Q: I love your blog and often check in twice a day. Thank you for your great work! But I have one question: what do you do at the kitchen sink with the few things you regularly use for washing-up/cleaning the dishes and the table (like a sponge, a dish cloth, a brush, dishwashing detergent, maybe gloves)? Are there good solutions out there that look clean, well-organized and perhaps even cool? What would you suggest to anyone who hates having too much stuff lying/standing around in the kitchen? Thank you and greetings from Europe. -Monica
A: Good question! In a nut shell, we keep a dish cloth folded up next to the sink or draped over the sink itself (as seen below):
And we house our sponge in this wire caddy that suctions to the inside of the sink (so it’s not visible unless you’re standing over it looking in). We also have a caddy with soap and lotion by Cucina from Anthropologie next to the faucet- which really helps two otherwise potentially disparate and mismatched items feel like they’re being “wrangled” together for a more streamlined effect. And we usually have a cute bottle of all-purpose cleaner like Mrs. Meyer’s located on the other side of the sink for easy access when it comes to wiping down the counter or the dining room table from time to time.
Oh and we keep our dish detergent and rubber gloves under the sink since we mainly rely on our dishwasher to do most of the after-dinner work for us (and we have yet to find a cool way to store rubber gloves in full sight). But what about you guys? Do any of you have more sink-side solutions that you’d like to share with Monica to help her whip her kitchen into shape without sacrificing function or form? Let’s talk about how you store your soap, your sponges and everything else you use to get ‘er done in the kitch.
Psst- Want more photos and info about what’s cookin’ in our kitchen? Check out this post, this post and this post for all the deets.
Laura says
I’m currently thinking of getting a pair of these shallow tip-out trays to install behind the otherwise-useless panel just below the sink:
http://www.amazon.com/Stainless-Steel-Tip-Out-Tray-Hinges/dp/B0009OE09O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1264603639&sr=8-1-spell
Rubber gloves just aren’t that cute.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Laura,
That’s a great suggestion for hiding Monica’s rubber gloves! Thanks so much for the link.
xo,
s
Leah says
My husband and I have a constant debate re: dish drainer vs. no dish drainer. We do not have a double-sink, so we dry our dishes off to the side on a pretty dish towel. I am on the no-drainer side thinking that no-drainer will force us to clear off the counter. Do you have any suggestions? Collapsible drainer?
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, we have a double sink so one side has a nice little metal dish drainer while the other side is blissfully bare. But back when we had a large single sink we didn’t have a dish drainer so you’re probably right about it encouraging dish-collecting in the sink while they dry indefinitely. We’ve seen some pretty cute counter-top dish drying racks (like this one or this one) so maybe that’s a solution instead of a sink full of dishes and a dish drainer? Of course you’d have to force yourself to unload it pretty regularly or it’ll just be akin to a sink full of dishes, but at least keeping the dishes out of the sink will make things like hand washing and food prep easier since it’ll be nice and bare. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Sue says
I have that same wire caddy and I LOVE it – it’s one of those items that I’m like, “how did I ever live without this thing?” I put my sponge, a little Pampered Chef scraper, and my sink stopper in it. Perfect! I love your soap/lotion container…I’ll have to look into that.
Brittany says
I found a shiny copper dish drainer that fits perfectly inside my double sink. It’s a HUGE upgrade from my cheapo plastic drainer, and it doesn’t clutter up the counter. I also put antibacterial dishwashing liquid in a soap dispenser. It looks much classier on the sink than an economy-sized plastic bottle, and in a pinch it can be used as hand soap or squirted onto a washcloth for dishes.
Jason says
They sell kits…
Pull off the faux drawer front below the sink – hinge the bottoms and add basket on inside and also a pull if you like. Perfect way to put it away!
DE – J
Amanda says
Leah, I’m not sure if you’re into hanging something permanently on your wall, but I really like this idea: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40110351 It just folds back up pretty much flush with the wall when you’re done using it.
Sherry I really like your little sponge caddy. I hadn’t thought of putting it IN the sink (how novel!). I hate sink clutter!
Jason says
ps – It looks like in the first picture you had a built in soap dispenser but it’s gone in the 2nd? I’m finishing the kitchen and was deciding whether or not to get a faucet with one. I opted for no for a few reasons – but haven’t installed the faucet yet. Did you have one and like or dislike it?
DE – J
YoungHouseLove says
Good eye Jason! We wanted lotion on the counter as well as dish soap, so we reasoned that a caddy that made the soap and the lotion feel more “related” and less disparate was a good thing. It was definitely an easy switch and we get a lot more compliments on our ceramic soap and lotion caddy than on our old built-in soap dispenser (which was a pain in the butt to fill from under the cabinet as well). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Nicole B says
Hey,
I keep my paper towel on a roll-a-thingy that is stuck to the door of one of my bottom cupboards so a) my cat doesn’t eat it and b) so its hiding but also easily accessible. I also have a sink that has a metallic soap dispenser that blends in, although those Cucina ones look nice too! All my kitchen utensils are put away in a drawer including my knives, ladels, you name it. I am in the process of decided to get rid of my $200 microwave that takes up a whol counter and buy an over-the-stove one (also $200) or to just build a shelf that hangs off my cabinets and stick it in there to free up some room on the counter underneath – this is more work but less waste of a microwave and less waste of $200. Suggestions?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Nicole B,
If you think you can hang the existing microwave (or make it appear to be hanging by building a cabinet around it) we say go for it. But if you think it’ll be a lot of work and it won’t look as nice and seamless as a microwave that’s built to hang, we would just say to Craigslist or eBay the microwave you already have and buy one that really works for your kitchen. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Caitlan says
I always keep my dish soap in a big glass olive oil bottle (like this one: http://www.surlatable.com/product/id/130042.do). I think that’s an old Martha Stewart “good thing.”
AmandaonMaui says
I was doing that for a long time as well, but when it would get soapy and wet it would feel like it was about to slip out of my hands. At the time I was using it I also had a porcelain style sink and really didn’t want to drop the glass on it. It is beautiful, but I felt it wasn’t functional enough. I now prefer a pump style for quick soap pumping onto my sponge.
Courtney says
I couldn’t find an exact picture of what we have, but this is close: http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=204636607&listingid=47148400
However, after looking for a picture of our caddy/dispenser, I found this one I wish I had instead!
http://www.organizeit.com/po75181bamboo.asp?cmpid=gbase
Ceramic AND bamboo?! Wow. Anyway, we keep the dishsoap in the dispenser and the scrubby/sponge/brush in the side with the open holder. It works great for us and I’ve been surprised by how many people compliment something so small and utilitarian. On the other side of the sink we keep another small caddy with the hand soap/lotion pair. No ideas for the gloves, though.
Samantha @ i heart mini. says
I see I was beat out for the tip-out tray suggestion! But it’s really a genius idea we have planned to put in our remodel. We actually have something similar to this: http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/175-6573749-5712845?ASIN=B000R9JUEQ&AFID=Froogle&LNM=B000R9JUEQ|Home_6.5"_Metal_Scroll_Wall_Shelf_Bracket_Black&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=B000R9JUEQ&ref=tgt_adv_XSG10001 holding some shelves up above our sink to the cabinets. With the scroll detail, we use them as hooks for our brushes from Ikea (which have holes in the handles) http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_orjQpfWsJCI/Sas0uI3HkdI/AAAAAAAAALI/VArZB2cNJ88/s320/0088976_PE220656_S4.JPG and measuring cups (since they come on rings) because we make dinners every night and those are our two most important necessities! We don’t have a fancy dish soap holder yet, so it just sits on the counter next to our broken faucet :(
Cindy @ The Flipping Couple says
We have a little caddy (really really little) that we picked up at Bed Bath and Beyond. It holds my Dobi scrubby sponge, veggie scrub brush and a pan scraper. Everything is neat, in one place and stainless steel. Love it. I can’t find it on B3’s website, but it was about $10 in the store.
Jessica @ How Sweet says
I spend almost ALL my time in the kitchen. I am always looking for tips to clean up and keep things handy!
RA says
When we redid our kitchen over the summer, one of my biggest to-dos was to hide all of the sink clutter. So, now, only the hand soap stays visible, and everything else is in a small, plastic crate under the sink. It holds dish soap, kitchen cleaner, sponges, a Magic Eraser, and a spare dish drainer-strainer thingie (you know what I mean, right?). We just take the crate out when we need things out of it and put it right back afterward.
AmandaonMaui says
How do you keep the sponge from getting funky sitting in the dark space under the sink?
YoungHouseLove says
Anyone know? Maybe there’s some sort of ventilation?
xo,
s
Kat says
we use one of these
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&productId=100507515&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&PID=500871&cm_mmc=CJ-_-nextag-_-D23X-_-100507515&cpncode=19-35280973-2&AID=10368321&cj=true&srccode=cii_9324560
these are also cool
http://www.umbra.com/ustore/product/330210/c505/saddle_sink_caddy.html
Jacci says
Hey, guys!!! :) Man, I’ve been playing blogworld hooky! There were so many great posts to catch up on. Congrats on the bathroom reveal! It looks really great. And I **love** the two daybeds in the sunroom. I agree that having two different daybeds unified w/ a common paint color will look **fantastic** in there. Nothing says a look is collected over time like – well – a look collected over time! :)
Excited to see the nursery coming together. It is thrilling to have a blank slate, isn’t it? Still so excited about the Bean!!!
XO,
Jacci
Vicki says
We use a metal cip with a strong magnet on the back to hang our dish towel and gloves (the dish rag stays draped between the two sinks). The clips are on the side of the fridge, not visible from the doorways to the kitchen. I didn’t want a damp towel hanging on my cabinet doors, even if it was on the inside.
anne marie says
Great ideas, all! :)
We have a tip-out tray (using the faux front cabinet panel) for our sponges and other cleaning tools. For dish soap, we’ve commandeered any pretty bottle (currently using a nice green Tanqueray gin bottle!) and simply use the rubber pouring spout on top:
http://images.villageorigin.com/003840-021/001.jpg. But my favorite solution for the hand soap is a vintage syrup caddy like this one:
http://www.eravintage.com/USERIMAGE/small%20syrup%281%29.jpg
They are easy to find on eBay and in antique malls and come in all sorts of colors. One tip learned from experience – try to find one that is all plastic as the ones with the metal ‘slider’ tend to rust and gum up your soap!
Lindsay says
Dish soap looks cute in glass olive oil bottles (the kind with the metal tops) or glass maple syrup containers with the metal slide top.
Lorena says
Holy Cow! I just saw your before pics of your kitchen ~ what a transformation:)
Amanda in Boston says
I have the same cuchina set, i got it for 13 beans at anthro. I was in awe when she rang it up!!
I keep my dish soap in an oil/vinegar bottle that I got at crate and barrel, i usually keep it under the sink, but it doesn’t look bad like a regular bottle might next to the sink if we leave it out. http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=395&f=7850&q=oil&fromLocation=Search&DIMID=400001&SearchPage=1
ErinEvelyn says
We just redid our tiny 10×11 kitchen (with 3 doorways and 2 windows!) in October, so we had to make use of every inch when it came to organization & function. We used to have a double-bowl sink which ended up with a dish drainer parked on one side full-time, but since switching to a single bowl, the sink feels LOTS larger and the drainer gets stored under the sink now, so things look MUCH more tidy. I’m still using the milk glass soap/lotion dispenser I got 15 years ago (at Target? Kmart?) which is filled with gentle dish soap (that we also use for hands). The cute pump bottle sits on one corner of the sink, and the other is our pneumatic garbage disposal button (LOVE this gadget!!!). That’s it. Sponge & scrubber get stored in the tilt-out panel in the sink base.
Audra says
I have a dish soap holder built into my sink. They are fairly inexpensive and very handy. I keep a cute bottle of Bath and Body Works hand soap on the right of the sink. I keep my dish cloth (wet) draped over the middle of the two sinks and the drying dish cloth folder over the counter. On one of the doors under the sink I have a towel rack which I use to drape my gloves over and hang my everyday cleaning supply spray bottles (409, 409 for granite, stainless cleaner, granite cleaner). It works great because it doesn’t require me to bend over and grab a cleaner off the bottom shelf which lazily makes it seem so handy. I don’t have a dish drainer even though there are some really cute ones out there. I don’t have the counter space to devote to one and would probably not get the dishes put away in a timely manner. We have a dishwasher for most of our dishes and I use an absorbing towel spread out and immediately dry the dishes and put them away. I have often thought that they glass drying mat from Williams Sonoma would be handy because it could be used and then easily rolled and stored away.
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/glassware-drying-mat/?pkey=x%7C4%7C1%7C%7C4%7Cdish%20drainer%7C%7C0&cm_src=SCH
I am one who likes very little clutter and my husband is the same way. Lucky me!
Kelley says
Thanks for the tips, guys. I LOVE your kitchen.
Do you have any suggestions for keeping dishwashing rags from smelling terrible? It’s my husband’s biggest pet peeve of the kitchen, and I can’t figure out a way to stop it from happening. It seems that the moisture from the rag starts to cause it to smell musty or rotten. We try wringing them out and hanging them over the faucet to air dry, but nothing seems to work. Sometimes they still stink even after I put them through the laundry and we end up throwing them away. Would love to hear suggestions! (Especially since we need to use rags frequently for wiping off our one-year-old’s face, hands, high chair, etc.!) We’d rather not use paper towels for ecological reasons because it seems so wasteful.
Thanks!!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Kelley,
That’s a really good question! We also wring ours out and launder them pretty frequently and don’t have much of a smell issue so maybe just trying to stay on top of rotating them out more frequently will help? We have at least 10 whit dishtowels so we never have to use one much longer than we’d like (once they get moist or dirty we’re dying to change them out anyway) so that would be our only idea). You probably cook much more often (and much better) than we do so that’s probably why yours get more use (we often make easy things like spaghetti or organic Amy’s pizza so they don’t call for much actual wiping down afterwards). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Hayley says
There are two things that I HAVE to have.
First, since I’m tall, getting under the sink for dish soap, Lysol wipes, or anything else I grab quickly is such a pain. So instead, I dedicated one of the slim upper cabinets next to my sink for such things. And so I don’t waste space, I also use that cabinet for medicines.
Second, I hate hate hate towels hanging from the fridge or oven, cause they are always falling down. So instead, I hang my towel from a 3M hook, mounted on the cabinet side, so it’s easy to see, but also decorative. And it makes it easier to use then paper towels, so we waste much less!
Eryn says
Sherry,
We just got light colored granite like you guys. Do you ever have problems with water seeping into the granite and making rings until it dries? We have sealed it with a product from Restoration Hardware but it still happens. Also, what granite sealer do you guys use? Anything that is less toxic than most?
Thank you always for your suggestions!!
Eryn
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Eryn,
Our granite is actually from Home Depot so it comes with their patented Permashield protection (meaning it never needs to be sealed for life since they permanently seal it before install). We don’t have the issue with water seeping into the granite that you describe, but we would recommend visiting a local tile shop and asking them for a suggestion. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Kasey at Thrifty Little Blog says
This was a good question! I hate the look of a clutterd sink, but there are just so many things that are needed. I keep the clutter down a bit by using the dish/hand soap in my built-in soap dispenser.
I’m going to have to look into that suction cup you linked to for the inside of the sink, I didn’t know they even existed!
valerie J. says
We lived in our house about 3 months before my husband pointed out to me that the cabinet panels under the sink tilted out with trays for sponges and such. It was like Christmas for someone like me that hates all the sink clutter. I really like the 2 pump holder-tray thingy you guys have…it does make it feel more uniform.
Andrea Melberg Thompson says
You can get the wire sink suction cup sponge holder at Target. We are all there anyway!
Andrea
http://www.thomberg.blogspot.com
Marilyn says
Kelly, Add Ammonia to your laundry and it will get rid of any bad smells. I just pour probably 1/4 to 1/2 C to all my laundry to eliminate odors. I had a friend who was telling me her towels and wash clothes always smelled and I shared this with her and she said it worked for her. Good luck!
Paula Grace says
Hi there!
I so enjoy your blog. The advice you give is fabulous and generous. I wanted to invite you to participate in a new party I am hosing.
Beginning Feb 2nd, I am hosting a party every Tuesday on all timeless classis things ~ interior design, fashion, special occassions and entertaining, art, ….. See how all of your posts fit right in!!
Your blog is one of my classics now so I hope you and your readers join the party.
Here is a link to let you know more about it ~ http://paulagracedesigns.blogspot.com/2010/01/timeless-tuesday.html
Looking forward to seeing you and your readers there!
Paula Grace ~
Amy says
I use one of the handled sponges, and rest it on a pretty soap dish. I keep everything else under the sink, but could really use a little basket for my hand soap and extra sponges… thanks for the great ideas!
Also, I love using oil dispensers for soap.
erin says
We also have tilt-outs under the sink, which I love. The clutter is hidden but sponges are within easy reach. I keep dish soap and hand soap in pretty dispensers by the sink, so they are almost a decoration.
I also dry on a dishtowel laid on the counter. I bought a couple that are the same shade as my counters so the towel blends in. I hate wire racks, I feel like they limit the amount of space I have to dry large pots and pans, and I feel like they are ugly and add a lot of visual weight to the counter. Though I just noticed, Bed Bath & Beyond has microfiber mats for drying on. I got one for my mother for Christmas and she loves it. The microfiber has a little bit of grip to it too so dishes don’t slip off. http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=16675261 I think it is a little small though, I would probably get two.
Julia says
Oh my goodness this post and all the comments have me so inspired! I might be using my lunch break today to do a little sink-unclutter-gadget shopping at Target and then tackle the project this evening!
Anna says
I love this post! I’m getting your soap/lotion cady and the sponge holder. Having and organized and a clutter-free home is my resolution this year – which is a challange with a new husband who is the type that has to leave things out in site so he remembers to do something with it! I would love more posts on clutter-free home tips.
Shannon says
Hi! I love your blog! I am a big fan of keeping items hidden, so I use this item for organizing under my sink. It’s perfect for holding all my liquid detergents, garbage bags, and dish washer soap.
http://www.containerstore.com/shop/kitchen/cabinetOrganizers/lowerCabinets?productId=10004257
I also use this basket on the inside of my lower sink cabinets for all my sponges, and I attached it with two 3M removable hooks:
http://www.containerstore.com/shop/kitchen/cabinetOrganizers/upperCabinets?productId=10017497
Finally, I use this to keep all my plastic bag recycling corralled!
http://www.containerstore.com/shop/kitchen/cabinetOrganizers/lowerCabinets?productId=10010949
Kim at Yellow Brick Home says
It’s all about the wire caddy. Our sink doesn’t back up against a wall, rather, it’s in our counter island – which means we can’t store soaps, scrub brushes, and gloves out on the counter.
Rather, we have a larger wire caddy that takes up the length of the sink, and it’s enough to fit our scrub brush, hand soap, and dish soap. We scored it at TJ Maxx for $5! Can’t beat that. It’s so sturdy, too.
As far as dishes that need to sit out and dry, we have a folding dish rack that we set on top of a hand towel, then hand clean the more delicate items (such as wine glasses, teflon pots and pans) and pop them in the rack. As soon as they dry, we stash them in the cupboards. I can’t stand them sitting out much longer than the amount of time it takes them to dry!
katie says
The little wire sponge caddy is the best isn’t it?? One of my friends had one so I picked one up at target for 3 or 4 dollars. I love it!! I use the mrs. meyers dish soap and hand soap so I dont really mind how they look when they’re left out.
Amy says
I can’t stand wet dish towels and scrubbers that get nasty.. so here is my tip I picked up somewhere. We keep our plastic dish scrubber in the dishwasher. We use it to clean dishes and it stays in there until needed. It gets washed everytime dishes do and is always clean. Keeps it out of sight also.
Another random tip. When using cooking spray on a dish, Open dishwasher and spray container over the door. Just don’t do this if there are clean dishes in there.LOL
Ashley says
In response to Kelley’s question about smelly dish cloths:
Wash them with your regular laundry detergent & a splash of vinegar. It works great for bathroom towels that get a mildew-y smell also. And they don’t smell like vinegar when they are done, so nothing to fear!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yeah! We’ve heard the vinegar tip too! Definitely worth a try and totally green. We’ve also heard they don’t smell so go for it!
xo,
s
Stephanie says
We use a stainless steel bathroom cup (usually for holding toothbrushes, q-tips, mascara, etc) to set our sponge, that is on the end of a wand full of dish soap. This way all the dish soap doesn’t slowly ooze out of the sponge and it can dry out. I like to think of it as a flower in a vase! Ha ;)
Sonya says
I’m very particular about this subject. I have a built-in soap dispenser beside my faucet that I use for handsoap. I keep a small tube of lotion in the drawer beside my sink. I use a dish-wand filled with detergent for washing dishes that I squeeze out and lay inside the clean sink when I’m done to keep it out of sight. The only thing that bugs me is the sponge for wiping the counter… maybe I should try one of those wire baskets that attaches inside the sink too.
Danielle@Newlyweds Paradise says
I use something simliar when it comes to hiding the sponges. I found a $3.00 plastic one from Bed Bath and Beyond. I don’t have a lot of counter space so I also found a dish rack that I can keep in the sink. It makes life so much more easier! I would search all the different organizing products at Bed Bath and Beyond. That is how I discovered many of them.
Stephanie says
Question for folks with the tilt-out trays: Do you have any trouble having sponges, etc. dry once the door is shut? Does it get smelly or stay damp?
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh good question Stephanie. Anyone care to weigh in?
xo,
s
AmandaonMaui says
I’ve wondered about this too. I would think that the darkness, and the moisture would lead to some scary mildew & smells.
YoungHouseLove says
Anyone know? Maybe it should be vented somehow?
xo,
s
Babs says
I have a friend in london whose area under the sink is just an open shelf so there’s no hiding stuff. She uses a cute basket to house the cleaning supplies. but her killer idea for the gloves was an antique mailslot that she attached to the wall beside the faucet (think the kind that attaches to your house by your front door). Once the gloves dry, she puts them in there and out of sight they go! It all has a very beautiful, rustic look to it.
Jason says
Hi Again – thanks for the response on the in sink soap pump.
And to go along with the get the smell out of stuff comments – I like to add Borax to the wash. It’s an old fashioned cleaner/laundry booster/deoderizer/non chlorine way to bleach you can find it in a box in your laundry isle.
Just FYI – it will even take out the smell of fabric softener and detergent if you are using it to whiten whites for example. So they may not smell like you expect normally but they are clean.
YoungHouseLove says
Great tip Jason. Thanks!
xo,
s
Carolyn says
I just saw a cute idea the other day for soap at the sink. This woman bought two white ceramic soap dispensers and then labeled them with the words “hand” and “dish” using scrapbook rub-on letters. The she sealed over them so the letters wouldn’t come off and put both dispensers on a cute tray by her sink. It looks much better than I’m describing: http://www.glowmail.net/13.htm You’ll have to scroll about half-way down the page to the section on her kitchen. She has a beautiful home!
Cynthia says
I store my yellow rubber gloves on blue glass candlesticks, right next to the sink, making them a whimsical decoration. (I started off with them on the raised counter above the sink — you can see them on my husband’s blipfoto.com site at http://www.blipfoto.com/view.php?id=447983&month=1&year=2010 — but decided I wanted them to be less conspicuous). Your website is inspiring me to lots of small changes like this one!
NikKidd says
When we moved into our place my husband was set on not having a ton of stuff on the counter, so we installed a few of those ikea bars on the back wall behind our sink and put our sponges/scrubbers on top of a wire rack that hangs from the bar (along with our paper towel holder, etc.)It also has a clip from which we hang our dish towel so it can air dry (less smell) and always be handy after washing our hands, etc. You can see the photos here:
http://bit.ly/alGJQR and http://bit.ly/973hoz
It’s come a LONG way from this:
http://bit.ly/a4gUQZ
We are, however, going to get a new sink SOON, because that white one is impossible to keep clean (no matter how often you scrub) and seems to have an attraction to breaking glasses and dishes at the slightest touch!
Linsay says
I feel very similarily about kitchen clutter. I have a great old glass milk of magnesia bottle that I filled with dish soap & corked it with a bartenders bottle pourer. You have to dilute the liquid soap with water so that it will pour easily but it also extends the life of your cleaner. It saves you money, cleans just as well and looks unique and so much better than a Dawn bottle sitting out.