What Does Adding Salt to Dishwashing Liquid Really Do?

My buddy, Mark, bless his heart, is always on the lookout for a clever shortcut or a money-saving trick. One afternoon, while wrestling with a mountain of greasy pots after a particularly ambitious Sunday dinner, he turned to me with a glint in his eye. “Hey,” he said, holding up a bottle of dish soap and a salt shaker, “I heard if you add a bit of salt to your dishwashing liquid, it makes it thicker and cleans way better. You know, stretches it out.” He was convinced he’d stumbled upon the ultimate kitchen hack.

And Mark isn’t alone. This idea of adding salt to dish soap is one of those persistent kitchen myths that floats around, gaining traction from well-meaning friends or old wives’ tales. Many folks believe it can boost cleaning power, make the soap last longer, or simply improve its texture. But here’s the straightforward, no-nonsense answer right off the bat: adding regular table salt (sodium chloride) to most commercially formulated dishwashing liquids generally does not improve their cleaning power and, more often than not, can actually degrade the product’s effectiveness and stability.

While it might *seem* to make the liquid thicker initially in some specific formulations, this often comes at the cost of the very chemical balance designed to tackle grease and grime. It’s a fascinating misconception rooted in a partial understanding of how dish soaps are made, and it’s well worth a deeper dive to truly understand why this popular “hack” usually falls flat.

The Allure of the Salt “Hack”: Why Do People Even Try This?

It’s easy to understand the appeal. We’re a culture that loves a good DIY solution, especially one that promises to save a buck or make a common chore easier. The idea that a simple pantry staple like salt could magically transform a cleaning product is incredibly compelling. Let’s unpack some of the reasons why this notion has taken root:

• Traditional Cleaning Folklore: Salt has a long and storied history as a cleaning agent. Think of using salt as an abrasive to scrub pots, or mixed with lemon for polishing copper. It’s a natural, inexpensive substance with known cleaning properties in certain contexts. It’s easy to assume these properties would extend to dish soap.
• Misconceptions About “Strengthening” or “Thickening”: People often associate thicker liquids with higher concentration or better quality. If adding salt makes the dish soap *look* thicker, the leap to “it must be stronger” feels intuitive. This visual cue can be quite powerful, even if the underlying chemistry tells a different story.
• Hard Water Struggles: Many regions in the U.S. grapple with hard water, which contains high levels of dissolved minerals like calcium and magnesium. These minerals can reduce the effectiveness of soaps and detergents. Since salt is used in water softeners (albeit in a different mechanism), some might mistakenly believe adding salt directly to dish soap could help combat hard water issues.
• The “More is Better” Mentality: There’s a common psychological tendency to think that if a little bit of something is good, more must be even better. If some commercial soaps *do* use salt in their formulation (which they do, but in a very controlled way), then surely adding a little extra at home would boost it, right? Not quite.

These logical jumps, while understandable, often overlook the complex, carefully balanced chemistry that goes into formulating modern cleaning products. Dishwashing liquid isn’t just “soap”; it’s a sophisticated blend of specialized ingredients designed to work synergistically.

The Science Behind Dishwashing Liquid: The Real Workhorses

To truly understand what adding salt does (or doesn’t do), we need a crash course in dish soap chemistry. Commercial dishwashing liquids are marvels of chemical engineering, specifically designed to tackle grease, lift food particles, and rinse away cleanly. They’re far more complex than a simple bar of soap.

Surfactants: The Greasy-Fighting Heroes

At the heart of every effective dishwashing liquid are surfactants, short for “surface-active agents.” These are the real MVPs of cleaning. Surfactants are special molecules that have both a water-loving (hydrophilic) head and a water-fearing (hydrophobic) tail. This dual nature allows them to perform several crucial functions:

• Reducing Surface Tension: Water naturally has high surface tension, meaning its molecules like to stick together, making it harder for water to spread out and penetrate surfaces. Surfactants dramatically lower this tension, allowing the dish soap solution to spread more effectively across dishes and get into every nook and cranny.
• Emulsifying Fats and Oils: This is where the magic really happens for greasy dishes. The hydrophobic tails of surfactant molecules are attracted to oil and grease, while their hydrophilic heads are attracted to water. When you wash dishes, these surfactants surround the grease droplets, breaking them up into tiny, manageable particles. This creates an emulsion – a stable mixture of oil and water – which allows the grease to be suspended in the water and rinsed away. Think of it like a tiny army of molecules grabbing onto the grease and refusing to let go, carrying it off with the water.
• Lifting Dirt and Food Particles: Beyond grease, surfactants also help to loosen and lift other food residues and dirt from surfaces, holding them in suspension so they can be easily rinsed down the drain.
• Micelle Formation: When surfactants reach a certain concentration in water, they spontaneously form structures called micelles. These are tiny spheres where the hydrophobic tails cluster together in the center (away from water) and the hydrophilic heads face outwards (towards the water). Grease and dirt can get trapped inside these micelles, effectively encapsulating them and preventing them from redepositing on your dishes.

There are various types of surfactants (anionic, nonionic, cationic, amphoteric), and dish soaps typically use a blend, often predominantly anionic (like Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulfate – SLES, or Sodium Lauryl Sulfate – SLS) for their excellent grease-cutting and foaming properties, combined with nonionic or amphoteric surfactants for mildness and stability.

Beyond Surfactants: The Supporting Cast

While surfactants do the heavy lifting, other ingredients play vital roles in a well-formulated dishwashing liquid:

• Foaming Agents: While not directly responsible for cleaning, foam (sudsing) helps to visually indicate that cleaning agents are present and active. It also extends the contact time of the soap solution on dishes and can help suspend grease and food particles, carrying them away. Many surfactants are also good foaming agents.
• Builders and Chelating Agents: These ingredients are particularly important in hard water areas. They bind with the mineral ions (calcium, magnesium) that cause water hardness, preventing them from interfering with the surfactants and allowing the soap to work more effectively.
• Hydrotropes: These compounds help to keep all the different ingredients, especially the high concentration of surfactants, dissolved and stable in the liquid formula, preventing them from separating or gelling.
• Preservatives: To prevent microbial growth and extend shelf life, ensuring your dish soap doesn’t spoil before you use it all.
• Fragrances and Dyes: For consumer appeal, providing a pleasant scent and a visually appealing product. These are aesthetic choices that don’t impact cleaning performance.
• Thickeners (The Crucial Link to Salt): Ah, here’s where salt enters the story legitimately. In some formulations, particularly those heavily reliant on anionic surfactants like SLES or SLS, a precisely controlled amount of sodium chloride (table salt) is added *during manufacturing* as a rheology modifier – essentially, a thickener. It works by screening the electrical charges of the surfactant molecules, allowing them to pack closer together, which increases the viscosity of the solution. This is a delicate balance, carefully calculated by chemists.

So, yes, salt *can* be an ingredient in dish soap. But it’s a specific amount, added under controlled conditions, to achieve a desired texture and stability, not to boost cleaning power.

What Happens When You Add Salt to *Your* Dish Soap at Home?

Now that we understand the delicate balance of a dish soap formulation, let’s consider what happens when you introduce an uncontrolled amount of salt into the mix.

The Fleeting Illusion of “Thickening”

If you’ve ever tried this trick, you might have initially observed the dish soap getting thicker. For certain formulations, especially those with a high concentration of specific anionic surfactants, adding a *small* amount of salt can indeed increase the viscosity. The salt (sodium chloride) acts as an electrolyte, reducing the electrostatic repulsion between the charged surfactant micelles. This allows the micelles to pack more closely, increasing the overall viscosity of the liquid. It’s the same principle manufacturers use. However, this effect is highly sensitive to the specific surfactant system, the existing salt concentration, and the amount of salt added.

My own informal observations, backed by conversations with folks in the cleaning product industry, confirm this initial thickening. It gives the impression that the soap is becoming “concentrated” or “stronger.” But this visual cue is deceptive.

The “Salting Out” Phenomenon: The Downside

Here’s where the problem really kicks in. While a little salt might thicken some soaps, adding too much, or adding it to a formulation that isn’t designed for it, leads to a phenomenon called “salting out.”

What is Salting Out? It’s when the dissolved surfactants, which are the very heart of your cleaning power, precipitate out of the solution. They become insoluble, often appearing as cloudy clumps, stringy bits, or even solid particles at the bottom of the container. The water-loving heads of the surfactant molecules, which typically keep them dispersed, become less soluble in the presence of excessive salt. The salt essentially competes for the water molecules, dehydrating the surfactant and causing it to separate from the solution.

Visual Impact: Your once clear or uniformly colored dish soap will likely become cloudy, opaque, or even separate into distinct layers, looking much less appealing and certainly less effective. You might notice little white grains (which could be undissolved salt or precipitated soap) floating around.

Impact on Cleaning: When surfactants “salt out,” they are no longer dispersed in the solution and therefore can’t effectively perform their job of reducing surface tension, emulsifying grease, or forming micelles. The result? Greatly reduced cleaning power. Your dishes won’t get as clean, grease will be harder to cut, and you’ll likely use more product trying to compensate, which defeats the initial goal of saving money.

Reduced Sudsing and Foaming

Sudsing is often associated with cleaning effectiveness, and for good reason—it indicates that surfactants are active. When you add too much salt, the delicate balance of the surfactant system is disrupted, leading to a noticeable reduction in foam. The very molecules responsible for creating those satisfying suds are now preoccupied with forming precipitates or simply aren’t able to function optimally. This might not directly impact cleaning for every task, but it’s a clear sign that the product’s intended performance characteristics have been compromised.

Potential for Undissolved Particles or Residue

If the salt doesn’t fully dissolve, you might end up with granular salt particles in your dish soap. While perhaps minor, these could theoretically act as a mild abrasive on delicate dishware or leave behind unsightly white residues if not rinsed thoroughly. It’s certainly not an enhancement to the user experience.

No Real Improvement in Cleaning Power

This is the ultimate takeaway: salt itself doesn’t possess the same grease-cutting, emulsifying properties as the specialized surfactants in dish soap. It won’t break down baked-on food or dissolve stubborn fats. At best, if it thickens the soap without salting out, you merely have a more viscous product that still relies on the *original* concentration of active surfactants. At worst, you’ve rendered those surfactants less effective, turning your premium dish soap into a glorified, less efficient, salty water solution.

When *Might* Salt Play a Role in Cleaning (But Not in Dish Soap)?

It’s important to distinguish the specific, beneficial uses of salt in cleaning from the misguided attempt to mix it into dish soap. Salt is a versatile household product, but its utility depends entirely on the context:

• As an Abrasive Scrubber: Coarse salt (like kosher salt or sea salt) can be an excellent natural abrasive. Mixed with a little lemon juice or vinegar, it’s fantastic for scrubbing stuck-on grime from cast iron pans, cutting boards, or sinks. The physical action of the salt granules helps to scour away tough residues. This is about physical friction, not chemical interaction with dish soap.
• For Stain Removal: Salt can be used to absorb fresh stains, particularly on carpets or fabrics, by drawing out moisture and color. It’s often used with other agents (like club soda) for blotting.
• As a Deodorizer: Salt can absorb odors. A bowl of salt in the fridge or a sprinkle down a stinky drain can help neutralize unpleasant smells.
• In Water Softening Systems: This is a completely different mechanism. Large bags of salt are used to regenerate the resin beads in a water softener, which then remove hard water minerals from your entire household water supply. This process happens *before* the water reaches your tap and interacts with your dish soap; it’s not something you add directly to your cleaning product.
• Specific DIY Cleaner Formulations: Some homemade cleaning recipes might incorporate salt, but these are carefully balanced formulas where salt plays a specific, tested role (e.g., in a scrubbing paste for grout, or as part of a general purpose cleaner). These are not about enhancing a pre-formulated commercial product.

The key here is understanding the *mechanism* of cleaning. When salt is effective, it’s usually through physical abrasion, osmotic action, or ion exchange (in water softeners), not by chemically boosting the performance of surfactants in a dishwashing liquid.

Optimal Dishwashing Liquid Use: What Actually Works for Cleaner Dishes

Instead of trying to “hack” your dish soap with salt, focusing on proper usage techniques and understanding the product you have will yield far better results. Here’s what actually helps you get sparkling clean dishes:

1. Use the Right Amount: More isn’t always better. Follow the directions on the bottle or start with a small squeeze (about a teaspoon for a sink full of dishes). Too much soap leads to excessive suds that are hard to rinse off, leaving residue. Too little won’t be effective.
2. Warm to Hot Water: Hot water helps immensely! It increases the solubility of many food soils, especially fats and oils, allowing them to liquefy and be more easily emulsified by the surfactants. It also helps with sanitization.
3. Scrape and Pre-rinse: Before washing, scrape off large food particles into the trash or compost. A quick rinse with water can also remove loose debris, preventing your wash water from becoming quickly saturated with dirt.
4. Soak for Tough Messes: For baked-on food or dried-up grime, a good soak in hot, soapy water can work wonders. The water and surfactants penetrate and loosen the hardened food, making scrubbing much easier.
5. Use the Right Tools: A good sponge, brush, or scrub pad designed for dishes will provide the necessary mechanical action to lift and remove food particles. Different tools are best for different tasks – a soft sponge for delicate glasses, a sturdy brush for pots and pans.
6. Change Your Dishwater: If you have a particularly large or greasy load of dishes, don’t hesitate to change your wash water if it becomes too dirty or greasy. Once the water is saturated with grime, its cleaning effectiveness drops significantly.
7. Rinse Thoroughly: Always rinse dishes thoroughly under clean running water to remove all soap residue. Leftover soap can lead to streaks and spots, especially on glassware.
8. Choose the Right Product for the Job: Different dish soaps are formulated for different needs. Some are extra concentrated for tough grease, others are gentler on hands, and some are designed for specific water conditions. If your current soap isn’t cutting it, consider trying a different brand or formulation rather than altering it yourself.
9. Store Properly: Keep your dish soap in its original container, sealed, and away from extreme temperatures. This helps maintain its stability and effectiveness over time.

Myths Debunked: Separating Fact from Fiction About Salt and Dish Soap

Let’s lay some of those persistent myths to rest with clarity and certainty.

Myth 1: “Adding salt makes dish soap stronger and more concentrated.”

Fact: While salt can *visibly* thicken certain dish soaps, this does not equate to increased concentration or cleaning power. It’s a change in texture, not an enhancement of active ingredients. In most cases, it reduces the effective concentration of surfactants by causing them to “salt out.”

Myth 2: “Salt helps cut grease better when mixed with dish soap.”

Fact: Salt itself has no inherent grease-cutting properties when dissolved in water alongside surfactants. The heavy lifting of emulsifying and breaking down grease is solely performed by the surfactants. Adding salt can hinder this process, making grease *harder* to remove.

Myth 3: “Adding salt makes dish soap last longer or stretches it out.”

Fact: This is a misunderstanding. If the soap thickens, you might *perceive* it as lasting longer because you use less in each squeeze, but you’re getting diminished cleaning performance per unit of product. If it salts out, you’re actually wasting the product because its active ingredients are no longer soluble or effective.

Myth 4: “All dish soaps benefit from a pinch of salt.”

Fact: Absolutely false. The effect of salt is highly dependent on the specific chemical formulation of the dish soap. What might cause a slight thickening in one brand could lead to immediate separation and ruination in another. Commercial formulations are carefully balanced; arbitrary additions upset this balance.

Checklist: When Considering DIY Additions to Cleaning Products

The desire to customize or enhance products is natural, but when it comes to chemical formulations, caution is key. Here’s a quick checklist to consider before you start mixing things into your cleaning supplies:

• Research Active Ingredients: Do you understand what the core ingredients in your product do?
• Understand the Intended Purpose: What is your addition supposed to achieve, and is there scientific basis for it?
• Consider Chemical Reactions: Could your addition cause an undesirable or even dangerous reaction (e.g., mixing bleach and ammonia)? Even seemingly innocuous substances can react.
• Test in a Small Area: If you absolutely must experiment, do it in a tiny, out-of-the-way spot, or with a very small amount of product that you’re willing to sacrifice.
• Prioritize Safety: Always ensure adequate ventilation and consider protective gear like gloves.
• Read Manufacturer Guidelines: Does the product label advise against adding anything? Generally, if they wanted you to add something, they’d say so.
• When in Doubt, Don’t: If you’re unsure of the outcome, it’s always safer to stick to the product as it was formulated and intended for use.

Frequently Asked Questions About Salt and Dishwashing Liquid

Let’s tackle some of the common questions that pop up regarding this topic, offering detailed, professional insights.

Q1: Will adding salt to dish soap make it thicker and last longer, thereby saving me money?

A: This is a common perception, but it’s largely a misconception when applied to commercially formulated dish soaps. When you add salt (sodium chloride) to certain types of dishwashing liquids, particularly those that heavily rely on anionic surfactants like Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) for their viscosity, you might indeed observe an initial thickening effect. This happens because the salt acts as an electrolyte, reducing the natural electrostatic repulsion between the charged surfactant molecules, allowing them to pack more closely together and thus increasing the overall viscosity of the solution. It’s the same mechanism manufacturers sometimes use during production to achieve a desired consistency.

However, this thickening does not mean the soap is now more concentrated or more powerful. In fact, if you add too much salt, or if your specific dish soap formulation isn’t designed for this kind of post-production alteration, you’re more likely to trigger what’s known as “salting out.” This is where the surfactants, the active cleaning ingredients, precipitate out of the solution, becoming inactive. Visually, your soap might become cloudy, chunky, or even separate into layers. When this happens, the actual concentration of *active* cleaning ingredients in the solution decreases, making your soap less effective at tackling grease and grime. So, while you might use less of the now thicker, but less potent, liquid, you’ll end up needing more effort or more actual product to achieve the same cleaning results, which ultimately negates any perceived savings and can lead to frustration.

Q2: Can adding salt to my dish liquid damage my dishes or my hands?

A: While the direct damage to dishes or hands from adding salt to dish liquid isn’t typically severe or immediate, there are definitely some considerations. If the salt doesn’t fully dissolve in the dish soap, you might end up with undissolved salt granules. These granules, being crystalline and abrasive, could potentially cause minor scratching on delicate surfaces like fine china, crystal, or non-stick coatings, especially if you apply significant scrubbing pressure. It’s generally a low risk for everyday use, but certainly not an enhancement.

Regarding your hands, excessive salt in the solution could potentially be drying, as salt has desiccant properties. However, most dish soaps are already formulated with skin-mildness in mind, and the primary irritants for skin are often the surfactants themselves, especially in concentrated forms or with prolonged exposure. While a slight drying effect might occur, the more significant issue is that if the dish soap “salts out,” its pH could become slightly altered, or it might leave a sticky residue if not rinsed properly. This reduced effectiveness could lead to you using more elbow grease or soaking your hands in the cleaning solution for longer periods, which is more likely to cause skin irritation or dryness than the salt itself. Trusting the manufacturer’s balanced formula is usually the best bet for both dish care and hand care.

Q3: Is there any type of dish soap where adding salt *is* beneficial or recommended?

A: When we talk about *commercially produced, off-the-shelf* dishwashing liquids, the answer is generally no, adding salt at home is not beneficial or recommended. Manufacturers already include sodium chloride (table salt) in the formulation of many anionic surfactant-based dish soaps, but this is a carefully calculated addition made during the manufacturing process. It serves as a rheology modifier – a technical term for a thickener – to achieve a specific viscosity and texture for the product. This controlled amount is critical to the stability and performance of the overall formulation. The chemists formulating these products meticulously balance all ingredients, including salt, to ensure optimal cleaning, stability, and aesthetic properties.

Adding an arbitrary amount of salt to a product that has already been precisely formulated risks disrupting this delicate balance. It’s like trying to “improve” a perfectly baked cake by adding an extra cup of flour after it’s out of the oven – it just won’t work as intended. The “sweet spot” for salt concentration is very narrow for many formulations; going beyond it can lead to “salting out” and reduced effectiveness. Therefore, unless a specific product’s instructions explicitly suggest adding salt (which is exceptionally rare for commercial dish soaps), it’s always best to use the product as it comes out of the bottle.

Q4: What’s the best way to genuinely boost my dishwashing liquid’s cleaning power or effectiveness naturally, without adding salt?

A: To genuinely boost your dishwashing liquid’s effectiveness, focus on proven methods that work with, rather than against, its chemical design. Forget the salt hack and embrace these strategies:

1. Hot Water is Your Best Friend: This is arguably the most effective natural booster. Hot water helps to melt and emulsify fats and oils, making it much easier for your dish soap’s surfactants to break them down and carry them away. It also aids in sanitization. If your water isn’t hot enough, a little extra heat can make a significant difference.
2. Pre-Scraping and Soaking: Don’t underestimate the power of physical removal. Scrape off as much food residue as possible before washing. For tough, baked-on messes, a good soak in hot, soapy water for 15-30 minutes will soften the grime, allowing the soap to penetrate and loosen it far more effectively than any salt addition ever could.
3. Use the Right Tools: A quality scrub brush, sponge, or scouring pad provides the necessary mechanical action to dislodge food particles. Different tools are suitable for different tasks; a stiff brush for pots, a softer sponge for glasses.
4. Baking Soda for Tough Spots: For stubborn, abrasive cleaning needs (like scorched pans), baking soda is an excellent natural alternative. Make a paste with a little water and scrub; its mild abrasive quality can help remove tough residues without damaging surfaces. It’s effective *as an abrasive*, not mixed into your liquid soap.
5. White Vinegar as a Rinse Aid (Not Mixed with Soap): While you should *never* mix vinegar directly into your dish soap (it can react and reduce effectiveness), a diluted white vinegar rinse can work wonders for sparkling, spot-free dishes, especially in hard water areas. After washing and rinsing with soap, a quick dip or spray with a diluted vinegar solution (e.g., 1 part vinegar to 4 parts water) followed by a final rinse can eliminate mineral deposits and streaks.
6. Proper Concentration of Soap: Ensure you’re using the recommended amount of dish soap. Too little won’t clean effectively, and too much creates excess suds that are hard to rinse, leaving residue. Find the sweet spot for your water hardness and load size.

These methods respect the chemistry of your dish soap and leverage natural principles to enhance your cleaning experience far beyond what adding salt could ever achieve.

Q5: I’ve seen recipes for DIY dish soap that include salt. Are those different from adding salt to commercial liquid?

A: Yes, absolutely! DIY dish soap recipes that include salt are an entirely different scenario from arbitrarily adding salt to an already formulated commercial dishwashing liquid. When you find salt in a DIY recipe, it’s typically because the recipe is starting from much simpler base ingredients, often pure castile soap flakes, borax, washing soda, or other basic surfactants that behave differently from the complex blends found in commercial products. In these homemade concoctions, salt might be added for a specific, intended purpose that has been tested within that particular recipe’s framework. For example:

1. Viscosity Control for Simpler Bases: Many DIY recipes aim to create a thicker, more gel-like consistency from very liquid ingredients. Salt can be an effective and inexpensive thickener for certain simple soap bases, similar to how manufacturers use it in their initial production steps.
2. Enhancing Stability: In a homemade blend of, say, grated soap and water, salt might play a role in helping the ingredients stay uniformly mixed and prevent separation over time, if the recipe is designed with that in mind.
3. Balancing Properties: Some DIY recipes combine ingredients where salt is used to balance other properties, perhaps influencing the saponification process or interacting with other natural additives to achieve a desired texture or mildness.

The key distinction is *intentional, tested formulation*. A DIY recipe that includes salt has, ideally, been developed with the salt as an integral component, with the quantities and interactions considered. In contrast, commercial dish soaps are complex, proprietary blends with precisely balanced surfactants, hydrotropes, builders, and other ingredients. Adding salt to them after the fact is akin to tampering with an expertly calibrated machine; you’re more likely to throw it out of whack than to improve its performance. So, while salt can certainly have a place in specific, well-designed homemade cleaning formulas, its presence there does not provide justification for adding it to your store-bought dish soap.

Conclusion: Trust the Science, Not the Shortcut

So, there you have it. The appealing kitchen “hack” of adding salt to your dishwashing liquid, while well-intentioned, is largely a misstep. While the sight of a thicker liquid might initially seem like a win, the underlying chemistry tells a different story. In most cases, you’re not boosting cleaning power; you’re actually risking the stability and effectiveness of a product that was meticulously engineered to do exactly what you want: clean your dishes efficiently and effectively.

Modern dishwashing liquids are sophisticated products, the result of extensive research and development. Their formulations are a delicate balance of surfactants, builders, thickeners, and other components, all working in harmony. Introducing an uncontrolled amount of salt into this system is almost always counterproductive, leading to decreased performance through “salting out” and a less effective clean.

Instead of trying to outsmart the chemists, your best bet for sparkling dishes lies in understanding and employing proper dishwashing techniques: using hot water, pre-scraping, soaking stubborn messes, and using the right amount of your chosen dish soap. These tried-and-true methods will give you far better results and ensure you’re getting the most out of every drop of your dishwashing liquid, just as it was intended. So next time you’re tempted to reach for the salt shaker, remember the science, and let your dish soap do what it’s truly designed to do.