Skip to main content

Learning to DIY: Dishwasher Detergent

So, I'm trying to learn to make my own cleaning supplies.  For the most part, it's usually a lot cheaper, and I know exactly what products I'm using.  It's a lot safer and it doesn't take much time once you've gotten your ingredients together.

I started this after I picked up the book, Clean & Simple: The Old Farmer's Almanac.  I had already been thinking about making my cleaning supplies from scratch, but this book gave me the encouragement I needed to actually do it.  Since then, I've found that the internet is a great resource for all things DIY as well, especially this blog.

One item we've had good success with is making our own dishwasher detergent.  I got the recipe off DIY Natural, and it's really working for us.  Basically, here is the recipe:

Homemade Dishwasher Detergent
1 Cup Borax
1 Cup Washing Soda
1/2 Cup Kosher Salt
1/2 Cup Citric Acid 
(I found this in the bulk section of Central Market, but you can also get it online.)

Directions: Mix ingredients together.  Store in airtight container.  
(We didn't do that the first time, so moisture got in an made our soap one big clump.  This time we are using a freezer bag and a teaspoon of rice to help avoid the clumping.  I'd also recommend shaking your container on a daily basis.)

That's it!  
Use just one Tablespoon of detergent in your washer cup per load.



DIY Natural gives you the cost breakdown for their family.  They also mention that vinegar works as a rinse agent.  This is also working well for us, and the cost savings are huge for that one!
Labels:

Comments

  1. mommy2lijahAugust 9, 2011 at 8:00 AM

    I wonder if you could put that mix in ice cube trays and let it firm up to make detergent tabs like they sell in the supermarket? Neat project. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. ElizabethNovember 11, 2011 at 10:19 PM

    So two questions you didn't really speak to (I realize they might speak to these on the links you mentioned, but I kind of like to hear the feedback from the people I KNOW, too):

    1) do you find it is getting your dishes just as clean?

    2) what, if anything, is the smell? I already don't use traditional dishwasher detergents, partly because I can't tolerate the atrocious smell that they put out. However, the one I use (Melaleuca) does still have some amount of smell and if I could find something that didn't generate anything and would get my dishes as clean, it might be worth a try for me.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AlishaNovember 12, 2011 at 2:37 PM

    It worked okay. It seemed to work just as well as the cheap liquid detergent from Costco. I didn't make it again after I ran out of this one, so I bought some Seventh Generation powder detergent. It's getting things a lot more clean now. I haven't noticed a smell (good or bad).

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Styrofoam Tray Shrink Art

Making styrofoam shrink art was one of those fun childhood memories I have from being a kid.  My mom would clean off the meat or veggie trays from the grocery store, give it to us kids to draw on, then we would watch in awe as our creations shrunk before our very eyes in the oven. I really wanted to do the same thing with my kids so I (silly-me) tried to find a tutorial of the sort on the Internet.  I did this mostly because I didn't know the temperature the oven needed to be or how long it should be in there.  Maybe it's just me, but I couldn't find one!  The closest thing I found was this website , but there were no pictures or anything.  I decided to wing it - it couldn't be that hard, right? And, yes, this craft is super easy.  First, I gave the boys a clean tray and a bunch of markers for them to draw with. I had to convince them to color a lot  since they were only making small markings. We put their creations on an aluminum-covered baking sheet, and put
4 comments
Read more

Little Disciples

As I've been learning more about Charlotte Mason and her methods, I've been thinking especially about what she means by "Education is a Discipline."  As I was reading her thoughts on discipline from her Homeschooling series, I was particularly struck by the following quotation. Discipline is not Punishment ––What is discipline? Look at the word; there is no hint of punishment in it. A disciple is a follower, and discipline is the state of the follower; the learner, imitator. Mothers and fathers do not well to forget that their children are, by the very order of Nature, their disciples... How Disciples are Lured ––He who would draw disciples does not trust to force; but to these three things–– to the attraction of his doctrine, to the persuasion of his presentation, to the enthusiasm of his disciples ; so the parent has teachings of the perfect life which he knows how to present continually with winning force until the children are quickened with such zeal for virtue
7 comments
Read more

A Brand New House

Another major thing we did while my parents were here last week was a major room change in our house.  It feels like a brand new home!  We have a play room, the boys are now sharing a room, and Phil and I have moved into Button's old room (which was really the library/office/nursery/catch-all room).  I am so excited!!!   I finally feel settled into this home since there is finally a place (or at least a room) for everything.  The boys seem to really love sharing a room, and they are actually going to sleep better than they were when they were separate.  It's fantastic. By far, I'm most excited about our play room.  This room comes right off the kitchen, and it used to be our master bedroom.  Now, we have our books and toys in it which keeps our living room so. much. cleaner.  This room will eventually become our homeschool room with some minor improvements in a couple of years.  In the meantime, we are enjoying the extra space to play and just hang out.  There's still
3 comments
Read more