CP dishwashing bar - removing water spots

[Lally<3]

CP dishwashing bar - removing water spots

Hi All!

I'm a soap making newb. I have been trying to make a great zero waste enviro dishwashing soap bar here in Nepal. I have been using this recipe which overall is really really amazing!

https://heartscontentfarmhouse.com/homemade-bar-dish-soap/#wprm-recipe-container-6911
My problem is that I think the water here is hard hence I think why water marks are being left on my dishes (I am not getting any greasy residue). I have added charcoal to try and pull some of the droplets away which hasn't worked. Can someone please suggest an enviro friendly additive that will remove the water spots? Will using vinegar instead of water work... I would loveee any suggestions thank you!! <3

 

[DeeAnna]

You probably do have hard water. Soap reacts with hard-water minerals to make soap scum. The soap scum and any remaining hard water minerals in the droplets of water clinging to your dishes will dry into a white residue. Water spots are the inevitable outcome from using soap in water that is not rain-water soft.

Some solutions that will help, at least partly --

Use a chelator in your soap. This will only be partly helpful.
Rinse with rain water. Any soap scum formed may still stick, but hard water minerals will be removed.
Add washing soda (sodium carbonate) to the dishwater to soften the water. Washing soda does this by forming calcium and magnesium carbonates, which may still leave water spots, if you don't rinse well.
Switch to a synthetic detergent (syndet) based cleanser. Many people think syndets => bad, but preventing soap scum is one of the reasons why syndet cleansers are so popular for dishwashing and laundry.

Last but not least -- dry your dishes with a towel right after they're washed. This is most effective, cheapest, and eco-friendly solution available. It will also be close to 100% effective.