Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

So here is another thing I have figured out to make for super cheap and it works so well! Here's what all you will need.

1 cup Borax
1 cup Washing Soda
1/2 cup Kosher Salt
1/2 cup Lemi Shine

 

You will find the Borax and Washing soda in the Laundry section of the store and the Lemi Shine near the Dishwasher Detergent.

First I measure out the Washing Soda and the Borax and sift it so I can get all the clumps out.
My Lemi Shine and Kosher salt are too thick to go through my sifter so I just add them in last. Stir the whole thing together.




The Lemi Shine has a tendency to make this mixture rock hard or clumpy so I added some rice - I put mine in a coffee filter since I was fresh out of cheesecloth, tied it with some kitchen twine and threw it in the bottom of the jar I was using.



Pour the detergent into whatever container you are using. 1 Tablespoons per load of dishes. I doubled the batch this time - and this will last me many months (and I usually run the dishwasher everyday). You can also use vinegar in Rinse compartment instead of Jet Dry.


When doubling the batch this still only cost me around $5 to make and I still have Borax and Washing Soda left over for another batch of Laundry Detergent!

4 comments:

  1. I have been struggling with getting a recipe to work right. So today I am heading for Lemi shine.
    I have minute rice, is that ok to use? Thanks!

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    1. This recipe is so frustrating for me! I love it because it works so well! But it clumps so bad! Mine ended up getting hard in the glass container so I ended up just dumping it in a large Ziploc baggie. The first few days I take the bag and shake it around to keep it clump free. Let me know how yours turns out!

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  2. I followed your suggestion with the rice and moved it to the cleaning closet hoping to keep it dry. Nope :) I will put it in a zip loc and shake it like you suggest. I have used it 5 loads now. I don't have the cloudy film that I was getting. ( I think because of the lemi-shine )
    But sometimes the dishes still don't look very clean. So, I am still playing. Not sure if I should put some in the pre-wash cup or put a couple drops of liquid. If you have any suggestions at all.....I'm listening. Thanks so much for your time to answer my questions.

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  3. Thanks for the zip lock tip. I've been making my own dishwasher soap since spring and saved a ton of money and chemical exposure. My dishes were cloudy at first, so I started using about half the amount and adding a splash of vinegar to each wash. Perfectly shiny dishes now. And clean dishwasher too. :-)

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