Homemade Dishwashing Detergent

In August I decided I wanted to try to "green up" a few things around our house in an attempt to live a healthier lifestyle. One of the blogs I read regularly is all about it. She writes about using food and natural ingredients to replace your beauty and household product on her blog, Crunchy Betty. So, naturally I knew that would be the first place I went to find some recipes.I decided to start with her dishwashing detergent. If you want a scary (but happy ending) story debating the safety of homemade vs. store bought dishwasher detergent, you should check out her original post.I did actually modify her recipe just a bit because I could not find lemi-shine at the store and I remembered reading you could replace it with lemonade kool-aid. I have been using this formula for just over a month and I like it. I'm not in LOVE with it, but it gets the job done. The first time I used it I was blown away with how well it worked. Then as I continued to use it, my dishes seemed to get a bit cloudy. I recently added vinegar to the rinse aid dispenser and that's helping.

Homemade Dishwashing Detergent

Anyway, here's the recipe for the homemade dishwashing detergent.Ingredients:

  • 2 cups Borax
  • 2 cups Washing Soda
  • 1 cup Salt (Kosher or Sea Salt)
  • 10 packets Lemonade Kool-aid
Directions:

Combine all ingredients. Store in an airtight container. Use 1 tablespoon per load of dishes. (Pretty simple, huh?)DIY Dishwasher DetergentNote that I recommended to store this in an airtight container. I made the mistake of putting this in a plastic pitcher (with an opening in the lid) and it hardened overnight. I had to chip away at the detergent and finally broke it apart enough to transfer it to a tupperware type container. Save yourself some headache and seal it up from the beginning. You'll be so happy you did.When this batch runs out, I'd like to replace the Kool-aid with 3 Tbsp citric acid, and 30-50 drops of lemon or grapefruit essential oil as suggested on Crunchy Betty. It's just the next level of "greenness" I guess.What do you think? Would you ever make your own dishwashing detergent? How about now, since you know how easy it is?!? Let me know in the comments below.

DIY ideasDeanna YatesComment