Oct 8, 2010
Homemade dishwasher detergent: Wanna try it?
I came across a post this week that explains how to make your own dishwasher detergent. It’s a pretty simple mixture.
I might try this for a couple reasons:
- I hate buying dishwasher detergent.
- I don’t get out much anymore, so this might last longer.
I have my hesitations for a couple reasons:
- I don’t want to put money and time into making it if it’s not going to work well.
- I’ve never used powdered dishwasher detergent (always liquid).
So, what do you think? I figure Friday’s a good day to post something like this, since you might be out on errands this weekend and decide to pick up the materials, and it’ll be fresh in your mind. So, I ask you:
- Have any of you ever tried this? or something similar?
- Have you had good results with this kind of concoction?
- Do you plan to give it a try?
I’m thinking about doing it. If I do, I’ll try to remember to let you know how I like it! The one trick she talks about that I definitely intend to try is using white vinegar for a rinse agent instead of the chemical one.
Happy weekend, all! It’s supposed to be a fantastically gorgeous weekend here in Minneapolis. I hope it’s lovely where you are as well.
I’ve used homemade dishwasher detergent and laundry detergent, both with great success. I used basically the same recipe as you posted for the dishwasher, and did not notice any difference in how clear our dishes looked compared to the expensive comercial stuff! The only “complaint” is that the mixture tends to clump, easily solved by shaking the container! If you end up liking homemade dishwasher soap, I totally recommend laudry detergent too…I posted about it on my blog too if you are interested: http://thriftylivingde.blogspot.com/2009/09/homemade-laundry-detergent.html
I will try it because they’re the same ingredients I’m using now to clean my bathrooms and kitchen. There are specific recipes for counters, shower/bathtubs, mirrors, sinks, floors, toilet but the basic ingredients are white vinegar, baking soda, borax. It works and costs a lot less!
I give both homemade dishwasher and laundry detergent two thumbs up! So cheap, so easy, so functional, and so much better for the environment. It’s a win-win-win-win!
Thanks, Molly! I’m totally gonna try this…and nope, have never tried before.
I have tried this making my own dishwasher detergent and it leaves a film on my dishes even with the vinegar rinse. However, we are renters and our dishwasher is pretty cheap…that might make a difference. Good luck!
Also, I LOVE homemade laundry detergent. :-)
I have been using borax+baking soda+vinegar rinse for quite some time now. At first I grumbled about the filmy, cloudiness but after reading more recipes, notes and comments online, I have fixed that problem! I was using WAY too much. Now I barely even put Tablespoon in! It works great! The other thing I have been doing since the beginning is stop the machine when it gets to the dry cycle. I prefer that the dishes air dry. Also, if there is any crud stuck on, which there rarely is anymore, I have a chance to wipe it while the dish is still wet and hot, not dry and crusty. Good luck!
I came across the same website and am looking to try it as well. I actually have all the ingredients (except the citric acid) on hand because I make my own laundry soap using the borax and washing soda.
My dad fixes major appliances for a living and just sent me an email about how to get the cleanest dishes because since everywhere is switching to “environmentally friendly” dishwashing soap, it’s not doing well cleaning dishes anymore because it removed the phosphates from the soap. I hope you don’t mind me adding a link to his letter on my blog. I was going to post it in the comments but it’s pretty long…
Here’s a link to what he says: http://pmcamp.blogspot.com/2010/10/want-cleaner-dishes.html
If I had borax, I’d have all the ingredients already!
I am totally trying this! I also hate buying dishwasher detergent. I have to confess though, I’ve only used powder…never liquid!
I’ll also note that even if you buy the ingredients & you don’t like the soap, they are all ingredients you can use for other purposes!
I use a 50/50 mix of baking soda and borax with vinegar in the rinse thingy. I, too, had a slight film on dishes for awhile, but was willing to put up with it since it’s SOOOOOO much cheaper. And then, I had a light-bulb moment, as DramaMama said, I was using too much! I had been using 2 T. and when I switched to 1 T., no more film!
I also make my own laundry soap, and really like it, too.
My husband is a dairy farmer, we have 8 children, use cloth diapers and homeschool–my point? LOTS of dishes and LOTS of laundry. I am so happy to be able to make my own detergents; much less $$ and fewer trips to town to the store!
I’ve tried making my own and I hated it. Maybe it has to do with my water. I’ve actually tried it twice and tweaked it the second time hoping for better results. Every single plastic dish had the film on it and the dishes weren’t as clean as I want them. I will say I never added the citric acid, so maybe that is what makes the difference.
I do, however, make my own cleaning supplies and laundry detergent and I love it. If you click on my blog and search the tag for recipes you’ll see the laundry detergent posted somewhat recently. It works beautifully and saves our family a ton of money over commercial detergents.
OoO! I will try this! We make our own laundry detergent (I used a recipe found here: http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/04/09/making-your-own-laundry-detergent-a-detailed-visual-guide/) and loooove it. I’ve been looking for something like this because I hate buying the stuff. Thanks so much!
I’ve been using an mix of equal parts baking powder and Borax for almost a year now and we like it a lot. I don’t remember where I originally got the recipe and you are supposed to use white vinegar as a rinsing agent, but we don’t do that because we don’t have a separate rinse compartment. I think if we could use the vinegar, our glasses would look a lot better.
We tried this recently (along with baking soda shampoo, another shampoo mix of Castile soap and herbal tea, and the oil-cleansing method–all if which I love for all kinds if reasons) but found the cloudy film unbearable. However, I skipped the citric acid, and I think my husband was using too much detergent: he was skeptical, and our coffee cups were coming out stained. So I’m going to get citric acid and try again. Looking forward to making my own laundry detergent with the same ingredients when our current stuff runs out too.
Yep! I used the recipe of 1 T. of Borax and 1 T. of Washing Soda. Conveniently the same ingredients as in the homemade laundry soap as others have mentioned. I did use vinegar in the rinse aid dispenser.
I blogged about the dishwasher detergent here: http://astirringlife.blogspot.com/2008/07/simple-solution.Html
I do use my own dishwasher detergent and I agree with the others that it does take a bit of trial and error to get the right amount so that the dishes don’t come out filmy. I use about 2 teaspoons of a borax/baking soda mix and vinegar in the rinse thingy. Turns out great! I will say the only thing that was happening when I was using too much detergent was that I started getting scratches (more like etching) on my glasses and I think it was because I was using too much. Tipnut has a few different recipes and helpful comments on their site. Laundry detergent is even more cheap to make than buying….washing soda, borax and ivory soap. Booyah!
I use this recipe and like it (we have soft water via water softener) and agree with the above comments. Another thing I want to mention is that I think a lot of homemade cleaners have an adjustment period. I use homemade cleaner everything, from shampoo (baking soda and ACV rinse), to laundry detergent, dishwater detergent, cleaners. When I first started, it took me a while to sensorily (is that a word) get used to the lack of scent, lack of bubbles, lack of chemical feel, etc. In general, the homemade version is more concentrated, so you also have to adjust to using less.
The other plus with homemade stuff is that if you dont like it, you are not out much money, and all those ingredients have multiple uses.
Great pictures of the twins!
Where do you get Borax?
You can find it at most any grocery store…even WalMart. It is typically in the laundry isle….near the bleach. Hope that helps!
Hi Molly! What fun….I checked out your blog today….and found this link back to my site and my dishwasher detergent recipe!! :) How random!!
I hope it works for you…..we have used it for quite a while and love it!
I have had a lot of ladies tell me that the washing soda works better for them than the baking soda. And, it is cheaper to use the lemonade kool aid (Wal Mart brand) rather than the fresh fruit citric acid….if you are really wanting to cut costs!!!
I’ve never left a comment on your blog, just had to today:)
As a side note, your father in law came and ate dinner at my parents house when I was about 14. He and your Mother in law were in the process of their adoption. He spoke freely about adoption, and it must have left a pretty big impression on me. My husband and I have 3 kids, ages 2,5 and 7 and are in the process of adopting a “harder to place” child. (Hate that term:) That’s why I ended up with my blog…I make and sell dresses to fund our adoption. And the dishwashing detergent…yet another attempt to save money to put towards our adoption fund!
Never thought that one day long ago, when John Piper sat at our table, I would one day connect with his daughter in law via dishwashing detergent!!
:) Have a blessed day!!!
Molly, Yes! I use this recipe (used washing soda, but want to try baking soda next time around) and it works! I had issues with white film but found out I was using too much and I had skipped the vinegar rinse part. Sparkling dishes for pennies a load-I love it!!
I have used both the homemade dishwashing detergent (powder) and the homemade laundry detergent (liquid) for a couple of years. I also use vinegar in the rinse part. I have no complaints on any of it and save tons of money. My clothes are just as clean, if not cleaner, with the homemade stuff. I use the laundry detergent recipe from the Duggar Family’s website. I costs a couple of dollars to make a batch but one batch lasts for a really long time. We make it in a big container and then put it in smaller laundry soap containers I have saved so it’s easy to use.
I used it for a little while (mostly because all my other household cleaners are homemade so I figured why not this too?) But it didn’t clean my dishes well at all (and I was rinsing them, so it wasn’t like I was expecting it to get huge, dried chunks or something) and it had a film. HOWEVER, I do think that a lot of this has to do with my current dishwasher. Nothing but liquid seems to be working well right now, and not even the liquid is working that great either. So once I replace the dishwasher I will try again.