Dawn Platinum Powerwash Spray Recipe: How to Make the Ultimate Dish Cleaner

It was February 2020 when Procter and Gamble introduced a new product to the homecare market, Dawn Platinum Powerwash Spray. “It’s magical, better than anything we’ve ever come up with! Dishes almost clean themselves!” they said. I scoffed. And then millions of social media comments, reviews, and videos have proven me wrong. Given that kind of data, we might conclude that Dawn Platinum Powerwash has taken America’s kitchens by storm.

I’m noticing a trending topic in my email inbox. Dawn Powerwash is amazing, and I love it, but it’s too expensive! I go through the stuff like it’s water! I really need a copycat recipe so I can make it myself. Come on, Mary, you can do it! And with that, I went right to work.

After a good deal of testing, sniffing, researching, questioning, and snooping, here it is—a copycat recipe for Dawn Platinum Powerwash Dish Spray together with several variations that could easily make your version even better.

Copycat Dawn Platinum Powerwash Dish Spray

 

You’ll need:

• Blue Dawn Platinum Dishwashing Liquid
• 70% isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol
• distilled water
• a clean, empty Dawn Powerwash spray bottle OR any 16 oz. or larger spray bottle
• measuring spoon

Instructions:

1. Pour 1 3/4 cups distilled water into the clean, empty spray bottle.
2. Add 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) Dawn Platinum Dishwashing Liquid
3. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons 70% isopropyl alcohol
4. Apply spray top.
5. Shake gently to combine ingredients.
6. Allow to sit for a few hours to allow everything to meld.

 

Variation #1. Alternative scent

Substitute Blue Dawn Ultra Original for Blue Dawn Platinum

Blue Dawn Platinum Dishwashing Liquid comes in various scents, with the most popular being Refreshing Rain and Fresh Scent. Personally, I find both to be quite unbearable. I much prefer the scent of Blue Dawn Original. Even though P & G says that Platinum Blue Dawn cleans 4X times better or faster, that difference is negligible, if any, in the copycat outcome.

Variation #2. More powerful

Substitute 91% isopropyl alcohol for 70% isopropyl alcohol.

It goes without saying that 91% alcohol is 8% water, while 70% alcohol is 30% water. Alcohol is an excellent cleaning agent, so this variation provides a greater ratio of alcohol to water, and does seem to boost the cleaning power. It’s especially useful if all you have on hand is the 91% rubbing alcohol.

 

Variation #3. Most powerful

Substitute 4 tablespoons denatured alcohol for the isopropyl alcohol.

This variation turbo-charges your homemade Dawn Platinum Powerwash, but it is not for the faint of heart. It requires special handling and must be kept out of the reach of children. Denatured alcohol is a powerful solvent-type cleaner and stain remover. Mostly, we find denatured alcohol in the garage or workshop. If you go for this variation, make sure you read the container’s label cautions and instructions and know what you’re doing before attempting to copycat.

When diluted correctly, you can use denatured alcohol (as we do in this variation) for a variety of purposes around the home. It works as both a general cleaner and sanitizer when you dilute it with equal parts of warm water. Of course, you should always wear gloves when working with denatured alcohol.

FAQs

Can I skip the distilled water and use tap water instead?

You can, but there's a reason for the distilled water. It has had all of the minerals removed. That means you're not adding hard water minerals to your DIY Powerwash. If you want the best outcome, use distilled water, avaiable in any grocery or drug store.

Will this recipe multiply well in case I want to make a full gallon at a time?

Yes, pull out your best arithmetic skills and go for it!

How does the DIY option compare in price to just buying Dawn Platinum Powerwash Dish Spray off the shelf?

All of my comparisons prove this copycat recipe a lot cheaper! The copycat recipe ingredients, using the same Dawn Platinum Dishwashing Liquid ingredient, 70% alcohol and distilled water costs $.99 for 16 oz. The regular price at my supermarket is $5.79 for 16 oz. spray bottle, $4.49 for 16 oz. refill. That looks like an 80% savings to me.

Have you become a Dawn Platinum Powerwash Dish Spray user, yourself?

Funny you should ask! I'm working on my review right now so watch for that coming soon.

Can I use other Dawn options than the blue varieties?

I have not tested that, but sure! I see on my supermarket shelf a clear version of Dawn Powerwash Spray—Dawn Platinum Powerwash Free & Clear (no dyes with a light pear scent). If you want to give that a try, substitute the Free & Clear Dawn Dishwashing Liquid for the blue, and proceed. You have very little lose by giving this a try and you just might come up with a really inexpensive result.

 

 

Quick Look Resources

You can find all of these in your local supermarket or discount dept. store. Or online. The following is offered to let you see what you will be looking for. 

One last thing: You may get dizzy once you start looking at Dawn products and options. There’s Ultra, Platinum, 3X, 4X, 5X; Advanced, Professional, and that’s only a start because there are lots of colors now, and plenty of scents to go with them. Don’t worry! This is not an exact science. There’s not much you could do to go wrong.

However, I need to point out that a somewhat similar P&G Dawn product that DOES NOT fit into this copycat recipe. Dawn Ultra Platinum FOAM is something completely different. It looks like a short version of Powerwash, but it is not. We’ll figure it out another time.

And that’s the rest of the story.

 

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