Making your Own Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

 

We mentioned just a few days ago that you can pick up a coupon for 20 Mule Team Borax – you can score it at Target for just $2.99 after coupon. Borax comes in really handy around your home – it has MANY uses.. which we will discuss here soon.

I use Borax for doing laundry – you can incorporate it into your Homemade Laundry Soap.  AND.. you can also make your own dishwasher detergent as well.

I haven’t always made my own dishwasher detergent, I have been using stuff I had in my stockpile for so long.  Just a few months ago we ordered some things from Sam’s Club (we had a membership) – needless to say those items didn’t come in, so they gave us a $25 Gift Card to use in store. Because we did not plan on renewing our membership, we used the gift card immediately that day to buy their Cascade (2) – which we kept one and gave one to my in laws.

That tub is now out, and I just simply refuse to buy another one.. the thought of spending $10 on Dish Pods is something I can’t bring myself to do right now.  So this is the next best solution for me, and should last me quite a while as I have plenty of Borax for a few more batches.

One thing to remember about making your own Dish Detergent for the Dishwasher is that it really is trial & error – this might not be something everyone wants to do, but if you give it a shot, you’ll quickly find that your water will probably play a HUGE part in how your dishes take the detergent – the hardness or softness of your water, the temperature, are all playing factors.

We don’t have soft water where we are, so I tend to put a little more Borax in the mix, and I use Vinegar in the rinse cycle of the dishwasher. I never load dirty dishes without rinsing off a good bit of the gunk – I’m not sure what others do but Dave gets mad with me when I lean to the lazy side and throw them in without a rinse  :)

There are a million recipes out there, this is what works for me:

• 1 C. Borax
• 1 C. Baking Soda (some people use Washing Soda but I prefer baking soda)
• 10-15 drops Essential Oil (I use Citrus Fresh)
• 1/2 C. Citric Acid (You can use Kool Aid or Generic Kool Aid Packets in Lemonade Flavor Only)

Mix those dry ingredients and keep in a tightly sealed container. To prevent it from clumping, I recommend throwing those packets you get in your shoes (and other items – the Silica Gel packets)… 

After you mix the dry, drop the Essential Oil in, cover the container, and shake it up a bit .. your scent will infiltrate the rest of the container contends. I use a Ball Canning Jar that’s tightly shut.

When using, stick to 1-2 tablespoons in the tray of your dishwasher. Make sure your water heater temp is set hot enough otherwise the mixture won’t dissolve effectively.