During September 2008 we reviewed Dawn dishwashing liquid.
This product was purchased at retail for less then three dollars.
We tested Dawn dishwashing liquid for efficacy on our dishes and our pots and pans. Dawn performed well in the kitchen.
We filled a small sink full of clean water and one tablespoon of Dawn so we could measure our results.
On normal non greasy breakfast dishes it performed very well after a short soak.
On greasy dishes we had to increase the amount of Dawn to two tablespoons or more to get comparable results.
This is exactly the same protocol that would be appropriate regardless of the brand of dishwashing liquid that we were evaluating.
Overall Dawn dishwashing liquid performed strongly in the kitchen.
What about other household uses?
We sprayed some urine on upholstered furniture and allowed the urine to set up for twenty four hours.
We mixed three tablespoons of Dawn dishwashing liquid with sixteen ounces of water in a small spray bottle.
We sprayed the urine generously with the Dawn solution and waited several minutes.
The urine would not budge.
We repeated this test several times to validate our results.
Our conclusion is that Dawn dishwashing liquid is not effective at removing human or pet urine.
After examining the areas that we sprayed we concluded that no urine removal product would now be effective in those areas.
The very ingredients that make any modern dishwashing liquid effective will also turn any carpeting or upholstery that you spray them on into a chemical waste land.
Specialized cleaning products are always best when used in the manner the manufacturer intended.
Dawn dishwashing liquid is no exception.
Dawn dishwashing liquid as the name implies is designed and intended to be used in the kitchen.
It does a great job there and you can not ask any more from this competent product.
Asking Dawn dishwashing liquid to remove human and pet urine stains from your carpeting and upholstery is unreasonable and could result in you having to throw out that furniture or carpeting.