle. :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I don’t know if you consider it a “power” spray, but I added some diluted Dawn to a spray bottle, and spray it into dirty pots or frying pans, it works quickly and the dishes are clean. I do not need to use the D/W for the two of us as our kids are all on their own. I do sometimes load the clean dishes into the D/W and run the water until HOT, and put the D/W on “rinse only.” In nine minutes I have hot dishes that do not need drying, and I put them away.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.This hack is similar to the shower spray hack. Can the shower stuff be just as easily used to spray dirty dishes?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Great point, Susanne. Yes, you could use it! :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Dawn does not work well for me. I have switched to Method dish soap. Works the best at getting through grease!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love the Dawn Powerwash for washing my plastic storage containers. I just spray the dish and let it sit for a few minutes. It completely removes the odor and the tomato stains.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.A really easy way to keep your plastic containers free from tomato stains is to spray the inside of the container/s with PAM or coat with Olive Oil prior to adding your tomato sauce. This has worked for me for years.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Here is the link: Dawn Power Wash on Amazon
Just ordered, 2 pints of PowerWash from Amazon – one in the continuous spray bottle, and one a refill, on Amazon, for $8.50 total. Shipping delayed til after July 3… guess Jillee’s folks have found this also :)
I’m rationalizing the ‘expense’ (and will do Jillee’s DIY as soon as I use up the purchased stuff) as I won’t use water to ‘wet’ what is sitting in the sink, then rinsing the big stuff before putting in the dishwasher, and, hopefully, not using the dishwasher as often.
Just ordered, 2 pints of PowerWash from Amazon – one in the continuous spray bottle, and one a refill, on Amazon, for $8.50 total. Shipping delayed til after July 3… guess Jillee’s folks have found this also :)
https://amzn.to/2Z2X9L7
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’ve been making my own version with Cleaning Vinegar and Dawn and it works great! I sure do like the looks of their bottle tho’ so I’m thinking of buying it once just so I can get the bottle for using my own formula in
Please log in or create a free account to comment.That’s a great idea, Alba!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I think I’ll probably do the same thing. The bottle Jillee linked in her article is “currently not available” on Amazon with no mention of when or if it’ll be available again. If I buy the Dawn Power Wash once, I’ll have the bottle to make my own.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Hi Jillie,
I clean as I go! That’s how I was taught when I learned to cook as a kid and that’s stuck with me over the decades. It’s never pleasant to be faced with a mess after finishing a meal when what I would really like to do is relax!
I use the same approach with any project because I can stop at almost any point and not be faced with a big clean-up.
I loved the reference to the continuous spray bottle and just ordered one on Amazon. I had no idea they existed and need to get a spray bottle anyway. Thanks!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My mother-in-law was a “clean as you go” person and that’s why my husband does it. The problem is that she was an experienced cook and could easily take a minute away from the stove. My husband is not that experienced and he’s also obsessive about getting things CLEAN. So it takes him a lot longer to wash things and meanwhile whatever is on the stove is getting scorched. And then he gets upset, and…….
Yeah, I’m going to get some of the Dawn spray and have him use that. I think that’s a good happy medium between his method and mine. :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I don’t pre rinse/per wash dishes that are going into the dishwasher anyway. Our dishwasher manual recommends against it. Our dishes come out clean.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I repair/refurbish used dishwashers as a retirement “hobby”, and I can tell you quite definitely that if you do not at least pre-rinse dishes before putting them in the machine, you will have issues further down the line. Firstly, it’s called a dishwasher, not a garbage disposal. and secondly, the macerators built into the machines are only designed for small amounts of soft food, not hunks of meat, bone, fibrous vegetable matter, jewlery, screws, toothptcks, plastic debris, and the like (yes, I’ve found all of those and more in the ones I’ve worked on). Those pieces of food that the dishwasher cannot grind and pass through and then just sit and rot in the sump, eventually causing odors, and in some cases, stopping the water flow to the pump entirely. Know what happens next? You either pay a repairman big bucks to come out a rectify the (silly) problem, or you throw more money away replacing the machine. The choice is yours, but I will tell you that I’ve received many perfectly good machines where all I had to do was open the sump and clean them out to revive them to like new running condition because people didn’t use common sense when running them. Consider yourselves warned.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Absolutely dead on. Not only can you clog up the dishwasher filter but also the drain hoses over a period of time. Further, the dishwasher drains into the garbage disposal, so you’ll end up with a dirty/smelly garbage disposal sooner or later. Same holds true for the garbage disposal too: I use a strainer there, catch all solid stuff in the strainer, then dump it in the trash bin. When I go to clean the garbage disposal and the rubber flap, it hardy needs cleaning and never smells. A little extra work up front saves a lot of work later.
No need to pre-rinse dirty dishes with water before putting into the dishwasher. We scrape any hard food debris off the dishes before putting into the dishwasher. We keep a rubber scraper in the dishwasher or our used napkin for scraping / wiping.
It is true that dishwashers are not garbage disposals, so scraping will prevent the hard particles from clogging the filter. I have been doing this for over 30 years and never had a problem, my dishwasher filter never clogged. I was told to do this a very long time ago by an appliance repair tech.
Thanks for sharing this great information. I know this is an ongoing debate… To rinse or not to rinse! I think people misunderstand “not rinsing”. You should always scrape the food off and give things a quick rinse before putting items in the dishwasher.
It depends upon the age of the D/W. Mine is 15 years old so I “baby” it by pre-washing the dishes.
I use a dish pan, I fill with hot soapy (Dawn) water and soak those that need it, I wash my dishes all at once then rinse all at once….. saves water !!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Hi Debbie – That is actually what I do too :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.How about half filling sink with water and place bowls, utensils, etc in it until after dinner is over then the water has done the hardest work. I haven’t bought into the hype and haven’t had to store another product. We take a walk after dinner every night let everything soak them rinse when we come back and load dishwasher. Super easy!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.This is a great option but I don’t have a dishwasher and super limited counter space so one side of my sink is for draining dishes. If I did what you do, my garbage disposal is blocked when I’m cooking and if I need water to cook, it’s more difficult to maneuver. Plus, I end up with a sink full of cold, yucky dishwater that I have to deal with later. I keep a small bowl of hot soapy water and a sponge in the sink as I cook and clean as I go, then after dinner there’s only a few plates and pieces of silver to wash. We wash those quick and put everything away. Super easy, too! I’m going to try Jillee’s recipe to replace my bowl. Thanks Jillee.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I spray my dishes down as I put them into a big household mop bucket while I’m cooking. It holds as much as the sink does and keeps my double sink clear for all the other tasks like those you mention.
GUILTY!! I’d already bought the hype!! I am very happy to say I will refill my “Power Wash” bottle with Jillee’s recipe!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Spray bottles are already unavailable and they don’t know if they will be available in future. Others that “popped” up say, only use water or they will clog. Other suggestions?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I plan to reuse the Dawn Power wash bottle. It’s an awesome product but pricey so I’m excited to try Jillee’s version.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.There were several on Amazon this morning.
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