# ORIGINAL BLUE DAWN . . . IT’S NOT JUST FOR DISHES ANYMORE



## Doc

ORIGINAL BLUE DAWN . . . IT’S NOT JUST FOR DISHES ANYMORE

Wild Life
Ever wonder why Dawn Dishwashing Liquid is the wildlife cleaner of choice after an oil spill? According to the International Bird Rescue Research Center, Dawn effectively removes grease but does not cause harm to the skin of the birds. It’s also biodegradable and contains no phosphates.

BUBBLES
According to Bubbles.org, Dawn dishwashing liquid makes great homemade bubbles. Here is the Giant Bubble Recipe used in bubble makers at many children’s museums: 1/2 cup Ultra Dawn 1/2 gallon warm water 1 tablespoon glycerin (available at any drug store) OR White Karo syrup works too! Stir gently. Skim the foam off the top of the solution (too much foam breaks down the bubbles). Dip bubble wand and get ready for some good, clean fun!

GREASY HAIR PROBLEMS
Kids get into the darnedest things! Like Vaseline and baby oil rubbed into their hair! Dawn is mild enough to use on their hair and strong enough to remove the most stubborn grease.

HAIR PRODUCT BUILDUP
Once a month use original Dawn as you would shampoo. It will remove excess oil from your hair and scalp and strip away any build-up of styling products without any damage. Perform this once a month and you won’t have to buy expensive salon products that do the same thing.

MANICURE SECRET
Soak fingers in full-strength blue Dawn. It makes the cuticles soft and easy to work with. And it removes the natural oil from the fingernails, which allows the polish to adhere very well.

REPEL HOUSEPLANT INSECTS
A safe, effective way to repel insects from your houseplants, including aphids, spider mites and mealy bugs. Put a drop of Dawn Dishwashing Liquid in a spray bottle, fill the rest of the bottle with water, shake well, and mist your household plants with the soapy water.

CLEAN YOUR WINDOWS
Try this recipe from Merry Maids: mix 3 drops Dawn in 1 gallon water and fill a spray bottle with the solution. Spritz and wipe as you would with any window cleaner.

PETS AND PESTS
Use it to bathe the dogs. It kills fleas on contact and is much cheaper than expensive dogshampoos.

CLEAN AUTOMOTIVE TOOLS
After you have finished your automotive repair project, soak your dirty tools in Dawn before you put them away to remove all the oil and grime. Dawn also helps prevent rust from forming on the tools.

ICE PACK
Partially fill a strong zip-type sandwich bag with Dawn dishwashing liquid, close and freeze. The liquid soap stays cold much longer and it can be re-frozen many times. It will conform to the place you need an ice pack.

TUB AND SHOWER CLEANER
Take a spray bottle and fill it halfway with white vinegar. Heat in the microwave. Fill the rest of the way with blue Dawn. Put lid on and shake to mix well. Spray on your tub and shower walls. Allow to sit for a few minutes and rinse away. It will totally melt all the gunk, slime, sludge and other stuff that builds up including a bathtub ring.

REPEL ANTS
Spray counter-tops, cupboards and any other area where you see ants with a solution of Dawn and water. Wipe dry. The slight residue of Dawn that remains will not be a problem at all for kids or pets, but ants hate it. Should you see a trail of ants, go ahead and hit them with the Dawn spray.

STRIPPING CLOTH DIAPERS
Add a squirt or two of original Dawn dish soap to your washer and run a hot wash, then rinse until there are no more bubbles. Dawn is a degreasing agent and helps stripping by removing oily residue. Be sure to rinse, rinse, rinse until the water runs clear.

UNCLOGGING TOILETS
A cup of Dawn detergent poured into a clogged toilet allowed to sit for 15 minutes and then followed with a bucket of hot water poured from waist height will clear out the toilet.

POISON IVY
Poison ivy spreads through the spread of the oil within the blisters. Washing the affected area with Dawn, especially on children who keep scratching the blister’s open, helps dry up the fluid, AND keep it from spreading.

DRIVEWAY CLEANER
If you have gasoline or motor oil stains on your driveway, you can use the kitty litter method to clean up the excess oil and then use a scrub broom and a solution of biodegradable Dawn dishwashing detergent and warm water to safely and effectively remove excess motor oil from the pavement.

OILY SKIN
Dawn makes a great facial cleanser for oily skin. A drop or two combined with warm water will do the trick.

PAINT OR GREASE REMOVER FOR HANDS
Dawn combined with corn oil makes for the perfect paint or grease remover. Simply combine a little bit of both in your hands then rub it over affected areas. The corn oil and the dishwashing liquid both help to dissolve the grease and paint – yet leave skin soft, unlike harsher paint removers.

CLEANING THE KIDDIE POOL
Plastic wading pools can get very gunky, very fast. Dump the water, then scrub the pool with Dawn and a sponge. More potent cleaners like bleach will weaken and dry out the plastic in the sun.

MULTIPURPOSE CLEANER
Merry Maids recommends using a drop of Dawn in water to clean ceramic tile and no-wax/linoleum floors. You can also use the spray on:
• Bathroom and kitchen counters and sinks.
• Woodwork, e.g., baseboards, shelves, and wainscoting. (Dry as you go–wood doesn’t like prolonged contact with water.)
• Tubs and toilet seats.

LAUNDRY PRE-TREATER FOR OILY STAINS
For oil-based stains such as lipstick, grease, butter, motor oil, cooking oil, and some pen inks, simply apply some Dawn dishwashing liquid directly to the stain and scrub with a small brush or toothbrush until the oil is removed, and then launder as usual.

NON-TOXIC LUBRICANT
Sliding glass doors, door knobs, hinges etc. It lasts much longer than any aerosol type spray that I have tried. And Its non-toxic! It does a great job of cleaning the parts that its lubricating as well!

SIDEWALK DE-ICER
For icy steps and sidewalks in freezing temperatures, mix 1 teaspoon of Dawn dishwashing liquid, 1 tablespoon of rubbing alcohol, and 1/2 gallon hot/warm water and pour over walkways. They won’t refreeze. No more salt eating at the concrete in your sidewalks

POOL CLEANING
Squirt Dawn down the middle of the pool and all of the dirt, suntan lotion, etc. will move to the edges of the pool for easy clean up! AND it makes the pools sparkle.

EYEGLASS DEFOGGER
Simply rub a small drop of Dawn on eyeglass lenses, and wipe clean. It will leave a very thin film that will prevent them from fogging up.

SHOWER FLOORS
Cover greasy footprints on shower floors with a coating of Dawn; let sit overnight. Scrub away the gunk in the morning with a stiff brush.

APHID CONTROL ON FRUIT TREES
Mix two tablespoons Dawn to a gallon of water and put in your sprayer. Try to get spray both sides of the leaves, branches and the tree trunks. Let sit for about 15 minutes and then rinse the trees THOROUGHLY!

AND FINALLY……..
Here’s a brilliant idea! Need a hostess gift when visiting friends and family this summer? Print off this post and include it with a bottle of Blue Dawn! Talk about USEFUL !


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## JEV

The surfactant(s) in Dawn are the reason this product works so well. I have used it for many of the tasks listed above, and one of the best is as a pre-treatment of clothes that get grease on them. Actually works a lot better than Shout on my work clothes. Someone once told me that the ingredients in Dawm make "water wetter."

Surfactant:

Surfactants  are compounds that lower the surface tension between two liquids or  between a liquid and a solid. Surfactants may act as detergents, wetting  agents, emulsifiers, foaming agents, and dispersants.


Almost forgot, I have not found anything better for cleaning paint brushes and rollers, plus it leaves them soft after complete rinsing.


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## Doc

I've seen more than one Marina keep Dawn by the gas pumps.  If any gas overflows the boat's tank they would squirt a couple drops of Dawn on the gas in the water and it would suck up the gasoline in no time flat.   Made it disappear.  Amazing to see.


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## MrLiberty

Good tips all.


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## mla2ofus

It's the best cleaner I've found for greasy hands and arms. I keep a little hand pump next to the bathroom sink for cleaning up after monkeywrenching in the shop. I don't need to clean greasy/oily parts as most of it seems to wind up on me,LOL!!
                                        Mike


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## bczoom

Do you have one of those direct foam soap pumps in the kitchen?  Refill with 1/4 Dawn and 3/4 water and shake.  You have another couple hundred pumps of soap for about a quarter.

Got a tick on yourself or your pet?  Put a couple drops on the tick.  It'll fall off _but I don't know how quickly as I do it to the dog and when I next check, it's gone_.  

As JEV mentioned, it's a surfactant.  Anytime I mix up some concoction I want to stick to plants or whatever, I add some Dawn.


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## luvs

sweeeet, doc--- my Mom brought me a bottle of dawn not a month ago.


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## bczoom

luvs said:


> sweeeet, doc--- my Mom brought me a bottle of dawn not a month ago.


You only have one bottle 

We catch the small bottles on sale for $1 now and then.  We then stock up.


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## JEV

I actually have a 1-gallon jug so I always have it on hand for the kitchen, basement & garage dispensers. Great for getting road grime off the vehicles as well.


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## luvs

bczoom said:


> You only have one bottle
> 
> We catch the small bottles on sale for $1 now and then. We then stock up.



i have other types of soap. dawn is 1 type.


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## tiredretired

I use Dawn Platinum.  It comes in a silver bottle and can be had at your local Dollar General store for a very reasonable price.  They claim it is 3X stronger.  The stuff is awesome.


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## tiredretired

JEV said:


> The surfactant(s) in Dawn are the reason this product works so well. I have used it for many of the tasks listed above, and one of the best is as a pre-treatment of clothes that get grease on them. Actually works a lot better than Shout on my work clothes. Someone once told me that the ingredients in Dawm make "water wetter."
> 
> Surfactant:
> 
> Surfactants  are compounds that lower the surface tension between two liquids or  between a liquid and a solid. Surfactants may act as detergents, wetting  agents, emulsifiers, foaming agents, and dispersants.
> 
> 
> Almost forgot, I have not found anything better for cleaning paint brushes and rollers, plus it leaves them soft after complete rinsing.



That is good to know right there.  I will try that.


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## FTG-05

Not too bad.

The only thing you missed was adding it to your swimming pool.

When I lived in AL, I had a +40K gallon pool.  I routinely added 1/2-1 gallon of Dawn to the pool in clean up the water and make it sparkling clean.  It worked far better than the purpose-clarifiers and was much better priced.


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## leadarrows

I don't understand how a site full of gear-heads are just discovering Dawn.


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## thepooguy

the data on poison ivy is inaccurate.  no urishol oil in the puss of a blister.  wash with it after contact (clothes and skin) but wont help after that.


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## Catavenger

I've done that with the vinegar & blue dawn (say it on a help segment on TV) it does work.


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## FrancSevin

Doc said:


> ORIGINAL BLUE DAWN . . . IT’S NOT JUST FOR DISHES ANYMORE
> 
> Wild Life
> Ever wonder why Dawn Dishwashing Liquid is the wildlife cleaner of choice after an oil spill? According to the International Bird Rescue Research Center, Dawn effectively removes grease but does not cause harm to the skin of the birds. It’s also biodegradable and contains no phosphates.
> 
> BUBBLES
> According to Bubbles.org, Dawn dishwashing liquid makes great homemade bubbles. Here is the Giant Bubble Recipe used in bubble makers at many children’s museums: 1/2 cup Ultra Dawn 1/2 gallon warm water 1 tablespoon glycerin (available at any drug store) OR White Karo syrup works too! Stir gently. Skim the foam off the top of the solution (too much foam breaks down the bubbles). Dip bubble wand and get ready for some good, clean fun!
> 
> GREASY HAIR PROBLEMS
> Kids get into the darnedest things! Like Vaseline and baby oil rubbed into their hair! Dawn is mild enough to use on their hair and strong enough to remove the most stubborn grease.
> 
> HAIR PRODUCT BUILDUP
> Once a month use original Dawn as you would shampoo. It will remove excess oil from your hair and scalp and strip away any build-up of styling products without any damage. Perform this once a month and you won’t have to buy expensive salon products that do the same thing.
> 
> MANICURE SECRET
> Soak fingers in full-strength blue Dawn. It makes the cuticles soft and easy to work with. And it removes the natural oil from the fingernails, which allows the polish to adhere very well.
> 
> REPEL HOUSEPLANT INSECTS
> A safe, effective way to repel insects from your houseplants, including aphids, spider mites and mealy bugs. Put a drop of Dawn Dishwashing Liquid in a spray bottle, fill the rest of the bottle with water, shake well, and mist your household plants with the soapy water.
> 
> CLEAN YOUR WINDOWS
> Try this recipe from Merry Maids: mix 3 drops Dawn in 1 gallon water and fill a spray bottle with the solution. Spritz and wipe as you would with any window cleaner.
> 
> PETS AND PESTS
> Use it to bathe the dogs. It kills fleas on contact and is much cheaper than expensive dogshampoos.
> 
> CLEAN AUTOMOTIVE TOOLS
> After you have finished your automotive repair project, soak your dirty tools in Dawn before you put them away to remove all the oil and grime. Dawn also helps prevent rust from forming on the tools.
> 
> ICE PACK
> Partially fill a strong zip-type sandwich bag with Dawn dishwashing liquid, close and freeze. The liquid soap stays cold much longer and it can be re-frozen many times. It will conform to the place you need an ice pack.
> 
> TUB AND SHOWER CLEANER
> Take a spray bottle and fill it halfway with white vinegar. Heat in the microwave. Fill the rest of the way with blue Dawn. Put lid on and shake to mix well. Spray on your tub and shower walls. Allow to sit for a few minutes and rinse away. It will totally melt all the gunk, slime, sludge and other stuff that builds up including a bathtub ring.
> 
> REPEL ANTS
> Spray counter-tops, cupboards and any other area where you see ants with a solution of Dawn and water. Wipe dry. The slight residue of Dawn that remains will not be a problem at all for kids or pets, but ants hate it. Should you see a trail of ants, go ahead and hit them with the Dawn spray.
> 
> STRIPPING CLOTH DIAPERS
> Add a squirt or two of original Dawn dish soap to your washer and run a hot wash, then rinse until there are no more bubbles. Dawn is a degreasing agent and helps stripping by removing oily residue. Be sure to rinse, rinse, rinse until the water runs clear.
> 
> UNCLOGGING TOILETS
> A cup of Dawn detergent poured into a clogged toilet allowed to sit for 15 minutes and then followed with a bucket of hot water poured from waist height will clear out the toilet.
> 
> POISON IVY
> Poison ivy spreads through the spread of the oil within the blisters. Washing the affected area with Dawn, especially on children who keep scratching the blister’s open, helps dry up the fluid, AND keep it from spreading.
> 
> DRIVEWAY CLEANER
> If you have gasoline or motor oil stains on your driveway, you can use the kitty litter method to clean up the excess oil and then use a scrub broom and a solution of biodegradable Dawn dishwashing detergent and warm water to safely and effectively remove excess motor oil from the pavement.
> 
> OILY SKIN
> Dawn makes a great facial cleanser for oily skin. A drop or two combined with warm water will do the trick.
> 
> PAINT OR GREASE REMOVER FOR HANDS
> Dawn combined with corn oil makes for the perfect paint or grease remover. Simply combine a little bit of both in your hands then rub it over affected areas. The corn oil and the dishwashing liquid both help to dissolve the grease and paint – yet leave skin soft, unlike harsher paint removers.
> 
> CLEANING THE KIDDIE POOL
> Plastic wading pools can get very gunky, very fast. Dump the water, then scrub the pool with Dawn and a sponge. More potent cleaners like bleach will weaken and dry out the plastic in the sun.
> 
> MULTIPURPOSE CLEANER
> Merry Maids recommends using a drop of Dawn in water to clean ceramic tile and no-wax/linoleum floors. You can also use the spray on:
> • Bathroom and kitchen counters and sinks.
> • Woodwork, e.g., baseboards, shelves, and wainscoting. (Dry as you go–wood doesn’t like prolonged contact with water.)
> • Tubs and toilet seats.
> 
> LAUNDRY PRE-TREATER FOR OILY STAINS
> For oil-based stains such as lipstick, grease, butter, motor oil, cooking oil, and some pen inks, simply apply some Dawn dishwashing liquid directly to the stain and scrub with a small brush or toothbrush until the oil is removed, and then launder as usual.
> 
> NON-TOXIC LUBRICANT
> Sliding glass doors, door knobs, hinges etc. It lasts much longer than any aerosol type spray that I have tried. And Its non-toxic! It does a great job of cleaning the parts that its lubricating as well!
> 
> SIDEWALK DE-ICER
> For icy steps and sidewalks in freezing temperatures, mix 1 teaspoon of Dawn dishwashing liquid, 1 tablespoon of rubbing alcohol, and 1/2 gallon hot/warm water and pour over walkways. They won’t refreeze. No more salt eating at the concrete in your sidewalks
> 
> POOL CLEANING
> Squirt Dawn down the middle of the pool and all of the dirt, suntan lotion, etc. will move to the edges of the pool for easy clean up! AND it makes the pools sparkle.
> 
> EYEGLASS DEFOGGER
> Simply rub a small drop of Dawn on eyeglass lenses, and wipe clean. It will leave a very thin film that will prevent them from fogging up.
> 
> SHOWER FLOORS
> Cover greasy footprints on shower floors with a coating of Dawn; let sit overnight. Scrub away the gunk in the morning with a stiff brush.
> 
> APHID CONTROL ON FRUIT TREES
> Mix two tablespoons Dawn to a gallon of water and put in your sprayer. Try to get spray both sides of the leaves, branches and the tree trunks. Let sit for about 15 minutes and then rinse the trees THOROUGHLY!
> 
> AND FINALLY……..
> Here’s a brilliant idea! Need a hostess gift when visiting friends and family this summer? Print off this post and include it with a bottle of Blue Dawn! Talk about USEFUL !



I use Blue Dawn to strip old wax to the paint on my Cars. Add two or three ounces in a gallon or two of warm water. It will clear most waxes to the paint. Then wax with your new coating an polish.

I am going to try the aphid spray tonite in my Greenhouse tomatoes.
Raid house and garden is almost useless on the critters now infesting my bushes.


 Thanks Doc.


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## deand1

I was a hazmat response specialist for many years, starting in the early '80s.  Dawn was our decon solution of choice for the first wash.


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## JimVT

I put it on my cat prior to  towing it home. 13hr drive in august.  when I got home all those bugs washed right off.


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## deand1

FrancSevin said:


> I use Blue Dawn to strip old wax to the paint on my Cars. Add two or three ounces in a gallon or two of warm water. It will clear most waxes to the paint. Then wax with your new coating an polish.
> 
> I am going to try the aphid spray tonite in my Greenhouse tomatoes.
> Raid house and garden is almost useless on the critters now infesting my bushes.
> 
> 
> Thanks Doc.



Aphids absorb O2 through their shell. Any detergent will coat the shell and block the flow of oxygen.  Not harmful to your plants or the environment if used in a dilute solution.


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## Kane

I add a couple drops of BLUE DAWN to my margaritas*. It not only makes them very pretty, but is a great probiotic for my crusty old colon.








* - Only be sure to add the BLUE DAWN* after *you put the margarita mixture thru the blender.  Otherwise, you'll get some mighty sudsy-looking cocktails.


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## JEV

Kane said:


> I add a couple drops of BLUE DAWN to my margaritas*. It not only makes them very pretty, but is a great probiotic for my crusty old colon.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> * - Only be sure to add the BLUE DAWN* after *you put the margarita mixture thru the blender.  Otherwise, you'll get some mighty sudsy-looking cocktails.


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