7 Things You Should Never Clean With Dish Soap

PLUS: An easy way to spend less on gasoline, cleaning your bathroom top to bottom, and more. PLUS: An easy way to spend less on gasoline, cleaning your bathroom top to bottom, and more. April 1, 2022 [View Online]( Good morning! I thought about sharing some gardening tips today since April is now upon us, but I decided against it. It just seems so silly to put that much time and effort into growing a few flowers or vegetables, especially when I can get both at any grocery store. I need to go to the store soon anyway, because I threw out a bunch of my stained dish towels last week and have been using paper towels instead, but now I’m out of paper towels too—you know how it is. Getting back to today’s newsletter, I know you're going to learn a lot from me today. Not everyone has my expertise, you know! Jillee P.S. April fools! I couldn’t resist indulging in a bit of tomfoolery for April Fools’ Day, so I invented an “anti-Jillee” persona for the occasion. (She’s a real pill, isn't she?) Rest assured that the remainder of today’s newsletter is free of further hijinks. TODAY'S GOOD THING 7 Things You Should Never Clean With Dish Soap [Photos of silk, a coffee maker, a cast iron pan, and a car.]( Dish soap can be great for cleaning, but in some situations it can do more harm than good. Just because something is a good idea in many situations doesn’t make it a good idea in every situation. It may be a good idea to avoid eating junk food late at night most of the time, but when ice cream is the only thing standing between you and a complete emotional breakdown, it's probably better to just eat the ice cream! The same principle applies to cleaning things with dish soap. If you’ve followed my blog or newsletter for a while, you probably already know that I use Dawn dish soap extensively for cleaning purposes, whether by itself or in one of my DIY cleaning solutions. But as effective as dish soap is in many situations, there are some things you shouldn’t use it on. I may or may not have learned about some of these the hard way, so I wanted to pass the information along to you so you don’t end up making the same mistakes I have! Check out my list of 7 things you shouldn’t clean with dish soap, along with explanations as to why and what you can use instead, by following the link below. [7 Things You Should Never Clean With Dish Soap ➜]( Related • [9 Things In Your House You Should Never Clean With Water]( • [The Dos And Don’ts You Need To Know About Cleaning With Vinegar]( ⚡️QUICK TIPS⚡️ • Pickled red onions make a deliciously tangy and crunchy taco topping, and they’re surprisingly quick and easy to make. [Read more ➜]( • If you struggle with frequent headaches and migraines like I do, here’s another option for pain relief that I keep on hand. [Read more ➜]( • Dollar stores can be a treasure trove of affordable organization products—check out these 9 ideas to see what I mean. [Read more ➜]( QUIZ CORNER OGT Pop Quiz Which two ingredients would you need to make my ultimate stain remover spray? The category is Homemade Cleaning Solutions. [Cue Final Jeopardy music.] (Scroll down to see the correct answer.) A. Washing soda and hydrogen peroxide B. Borax and hydrogen peroxide C. Dish soap and hydrogen peroxide D. Castile soap and hydrogen peroxide WEEKEND CLEANING CHALLENGE Spring Cleaning In The Bathroom [Photos of Jillee cleaning a bathroom.]( This may not be your favorite stage of spring cleaning, but it’ll be a breeze compared to the kitchen. Since we finished the kitchen last weekend, it’s time to turn our attention to our bathrooms. I know a lot of you aren’t overly enthusiastic about bathroom cleaning, but I thought starting in the kitchen might help the bathroom seem less daunting by comparison. Here’s what we’ll be working on over the next couple of days: 1. Toilets. You probably know the drill, but if you could use some help or guidance, I have no shortage of toilet-related tips. Check out this [homemade toilet bowl cleaner](, a tutorial for [eliminating hard water stains]( in the bowl, and this fix for [mineral buildup in your toilet’s siphon jets](. 2. Tubs and showers. For cleaning your tub and/or shower, look no further than my favorite [2-ingredient tub and shower cleaner](. If you did the shower head cleaning challenge in February, it’s probably still in good shape. (If you didn’t, get the instructions in the [February 18]( newsletter.) 3. Washable items. This is a great time to wash anything in your bathroom that can be washed, like towels, bath mats, shower curtains, and even your shower curtain liner. Learn more about how to [wash these unconventional items here](. (If your bath towels have an odor, [use this method instead](.) 4. Drawers and cabinets. We did this as a cleaning challenge back on [January 28](, so they may still be in pretty good shape. If so, focus on getting rid of anything that’s expired, going unused, or [anything else mentioned here](. 5. Exhaust fans. Your bathroom’s exhaust fan does the important job of venting moisture out of your bathroom, but it can’t do it very effectively if it’s covered in dust and grime. Don’t worry—it’s [easier to clean]( than you’d think! 6. Grout and caulking. Finally, go around your bathroom(s) and examine your grout and caulking. Both can deteriorate over time, and if cracks aren’t repaired, it can lead to more serious problems down the road. Learn more about [cleaning and maintaining grout and caulking here](. That does it for the bathroom! Stay tuned for more spring cleaning tasks in this segment every Friday through the end of the month. I’ll be tackling these tasks right alongside you and we’ll get it done together. SAVE MONEY Conserve Fuel By Consolidating Your Trips [A photo of Jillee driving her car.]( With fuel prices likely to remain high for the time being, this tip can help you use it wisely. I think most of us are wincing a little whenever we have to stop at the gas pump these days—I’m certainly trying to save gas where I can! If you are too, don't forget about one of the easiest and most effective ways to save on gas—consolidating your trips. Just by being more strategic about where you drive and when, you can spend less fuel on things like starting up your car and sitting in traffic. It may not sound like much, but it will help you stretch the fuel you have in your car over a longer period of time, and fueling up less frequently saves you money any way you slice it. Say you were planning to go grocery shopping on Wednesday, swing by the ATM on Thursday, and meet a friend for lunch on Friday. Instead, you could swing by the ATM on your way to lunch on Friday, then stop for groceries on your way home. You'll still get everything done, just in a more efficient and fuel-saving way! JILLEE'S PICK Turn Phyllo Dough Into ‘Crinkle Cake’ [A GIF of Ramena Avakian's TikTok about making crinkle cake.]( Back in December, Ramena Avakian ([@ramenasaidwow]() shared a video on TikTok with the recipe for something she calls “crinkle cake,” which is a favorite at her baking business. Many of Avakian’s recipes have a Mediterranean or Middle Eastern influence, and this phyllo-based treat is no different. Her crinkle cake recipe quickly went viral, with people praising its flavor, simplicity, and versatility. Apparently you can customize with just about any topping you like, from relying on a classic pairing like white chocolate and raspberries to sprinkling it with your favorite breakfast cereal. You can find the full recipe for [crinkle cake on Allrecipes.com](, though I suggest [watching her TikTok video]( to see how she does the “accordion-style” folds with the phyllo. Soaked with layers of butter and custard, apparently the finished cake is something like a croissant mixed with bread pudding, which is all I need to hear! A FEW MORE THINGS... Observances Of The Month: April’s national observances include Second Chance Month, Cancer Control Month, Autism Month, Donate Life Month, Child Abuse Prevention Month, Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, Financial Capability Month, Arab American Heritage Month, Poetry Month, and Month of the Military Child. Fool Me Once: It’s April Fools’ Day, a day for practical jokes and harmless mischief. Despite being celebrated around the world for centuries, no one really knows its true origins. But there have been some truly delightful April Fools’ Day pranks in the past that deserve a spot in the Pranksters’ Hall of Fame, including [these 9 from History.com]( (I particularly enjoyed the “spaghetti harvest” story!) 🤔 Wordle: [Solve today's 5-letter word](. ANSWER C. My ultimate stain remover spray is a mixture of 2 parts hydrogen peroxide to 1 part dish soap. The dish soap helps cut through grease and oil (which is a common facet of many food stains), and the peroxide works to break down stains at the molecular level through a process called oxidation. Used together, they make a powerful stain fighting duo, so much so that I use the term “ultimate” without a hint of irony! [Learn more about my ultimate stain remover here](. What did you think of today's email? [Not good]( | [Just okay]( | [Loved it!]( 🏠[Visit the By Jillee Shop]( 🤗 [Join OGT Free]( Let's connect! 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