Homemade Dishwasher Soap

I haven't made dishwasher soap in a while - I seem to remember NOT having good success, but may try one of these in the future.

From Towards Sustaintability

Homemade Dishwasher Powder and Dishwashing Liquid

I thought I would share two more home made kitchen recipes that I made yesterday...

Dishwasher Powder
1 cup Borax
1 cup bi-carbonate soda (baking soda NOT baking powder)
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup citric acid
30 drops citrus essential oil (I used lemon)

Mix thoroughly and store in an airtight plastic container. Use 1 tablespoon at a time.

I tried out the dishwasher powder this morning, and it cleaned everything really well - no greasy spots - and didn't leave a residue on anything. I worked out the cost as as approximately $4.61 per kilo. The environmentally-friendly EcoStore powder I was using costs $15.90 for a kilo, and you use the same amount per wash, so there's a big saving there! Plus I now use plain white vinegar as a rinse aid, instead of the commercial stuff, so I am saving lots of money now.

*Update 1* This powder tends to clump over time in storage. I get around this by giving the container (an old EcoStore powder bottle) a really good shake each time I use it, to break up the clumps, otherwise it will set hard over the course of a few weeks.

**Update 2** I no longer use Borax in the mixture, I just leave it out, and it works equally as well as it did before.

From Tipnut - visit the website for options and comments incorporated into the article from readers, especially if you're having trouble with cloudy residue.

Powder #1:

1 cup Washing Soda
1 cup Borax

Powder #2:

1 cup Baking Soda
1 cup Borax

For the above two mixes:

Blend thoroughly and store in a plastic container, use approximately 2 TBS per load.
Use vinegar in the rinse compartment as a rinse agent to help prevent residue.
Try adding 2-3 drops essential oil.

Powder #3:

1/4 cup Washing Soda
1 TBS Liquid Dish Soap

Use the above for each load you run.

Liquid:

1 part baking soda
1 part borax
1 part water
1 drop lemon or orange essential oil per cup of detergent
Mix the ingredients thoroughly and store in a sealable jug.
Use 2 to 3 TBS per load.

If you’re having a cloudy residue problem:

Try adding a few drops of liquid dishsoap to the powder compartment when you add the powder (just 2 or 3 drops will do).

You could also try cutting back on the amount used (ie. if you’re using 2 TBS, try cutting it back to 1 – 1 1/2 TBS).

Make sure to use vinegar in the rinse cycle.

For a liquid soap to handwash items in the sink, you can try the recipe found here at diylife.com.