Family-tested result
One liquid dish soap batch was an exceptional degreaser: a completely grease-filled pot came clean in one wash. The known ingredient line included liquid Castile soap, fractionated coconut oil, and sunflower lecithin, but the exact ratios for that successful batch are unavailable.
Ingredients
Successful batch size unknown; older thick version was approximately 3/4 cup before minor additions. A later untested revision was labeled 64 oz but does not reliably total 64 oz.Check off each item as you go.
Method
Treat this as a recovery trial
Do not make a large batch until the missing successful ratios are recovered. Use a small test batch and record every weight or volume.
Dissolve the washing soda
For the partially recovered older version, dissolve the washing soda completely in the hot water. Be aware that the recorded concentration may recrystallize as it cools.
Prepare the lecithin separately
Warm the glycerin gently, then stir the thick sunflower lecithin into it until uniform. If fractionated coconut oil is being tested, blend it into this phase rather than adding it directly to water.
Add Castile gently
Allow the washing-soda solution to cool to warm, then slowly stir in the Castile soap without vigorous whipping.
Add only the recorded acid amount
If reconstructing the older thick version, dissolve the recorded 1/2 teaspoon citric acid separately before adding it slowly. Do not add extra acid to chase a lower pH or greater thickness.
Rest and observe
Let the test sit for at least 24 hours. Record thickness, temperature response, separation, graininess, lather, grease removal, and any residue.
Test cautiously
Use a small amount on stainless steel, glass, or ceramic first. Wear gloves and keep the formula off aluminum.
Troubleshooting
- Greasy soap: reduce or omit fractionated coconut oil in the next isolated test; do not alter several variables at once.
- Tacky or slick with weak lather: suspect excess oil, excess glycerin, hard-water soap scum, or electrolyte-driven separation.
- Very thin soap: added water cannot thicken liquid Castile. Do not use salt as though this were a commercial detergent; true potassium soap may salt out and separate.
- Very thick or grainy soap: the older high-washing-soda formula may be a crystal slurry rather than a stable gel.
- Separation after adding acid: citric acid, lemon juice, or vinegar may be converting soap back into fatty acids.
- Poor performance in hard water: test with distilled water before changing the remaining ingredients.
- Darkening or pitting on cookware: stop use immediately; the alkaline formula can attack aluminum.
Insider tips
- Warm thick sunflower lecithin with glycerin before incorporation; lecithin does not stir readily into the water phase.
- Do not scale fractionated coconut oil linearly. A tripled batch became greasy because the added oil overwhelmed the cleaning system.
- Distilled water may improve performance where hard-water minerals suppress Castile lather and create soap scum.
- Castile soap is naturally fluid. Added water makes it thinner; apparent thickness can come from suspended washing-soda crystals rather than a stable soap gel.
- A warm-water test can help identify crystal thickening: a soda-heavy slurry may thin when warmed and thicken again when cool.
- Record future batches by weight so the successful version can be reproduced accurately.
Family notes
- One family-made batch removed all the grease from a heavily grease-filled pot in one wash.
- Another version became tacky, slick, and lower-lather over time.
- Tripling a version produced soap that was itself excessively greasy.
- A later batch was much too thin.
- An older Castile-based recipe became extremely thick.
- Heather specifically had difficulty incorporating thick sunflower lecithin.
- The versions must remain separate because the successful result cannot be confidently assigned to the later proposed ratios.
Background & original notes
Family-tested result
One liquid dish soap batch was an exceptional degreaser: a completely grease-filled pot came clean in one wash. The known ingredient line included liquid Castile soap, fractionated coconut oil, and sunflower lecithin, but the exact ratios for that successful batch are unavailable.
Partially recovered older thick version
The history preserves 1/2 cup liquid Castile soap, 1/4 cup hot water, 4 tablespoons washing soda, and 1/2 teaspoon citric acid. Glycerin and sunflower lecithin were also present, but their quantities—and whether fractionated coconut oil belonged to this exact version—were not preserved. This batch became very thick, probably because the washing soda exceeded what the small amount of water could keep dissolved and also salted the potassium soap out of solution. Its thickness should not be interpreted as proof of a stable gel.
LATER 64-OUNCE REVISION — CLAUDE PROPOSAL, NOT FAMILY-TESTED A later proposed revision used 3 cups Castile soap, 1/2 cup washing soda, 2 1/2 cups distilled water, 1/4 cup glycerin, 1 tablespoon fractionated coconut oil, 1 teaspoon citric acid, 2 tablespoons sunflower lecithin, and about 1 teaspoon lemon essential oil. This was intended to prevent the greasiness encountered when every ingredient—especially the oil—was tripled. However, the listed ingredients do not reliably total 64 fluid ounces, and no successful family outcome was recorded for this revision.
USE Because the successful formula is incomplete, begin with a small amount on a wet sponge or in a sink of water and adjust by observed cleaning performance. Do not present either recovered version as a finalized, family-validated formula.
Safety
The older thick version contains a very high concentration of washing soda and was estimated to be strongly alkaline. Wear gloves, keep it away from children, and do not use it on aluminum, anodized aluminum, or uncertain sheet pans. Do not mix liquid Castile soap directly with vinegar, lemon juice, or extra citric acid; acids can break true soap into free fatty acids and reduce cleaning performance.
Sources & what was completed
Record provenanceWilliams family historical source + clearly separated usability completion
Completed for usability- The operational mixing order, small-batch recovery procedure, cautious use guidance, and troubleshooting were completed from Claude's technical advice.
- The successful batch's exact ingredient quantities, batch size, and method remain unrecovered.
- The partially recovered thick formula must not be presented as the proven grease-cutting batch.
- The later formula labeled as 64 ounces was an assistant proposal, was not recorded as family-tested, and appears not to total exactly 64 fluid ounces.
- No untested revision is claimed to work.
Recorded by Williams family record + completion on Sep 26, 2026.