By Marye Audet, Planet Green
October 31, 2009 - Many people know that they can make homemade laundry detergent but not as many know about homemade dishwasher soap.
This formula will cut grease on your dishes. You will get a better result if you fill the rinse agent reservoir in your dishwasher with distilled white vinegar. It will leave your dishes grease free, shiny, and it isn’t at all hard on your vintage and antique items.
But the major benefit goes to your wallet. It cost less than a penny a load to make, or 50 loads of dishes for just 50 cents!
Ingredients in Homemade Dishwasher Detergent
Your environmentally friendly dishwasher detergent is going to have four main ingredients.
- Washing Soda - This stuff has been around forever. It is a natural substance, made from salt and limestone. Scientifically it is known as sodium carbonate. It cuts grease on anything and can be used for many (if not most) of the cleaning projects in your home. Arm and Hammer puts it out in the United States. If you can’t find it at your grocers you can find it on Amazon and other places online.
- Borax - Borax occurs naturally in the environment and can be mined as well as created in a lab. It is toxic in concentrated amounts, and you should keep it out of the reach of children. You can find it by the laundry detergent; Borateem is one brand.
- Kosher Salt - Kosher salt is a pure salt. I use it for cooking because the food tastes cleaner.
- Citric acid - You can buy food grade citric acid like Fruit Fresh or just use unsweetened lemonade packets.
Recipe for Homemade Dishwasher Detergent
Mix together 1 cup washing soda, 1 cup borax, 1/2 cup salt, and 1/2 cup citric acid. Store tightly covered in a Mason Jar. Use one tablespoon per load. Add vinegar to the rinse dispenser for the best results.
