Using dish soap as a replacement for insecticides is a more natural solution for eradicating pests from your plants without the possibility of burning your plant’s leaves with chemicals.
Dawn dish soap can kill many insect pests including aphids, mealybugs, whiteflies, rose slugs, and other common garden pests. It’s good at achieving quick results but is not a reliable option if you need something to use for preventive measures.
However, the dish soap will not cause any bother for welcomed insects like ladybugs or bumblebees.
Dawn dish soap can also be used as an effective topical shampoo to get rid of fleas on cats or dogs, however, once the dish soap has been given time to work, you will need to remove the dead fleas with a fine pet comb.
Dawn dish soap works by a process called desiccation which causes the pest to dry out and causes their outer skin to crack open and then they will die.
The dish soap will need to be diluted with water to be most effective and most people mix the solution to use in a spray bottle to make application a lot easier.
Dawn dish soap is fairly inexpensive and will save you the effort and cash of having to go buy additional insecticide to kill the pests that are destroying your plants. You should make sure that the dawn dish soap you are using does not contain any bleach.
Table of Contents
Does dawn dish soap kill fungus?
Yes, dawn dish soap can be used to effectively kill the fungus that is growing on your lawn or any of your plants. It works by neutralizing the hyphae and inhibits the growth of it. You may still need to pull out the fungus once it has been killed.
You should try to aerate your lawn before applying the dish soap solution to your area which has been affected by fungus. You’ll want to make sure the dish soap water gets into the holes that you have made.
We’d recommend reapplying the solution a couple of times a day to make the dish soap work effectively.
You should see the mushrooms start to work within a few minutes after applying the dish soap solution, however, to get to the root of the fungus you will need to keep applying it to completely disrupt the root.
Does dawn dish soap kill mites?
Yes, dawn dish soap can be used on plants and grass to successfully kill mites. The mild dish soap coats the soft body of the mites and suffocates them.
You can also add two tablespoons of vegetable oil to the dish soap solution to increase the insecticide effects.
Does dawn soap kill fleas?
Yes, dawn soap can be mixed with water to create an insecticide solution that will kill fleas on pet fur.
Fleas normally have an exoskeleton that allows them to survive in water and travel more easily around. However, dawn dish soap compromises this exoskeleton by creating surface tension causing the fleas to sink and drown.
However, dawn dish soap should not be used as a preventive measure to keep fleas away from your pets, you should always use a specialized treatment to do this.
Dawn dish soap is effective at killing adult fleas, but it’s difficult to know that the unhatched eggs that the mothers have set on the fur have not been eradicated when the solution is applied.
Whilst dawn dish soap is effective at killing fleas on the fur, it is not recommended by veterinarians as it can cause more irritation to what is already irritated skin. You should always try using a specialized pet flea treatment when trying to get rid of fleas on your pet.
If you have no other choice but to use dawn dish soap, make sure you dilute the solution and only use a small amount to avoid irritating the animal’s fur. It should be used as a last resort and not as a go-to solution for fleas.
Why is dawn dish soap bad?
Dawn dish soap is good for killing weeds, but the product is not all that it’s made out to be. Dawn dish soap has added dyes and fragrances to the solution which is not great if you’re looking for a natural solution.
The dish soap also contains an ingredient called methylisothiazolinone which can cause skin allergies, irritation, or damage, not ideal if you’re going to be handing this product and using it to make a solution for your lawn.
Dish soap works to remove grease and oil when you’re doing the washing up, so realistically it is going to do the same on your lawn and plants. When you spray the solution on your lawn, it removes the natural oils and waxes that they hold on their leaves and their blades.
This waxy surface works to protect the lawn and other plants and when it’s removed it makes it easy for infections to appear on your plants.
You should try to use as low a concentration as possible when using dawn dish soap on your plants or lawn, as you’ll reduce the risk of damaging your lawn.
