# Ingestion of Dish Soap **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 11, 2009, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingestion-of-dish-soap/520865 "2009-12-11T16:01:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingestion-of-dish-soap/520865/1 "2009-12-11T16:01:03Z")
What happens if dish soap (say, Dawn™) gets in your mouth, and/or if you swallow it? The reason I ask: I was thinking the other day about how dish soap is made to dissolve oils, and how capsaicin from hot peppers is essentially an oil; ergo, swishing out one’s mouth with dish soap might “cure” one of burning hot-pepper mouth. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingestion-of-dish-soap/520865/2 "2009-12-11T16:14:32Z")
I am not a toxicologist but I have had to field a lot of “my dog ate this” questions and look up a lot of things. IIRC soap isn’t toxic, that may depend on how much you ingest though, but it is a laxative. ---
**Author:** ![unclelem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ac91a4/32.png) [@unclelem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/unclelem)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingestion-of-dish-soap/520865/3 "2009-12-11T16:31:53Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > What happens if dish soap (say, Dawn™) gets in your mouth, and/or if you swallow it? > > The reason I ask: I was thinking the other day about how dish soap is made to dissolve oils, and how capsaicin from hot peppers is essentially an oil; ergo, swishing out one’s mouth with dish soap might “cure” one of burning hot-pepper mouth. You get the trots and probably some cramping. Not pleasant at all. And for future reference the cure for capsaicin is _milk_ or milk products. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingestion-of-dish-soap/520865/4 "2009-12-11T17:13:29Z")
> [@unclelem](#): > > And for future reference the cure for capsaicin is _milk_ or milk products. Yes, but it’s a temporary cure. ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingestion-of-dish-soap/520865/5 "2009-12-11T17:42:37Z")
My dad once put a bunch of Tide (laundry soap) into a cheesecake by mistake. We all raved about how good it was and nobody had any ill effects - although my mom claims to have dreamed about blowing soap bubbles all night. ---
**Author:** ![BrandonR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@BrandonR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrandonR)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingestion-of-dish-soap/520865/6 "2009-12-11T18:12:51Z")
> [@shiftless](#): > > My dad once put a bunch of Tide (laundry soap) into a cheesecake by mistake. How does one _accidentally_ put laundry detergent into a cheesecake?! Sounds to me like his plan to covertly kill you and your mother failed… ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingestion-of-dish-soap/520865/7 "2009-12-11T20:01:53Z")
> [@BrandonR](#): > > How does one _accidentally_ put laundry detergent into a cheesecake?! Sounds to me like his plan to covertly kill you and your mother failed… You mean his _tasty_ plan failed. He claims he wasn’t looking and just grabbed the box and started poring. Even at the time I thought it sounded suspicious and now the dopers agree with me. Maybe I should have called the police on my dad … but he does make some good desserts, so it would have been a tough call. ---
**Author:** ![BrandonR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@BrandonR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrandonR)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingestion-of-dish-soap/520865/8 "2009-12-11T20:21:39Z")
Your dad wouldn’t happen to be named Mr. Magoo would he? That’s about the only scenario I can think of where someone would grab a box of laundry detergent (seemingly mixed in with baking ingredients) and use it in a dessert without questioning its look or smell (or vibrant, orange box). ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingestion-of-dish-soap/520865/9 "2009-12-11T20:28:51Z")
> [@BrandonR](#): > > Your dad wouldn’t happen to be named Mr. Magoo would he? That’s about the only scenario I can think of where someone would grab a box of laundry detergent (seemingly mixed in with baking ingredients) and use it in a dessert without questioning its look or smell (or vibrant, orange box). A good question. Does seem odd doesn’t it. I’ll have bring this old family story up with mom as dad’s no longer with us. But in our defense you have to remember that we were eating cheesecake, and not just any cheesecake - dad made the best. ---
**Author:** ![j\_sum1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8baadc/32.png) [@j\_sum1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j_sum1)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2009, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingestion-of-dish-soap/520865/10 "2009-12-12T01:39:22Z")
And I read the title as “Ingestion of soap dish”. Quite a different proposition. Carry on.