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I've used sudsy dish soap such as Dawn before to combat insects such as aphids and it is quite effective and the one I used (it wasn't Dawn specifically) was biodegradable and that's important to me. The key to using Dawn or anything (siding cleaner, bleach, etc.) around plants is that you need to lower the concentration of the chemical low ...
Dish soap has chemical which can damage the roots of the plants. In large amounts it can start to discolor leaves or affect petals. Dish soap can't actually kill ants unless it will drown them. Ants usually finds a safe place before snow/rain. You can investigate which potted plant has the colony. You must remove the potted plant outside your ...
Castile soap is a vegetable product (mostly) - was distinguished by use of olive oil - but detergent is full of some nasty chemicals, including those than can cause cancer. While the amount required is small it is to be applied too high up the food chain for comfort. 'Dawn' is specifically mentioned by David Wolfe.
Add one drop of dishwashing soap; Spray on plants you wish to protect from animals; As far as Dawn killing plants. There are conflicting stories but most are similar to mine: I've used very diluted Dawn on plants for other reasons and the plant was none the worse for wear (Dawn + water = excellent bug killer, btw - good for paper wasp nests).
Dish soap contains surfactants and surfactants can help hydrate soils and relieve compaction but only for soils that have become hydroscopic. Some people use baby shampoo instead. However research indicates that it's very rare that a homeowner would have hydrophobic soil and mechanical aeration is better than surfactants. (link to my website)
The vinegar and dish soap may not have killed the clover either - vinegar is acetic acid and acts as a herbicide on the green parts of a plant, but unless you saturated the soil with it, it won't kill the roots, so its likely both the grass and the clover will regrow.
Soap and bleach are not terribly effective on them as they are in the soil. What works really well is diatomaceous earth around the base of the plant. Repeat every few days. Or you can take a trowel and work the soil around the base of the plants and pop any suspects into some soap and water.
2. Not unless you mix a lot of soap with a little bit of water. Soap is a fatty acid and when applied in a thick coat and left on the leaves and stems will burn soft plant tissue. Your project could easily test this if you can find ten or twelve plants that are all alike (end of season sales anyone?).
I'm not sure how Dawn specifically interacts with holly, but people mix dish soap into water (and other stuff) to spray on vegetables (to get rid of insects, powdery mildew, and such), and it doesn't seem to bother the plants terribly. I wouldn't think it would hurt your plants. It might be better to do it when the sun isn't shining, though.
You can try a 3% solution of dish soap mixed with water and sprayed on the area, that might kill the ants but shouldn't harm the grass. There are other suggestions in this link. Mix Dawn and water, 1 teaspoon per quart. Amazing insecticide, and a great spritz on dishes before a wash.