11 Places Around Your Home You Should Be Using Dollar Tree Castile Soap

If you haven't been to Dollar Tree in a while, you may be surprised at some of the goodies you find there. Case in point: the store's almond-scented Natural Sense Plant-Based Pure Castile Bar Soap. It looks like something you'd find in a pricey health food store, but it costs just over a dollar and may have more uses than you realize. Of course, you can use it in the shower or bath, or to lather up muddy puppies after the dog park. But it's also an underrated cleaning tool around your home, whether you're looking for a gentle clean for your kitchen sink or your kids' sports equipment.

Natural Sense does take some liberties with their soap, though. Traditional Castile soap is made with 100 percent olive oil. But like many modern soap makers, Natural Sense adds a few extras, like coconut oil and shea butter. This is great for a strong lather (and more moisturized skin!), but means you'll need to be mindful of what you use it on around the house. Shea butter can go rancid and leave a film, so anything you clean with this soap will need a thorough rinsing afterward.

This soap comes in concentrated bar form, so you're getting a lot of cleaning power for your $1.25. But diluting it into liquid form may be necessary for some cleaning projects. To do that, dice it into small cubes and soak the cubes in water for at least a day. Then blend the soap and water solution in a blender on low for 30-second increments until it's smooth. This will give you a creamy texture that's ideal for these cleaning tasks.

Natural Sense Castile soap is made with biodegradable, plant-based ingredients, which makes it a perfect cleaning product to use where you cook. That way, you don't need to worry about harmful chemicals leaching into your food. The oils in castile soap cut through tough grease and naturally break down the oils in kitchen messes, making for an easy clean. Castile soap won't necessarily cut through layers of rust and grime — try cleaning with Barkeeper's Friend for that. But for a daily sink scrub-down, it's a safe and gentle choice.

To clean your sink, dilute a teaspoon of your liquified castile soap (see directions above!) in a quart of warm water. Tap water is fine for this job. Then dip a clean, non-scratching sponge into your solution and scrub the sink in circular motions. Rinse with warm water to ensure the soap is fully dissolved. Then wipe down your sink with a clean, dry towel. Enjoy the subtle scent of almond from your soap bar as it permeates your kitchen.

While we're on the topic of cleaning sinks, castile soap works well for your bathroom sink, too. It's another area, where your family brushes their teeth and washes their faces, that you don't want unnecessarily strong chemicals. So grab one bar to keep in a soap dish for hand washing, and another to dilute for scrubbing the sink. It'll lift leftover soap residue and toothpaste globs without leaving anything toxic behind.

You can use the same dilution ratio here that you use for your kitchen sink, one teaspoon of liquid soap to one quart of warm water, but you may prefer pouring this solution into a spray bottle. This is especially helpful if you have a smaller bathroom with difficult corners that are better reached with a gentle spray. After spraying on your castile solution, scrub your sink with a clean rag or sponge. Be sure to rinse the surface afterward to avoid water spotting on the porcelain.

If you've ever settled into the bathtub after cleaning it with commercial cleaners, you know it can feel a little unnerving. Your goal is to soak your body in gentle warmth, not chemical residue. If you switch to castile soap, you can rest easy knowing that worst-case scenario, you've just added a little extra soap to your soak! Castile also works well for breaking down the organic material you tend to find on a bathtub floor, like body oils and soap residue. So, it's a great way to deep clean your bathroom and keep it clean.

Grab the spray bottle you used to clean your kitchen sink and generously apply the same solution all over your tub. Then scrub the surface with a stiff, tub-safe brush. Turn on the tap and rinse the whole tub with warm water to avoid additional soap residue. Do this once a week before your self-care session for a sparkly tub.

Whether you have a dedicated laundry room sink or your bathroom sink is doing double duty, most of the delicate items you wash here can be lathered up with castile soap. It's as useful for cleaning cotton baby clothes and cloth napkins as it is for wool sweaters. Just be mindful that the moisturizing shea butter in the Natural Sense castile soap makes it not a good candidate for swimwear or hosiery. Elastic and synthetic materials can trap and be broken down by too much shea residue.

To clean your delicates with castile soap, fill your basin with warm (but not scalding hot) water. Add just a few drops (about one tablespoon) of your liquified castile soap and then dump in your items. Agitate them gently in the water to break up and dislodge dirt and residue and help the castile penetrate them better. You can also try gently rubbing the material of your clothes together for extra scrubbing power. Once everything is clean, rinse the items thoroughly and hang them to dry. If you need a place to do this, these air-drying alternatives are perfect when you don't have a clothes line.

If you're grateful for the birds, butterflies, and other fauna that visit your yard, you'll want to stay away from any toxic chemicals while cleaning your patio. Little hooves and wings can be sensitive to commercial cleaning products, so castile soap is a thoughtful replacement. Plus, it's good at lifting natural materials like pollen, soil, and other outdoor debris from patio surfaces.

For this cleaning job, you'll want to rinse before and afterward to keep things clean. Start by hosing down your patio to wash away large pieces of debris or dislodged dirt. Then fill a bucket with three gallons of water and half a cup of your liquid castile soap. Plunge a clean mop into the solution and scrub away, then hose off the patio again when your mopping is complete. Do this at least every few months as part of your seasonal cleaning routine. 

There are probably things in your garage you should be cleaning more often than you do, like the floor and your workbench. There's no getting around the fact that sometimes you'll need to use a commercial detergent to really clean things up, especially if you store your car in the garage. But castile soap can be surprisingly useful for regular maintenance cleaning, and can feel less overwhelming than getting out the heavy chemicals. It's best for removing the dirt and dust that builds up over time and makes your garage look grimy. But it can also be effective for light tire marks, plant matter, or even a mug of spilled coffee.

For general wiping down surfaces or cleaning up little messes in the garage, dilute a quarter cup of your liquid castile in a quart of water and put it in a spray bottle. Saturate the soiled area, wipe it down with a clean cloth (or scrub it with a stiff-bristle brush), and then spray and wipe it down with pure water to avoid residue buildup.

While you're outside, you might as well also clean your garden tools, too. These can get grimy quickly with exposure to soil and the elements. So the key is regular, preventative cleaning to prevent buildup that would require harsh chemicals. Castile soap can remove accumulated soil residue and things like sap from your garden tools.

Fill a bucket with a quart of warm water and ¼ cup of your liquid castile soap. Dump your garden tools in and let them soak for a few minutes, scrubbing them with a stiff brush, if necessary. Rinse them in a bucket of clean water, then lay them out in the sun. Store them in a dry place once they've dried completely. While your tools are drying, you can also dilute a tablespoon of the soap in a quart of water and spray it on any plants that are suffering from a pest invasion. (You can do this up to twice a day until the pests disappear!)

No one can blame you for giving your little soccer star's stinky cleats and shin guards a wide berth. But the longer you avoid them, the worse they can get. Often, a little castile bath is all they need to remove the sweat smell and lift soil and grass stains brought home from the field. And of course, the soap is an ideal, gentle solution for something your child (or you!) will be wearing against your precious bodies.

For a mild, post-practice clean, dilute a teaspoon of liquid castile in a quart of warm water, saturate a clean, soft sponge, and wipe down the gear. (For a stronger clean, up the soap amount to a tablespoon). Rinse the gear afterward to avoid product buildup, and make sure any metal components dry completely to avoid rusting. Give any clothing items plenty of time to air dry before game day for best results.

Most kiddos have no qualms about dragging their beloved toys through finger paint, garden dirt, or last night's spaghetti. It may be good for their immune systems, but frankly, the teddy bear doesn't appreciate it. This is another good time to get out the castile soap, because you know those toys will likely end up in Little One's mouth at some point. So, you want the cleaning method to be both effective and non-toxic.

For general toy cleaning, dilute ¼ cup of castile soap in a quart of warm water. For hard toys, a bucket bath in soapy water works well to remove stickiness and grime. Transfer to a bucket of clean water or rinse under the sink before wiping the toys down to dry. Meanwhile, soft toys like stuffies and some dolls can be gently spray-bottle cleaned, followed by a spray of clean water afterward. Air-dry these items completely before handing them back to your little one.

Cleaning your trash cans is never exactly enjoyable, but it can be less yucky when you do a gentle clean regularly, rather than trying to remove layers of gunk a few times a year. Castile soap actually works well for this job. This is because a lot of trash grime is organic (think banana residue or greasy streaks from pizza boxes), which castile soap traps and removes. 

Start by emptying your trash can, then taking it outside and giving it a good hose-down. Dilute a quarter cup of your liquid castile soap in a quart of warm water, then pour into a spray bottle. Spray the inside and outside of your trash can thoroughly and allow it to sit for a few minutes. Then hose it down again, making sure all soap residue is removed. Do this at least once a month to keep trash smell in check. You can also keep funky kitchen trash can odors at bay with this one smart tip.

The shea butter in Natural Sense's castile soap means it's not a great candidate for washing your car's exterior. However, this gentle cleaning solution works well for keeping the inside of your car clean. Using a diluted solution, you can scrub down cloth seats, floor mats, seat belts, and your trunk liner. While this likely won't remove heavy, set-in stains, it can be ideal for a weekly maintenance clean to lift soil, sweat, and other unsavory things you'd rather not drive around with.

To clean your car, add a quarter cup of your diluted castile soap to a quart of warm water in a spray bottle. Shake it well to combine, then spray it lightly on interior surfaces. (No need to saturate them!) Wipe with a clean, wet cloth until all soap residue is removed. Then allow everything to dry. (Running the air conditioning can be helpful for this!)