Date: 20 November 2022. Dawn Detergent.
© janice142
Recently I have been watching
YouTube videos on my nifty tablet. The
ads are annoying. Various Dawn products
are being promoted heavily, power-wash and foaming cleanser to name
two. I have been using Dawn dish detergent in many ways. Today I
will show you how
to easily create my most utilized cleaner. Best of all, this is both
cheap
and simple.

Please purchase Dawn Platinum dishwashing liquid.
Platinum
is a highly concentrated version of the everyday Dawn dish soap.
When living aboard a boat,
storage space is limited and thus valuable. One thing I do to solve
this issue is purchase condensed products. Dawn Platinum is the most
concentrated Dawn currently available. It is four times as powerful
as the regular Dawn. I
willingly spend my perfectly good money on Dawn Platinum 4x and urge you do the same.
Both Dawn and Joy dish detergents will suds-up in salt water. That
is why they are so popular among boaters. Our family believed Dawn
was the best. Bruce Van Sant (author of
The
Gentleman's Guide to Passages South
and
Tricks of the Trades) was
an advocate of Joy.

Dawn at anchor in remote areas is lovely. In out of the way places
fresh
water is usually in short supply. Wasting fresh water simply is not
done.
When fresh water is
in limited supply old timers used to wash dishes
in salt water. We used either
Joy or Dawn dish detergent. After the dishes were clean, a
quick rinse with fresh water was done.
Go to the
Dollar Tree store where prices are $1.25 now. That place carries several
types of
spray containers. THIS ↓ 16 ounce spray bottle is the one you should buy:

These bottles are available in
blue, clear, pale pink and soft grey.
At Dollar Tree
I have seen four different sprayers for sale. You want the specific one shown
above. It is 8" (20cm) tall and holds one pint of fluid.
Why I am
particular about the sprayer: A larger one found over by the mops
in Dollar Tree holds a quart of liquid.
That one has a trigger that snaps off. The shorter fat sprayer has a black
nozzle that leaks. There is also an aluminum one however I like seeing
what is inside my bottle. Thus, I recommend these particular
sprayers shown above.
Any
bottle with a Spray setting will work at least until it breaks!
Like all
sprayers, the bottles have four settings: Off, Spray, Off and Stream.
Please set yours to Spray.
These setting marks are difficult to see. They are in raised text on
the end of the nozzle where the fluid comes out.
ADD 1/2" (15mm) ↓ of Dawn Platinum to
the spray bottle. Because this is a concentrated detergent, you do
not need much. TRUST ME!

One half inch (15mm) of Dawn Platinum really is
enough. I PROMISE! In this case, more is not better.
Now
FILL ↓ SLOWLY the sprayer to the top with
water. Adding water too
quickly will result in bubbles everywhere. Do not ask me how I know
that.

Voila. You are almost done.
Get out a permanent marker and write DAWN along of the top edge of
the nozzle so
you won't
forget
what potion you have made. Also be sure to shake your bottle a few
times so that the detergent mixes in with the water.
Now you
might be wondering what you will do with your handy-dandy
Dawn
sprayer. Here are some of the ways I have found to utilize my spray bottles.
I rinse then spray my
pans and plates after eating. This spray begins the
process of
loosening food particles. Washing up later becomes a breeze.

This ↑ is my
favorite Christmas plate. The yellow is supposed to be there. Made
in
Bavaria, the plate is old and in my opinion beautiful. Dawn helps keep
this plate clean.
I am fortunate
enough to have a watermaker thanks to a reader.
Thank you again Cap'n. You made a huge difference in my life aboard
Seaweed.
The brine
from my watermaker discharges into the sink down below in my head. After
making
water I like to wash out that sink. A quick Dawn spray followed by a
thorough rinse keeps the sink clean.

The brine from the watermaker exits via the white PVC
apparatus. Most folks use a thru-hull
fitting above the waterline. I prefer this set-up because it is
simple and serves the purpose.
Out back, the night herons
necessitate the need for a spray to clean up after then do
unspeakable things
in my cockpit. I keep one spray bottle inside
my starboard side locker in the cockpit for bird poop removal.

This is my Buddy. He is the reason a Dawn sprayer is
in the cockpit.
When the
solar panels get dirty or dusty, a spray of Dawn helps loosen the
the grime. Then a quick rinse with fresh water and all is well
again.

I have the hardest time eating spaghetti neatly. Most
of the time I get a drip on my shirt. When I later take off the shirt I
will
spray the sauce stain with my Dawn concoction. Dawn lifts oils so
this pre-wash treatment helps prevent permanent stains.

I believe all of us have seen videos
of ducklings covered in oil being cleaned using Dawn. The same
principal is involved here. Dawn is an amazing grease cutter!
My galley sink seems to be a
magnet for grease. When washing dishes the Dawn spray uses less
soap. It also spreads the soapy goodness further.
I give a couple of squirts to my sponge when I am washing
dishes.
In the galley I use the sprayer instead of bar soap for washing my
hands.
When working
in the bilge I use a combination of the Dawn spray and hand
sanitizer to remove icky
stuff from my hands and body. A rag will wipe off the grime that
Dawn and hand sanitizer has loosened.
Old shirts are cut into pieces to create disposable
work rags.

Using what I have on hand like old shirts as work rags means I am
not spending perfectly good money to buy paper towels.
Summary:
Purchase Dawn Platinum and a spray bottle. Then add a VERY small
bit of the concentrated dish detergent to the container. Fill to top
with water. Set the nozzle to Spray, not stream. Now when you need
to cut grease, remove a stain from clothes, clean grime, presoak dishes, scrub
your sink, wash your hands, and loosen oil during those unfortunate
bilge projects, a refillable spray container is available.
I initially had just one sprayer and kept down in my
head with the other cleaners. Now I have three scattered about
Seaweed.

This project may seem silly. I promise that if you try using
Dawn in a spray bottle you will be pleased. At this point I have one
bottle in my head, another out back in a cockpit locker, and a third in
the galley. For me, having tools where I need them translates to
projects being done.
When I had only one sprayer and had to go down into the head I would not
always
do so. I usually regretted this choice. Items would be harder to clean
because I had waited. I would like to believe I am a lot smarter (or more
efficient) now with extra spray bottles right where
I need them.
Thank you for being a part of my world. Thanks too
for reading.
Do you have any cleaners that you go to almost all the time
for a multitude of uses?
And, what is your favorite dish washing detergent? Dawn? Joy? another???
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