Castile Soap: what is it and how to use it around the home
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Amongst the most popular natural soaps for households and personal care, Marseille soap certainly tops the list. That said, a similar type of soap - Castile soap - deserves just as much attention. Castile soap is also totally all-natural and is traditionally made from pure olive oil. This makes Castile soap a sustainable alternative for many household cleaning products. Let's check out in more detail how you can use this soap around the home:
What is Castile Soap?
Castile soap is a soap historically made in the Castile region of Spain, using all-natural, vegetable ingredients. Traditionally, this soap was made entirely with olive oil (like Marseille soap). Over time, other oils have been used and havee included coconut, jojoba or hemp oils. The oil was processed with water and lye (from wood ash), and has been used in homes from the 4th century AD.
For personal care, Castile soap is used mainly to hydrate skin, but it also has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and healing/medicinal properties.
Additionally, Castile soap is completely biodegradable, making it a very evironmentally friendly product.
Domestic use of Castile Soap
At home, you can use Castile soap just as you would Marseille soap (ie. to clean worktops, wash the dishes, to do the laundry, and more).
Here's a list of some specific uses for Castile soap:
- As a dishwashing detergent: use 120 ml of liquid Castile soap (or you can dilute a bar in water, using 100 grams for every liter of water), mixed in a bottle together with water, two tablespoons of alcohol vinegar (or a teaspoon of citric acid). You can perfume this mixture by adding a few drops of an essential oil of your choice. Now, your dishwashing detergent is ready to use!
- As a degreaser: you can use Castile soap on practically all surfaces in a home, including those made from wood or marble. To make a degreaser, dilute liquid Castile soap in water and decant into a spray bottle. If you want, you can also add a tablespoon of baking soda for extra cleaning power. Shake well before use;
- For the laundry: you can pre-treat clothes by rubbing a bar of Castile soap on any stains using hot/warm water. Alternatively, use the same amount of liquid Castile soap as you would laundry detergent in the detergent dispensing tray;
- For plants: Castile soap can work as a homemade remedy to combat cochineal on plants - if the infestation is not too extensive yet (cochineal are small, red, parasitic scale insects). Mix water and 70% alcohol in equal proportions, then add a teaspoon or two of Castile soap. Decant this mixture into a spray bottle and spray onto any visible cochineal. Wait a few minutes, then remove the cochineal manually, using cotton wool or a soft-bristled toothbrush.
Have you ever used Castile soap for doing your household chores?
