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.
Dishwashing Liquid
3 tbs lavender organic liquid castile soap
2 cups warm water
2 tsp vegetable glycerine
2 tbs white vinegar
10 drops lavender essential oil
Mix thoroughly in a jar, shaking well. Use 1 tablespoon at a time.
The diswashing liquid makes up a cloudy white liquid - not the nice clear coloured gel that I am used to using, but seems to do the job well enough. The cost of the liquid I worked out to be about $1.22 per 500ml - I'll have to see how long it lasts to be able to compare it to the supermarket concentrate? At a guess I'd be using at least twice as much as the concentrate (probably closer to three times as much), and the concentrate is about $2.58 for 500ml. That gives me a rough estimate of about 4 cents per wash for the homemade, versus about 3-5 cents for the concentrate, so about the same, which is interesting? The homemade detergent is more environmentally-friendly though - and the EcoStore dishwashing liquid I was using is $7.90 for 500ml!
39 comments:
Your powdered dishwasher detergent recipe is great! It leaves my dishes clean and shiny; there is no hard water residue, and no undefinable scum!
I was so impressed that I tried it to scrub my stainless steel sink-- beautiful!
Then I used it to clean my bathtub with it's orange hard water deposits. The deposits just sort of melted away...!
How in the world did you come up with this?
Hi Cindy,
Sorry, I haven't noticed your comment before now!
I can't take credit for the recipe, I found the recipe somewhere on the 'net and modified it slightly.
I'm so glad it has worked so well for you - I would never have thought of using it on the bathtub! I'm definitely going to give it a go though, thanks!
Would this be OK for a septic system that runs on worm-power? I hate the thought of the poor little things dealing with regular dishwashing detergent!
Hi Anonymous,
I am fairly certain that the borax in the dishwasher powder would be toxic to the worms unfortunately, but you could try it without the borax and see how you go? However, the dishwashing liquid would probably be OK - certainly no more difficult to deal with than regular soap. Good luck!
Cheers, Julie.
I tried the dishwasher powder but it left a white residue on my dishes? Do you know why that would have been?
Hi Anonymous,
How much powder did you use? It's very concentrated and you only need to use one tablespoon each time, DON'T fill up the dispenser as you would with conventional powder. If you need to, measure it out, as as one tablespoon isn't very much, and besides, if you use more than that you are just wasting it.
Hope this helps, let me know :-)
Cheers, Julie
2 questions
Where do you buy the citric acid?
Is the 30 drops citrus essential oil necessary to us or is it just for the fragrance. Can it be omitted without affecting the cleaning power?
Hi Anonymous,
You should be able to buy the citric acid at your local supermarket; it is in the baking aisle.
And yes, I have made the cleaning without the essential oil and it works just fine. You can also leave out the borax if you have concerns about using it.
Hope this helps,
Cheers, Julie
This recipe worked great at first but then a few weeks later the batch went solid and everything started coming out cloudy and not very clean. I suspect the EO drops to be the culprit in the mix so I'm making a second batch today without the essential oil, wish me luck!
Hi! I absolutely love your blog. I discovered it about a week ago and have been writing down the recipes. I just have a question: Have you ever used your dishwasher powder recipe to hand wash dishes? I hand wash and I am curious to try it...Also - have you ever ommited the citric acid? Just wondering if that would make a huge difference or not. Thanks a bunch!
-Katie
Hi Katie,
Yes, I do use the powder for hand washing, it's fabulous. Before my dishwasher broke down I started omitting the borax from the recipe and it worked just as well. Then when it broke down, I had a big batch to use up so I started using it for handwashing and it's fantastic for washing really greasy pots and pans! I think the citric acid is what helps dissolve the grease so I suspect it wouldn't be as useful without it.
Cheers, Julie
Thanks, Julie. I found citric acid in the bulk foods section at a grocery store. I can't wait to try this recipe. I've been using a recipe that has castille soap in it. But I wash my dishes in a sink full of cold water and it's like the castille soap doesn't properly dissolve in the cold water or something because it leaves these weird white beads of oil that stick to everything. Hmmm...Anyway thanks again!
I love the recipe for the dishwasher powder but I've had the same experience as Mumma bear and I didn't use the EO.
Any suggestions?
Is there something that would clump together after a while and cause cloudiness?
It's very unattractive on our glasses.
Hi aussiehen,
Sorry to take so long to get back to you. I suspect it is probably the bicarb soda that is clumping together as it gets moisture into it over time as the container is opened every day, if that makes sense. I actually ended up taking the borax out of the mix altogether and it still works really well, but it did clump a little as it got older. Again, I'm not sure what would be causing the cloudiness on the glasses either, other than using too much of the powder? You really do only need a small amount. Do you use white vinegar in the rinse aid compartment? That should help a lot. Otherwise, I'm sorry I couldn't help more. I wonder if some dishwashers heat the water to a lower temperature so that the mix doesn't dissolve as well, or they use less water than mine on the rinse cycle?
Cheers, Julie
I made this a few days ago and love it. Put a little too much lemon essence in, thinking it didn't have enough scent, it's gotten stronger each time I open it. I put mine into a ziplock bag and wrote on it how much to use. Tonight I wondered if it would hold it's shape if pushed into a mold. I now have a couple of dishwasher tablets in the bag to see how they hold up.
For the person who asked about using it in a septic system that works with worms, I think the borax, salt and lemon would be toxic to the worms. It's reccomended not to put anything citrus into worm farms because they don't like it.
For de-clumping dishwasher powder, I've started to keep those tiny little silica gel packets that you find in new handbags or luggage to keep out the damp. Perhaps one of these in the dishwasher powder container would help. Haven't tried it but intend to...
Just a quick note on the dishwasher recipe...I tried for years all combinations of borax and baking soda with various other green items, and finally found that for my dishes the perfect combination is 1/2 teaspoon of citric acid and 1 teaspoon natural liquid castile soap, any scent, like Dr. Bronner's or Dr. Woods. I keep the citric acid in a small plastic container with a plastic spoon (I know plastic isn't green but mine are recycled).
I found that borax and baking soda, used alone or in combination always left a cloudy residue on my glasses and in addition, etched my glassware and flatware.
I love the fact that I hand wash my dishes with the liquid castile soap, so I figured I should be able to use it in my dishwasher too. I worked out that for my water, and my dishwasher, a teaspoon was the perfect amount. I love the suds, the scent, and most of all, the squeaky clean dishes! And if you need a little extra disinfectant ocassionally, a drop of tea tree, rosemary, or another essential oil is beautiful. A note of caution tho - DO NOT use even the natural liquid dish DETERGENTS in your dishwasher! They do not work the same as natural castile liquid soaps and you could have a giant mess!
In a pound of citric acid, there are 192 half-teaspoons - .03 per load. There are 96 teaspoons in a pint of soap, hence .06 per load. So this works out to 9 cents a load. Not bad for a healthy alternative....
So glad to have found your site....I have been searching forever for a dishwasher powder recipe...this is great. thanks :)
I am so trying this!
Thanks.
Hi Julie. I am over in the UK and hope you don't mind that I have nicked your recipes and posted them on my own blog.I suggested a couple of modifications for known problems with essential oils (allergies/sensitivities), as I am a Hereditary Herbalist. I am also very involved in the environmental movement over here and wanted to share it with everyone I know.
Namaste
could you use lemon juice instead of citric acid as lemon is very acidic?
Hi anon,
Yes, citric acid is the acid in lemons, but you will find it goes mouldy quickly if you want to store it for any length of time...
Cheers, Julie
Thanks for the recipe...mine clumps up as well, but my husband dropped a couple of the kids marbles into the jar of powder which helps break it up when you shake it. I'm looking forward to trying the liquid! I use lavendar castile in our laundry soap, and mixed with chamomile tea as a great shampoo...good stuff!
Hi Cynthia,
Awesome tip, thanks! The lavender shampoo sounds yummy too :-)
Cheers,
Julie
OK so I've read your comments carefully. Dishwasher powder unfortunately doesn't work well in my OLD dishwasher. So I am looking for a homemade dishwasher liquid or gel. I'm assuming the liquid recipe you have is for washing dishes in the sink.?
I don't know if Babs left a return email address, but I gather from her post she uses 1 tsp castille soap in the dishwasher. Have you tried this? I'm anxious to see if it will work here. Or do you or any of your other readers have a recipe for a dishwasher liquid/gel?
Hi Chelle,
Yes, the liquid soap is for hand washing dishes in the sink. Unfortunately Babs didn't leave an email address, but I am also curious as to how the liquid castile soap works as I am now making my own, which would make it a cheap option for me. However I'm not sure if I'm game to try it for fear of destroying my dishwasher? I've seen what regular liquid detergent can do, and it makes a huge mess... Otherwise I don't know of any other liquid recipes, I'm sorry. I'd be very interested to hear if the liquid soap and citric acid works for you?
Cheers,
Julie
I'm wondering if popping some uncooked rice into your stored powder will help stop the clumping? I haven't tried this yet, but I will definitely let you know how it goes.
Hi from Canada,
I am just starting out in making my own laundry detergent and dishwasher detergent. So far the recipe I have for the laundry is working great, but I'm so confused by all the different recipes for the dishwasher.
I've only tried 1 so far (1 tbsp Borax, 1 tbsp washing soda) - my glasses came out cloudy.
Now I'm researching trying to find the best dishwasher recipe. Half of them say to use BAKING SODA, the other half say to use WASHING SODA. This is where I'm baffled.
Also, citric acid seems to be hard to find in my area. I found a small jar of it at our bulk store for just under $5.oo. YIKES!
My dishwasher is full now so I'm going to try the BAKING soda, salt, & citric acid recipe as see how it goes.
Hi Christie,
That would probably work really well, I must try that, thanks!
Hi Cheryl,
Although washing soda and baking soda are two different substances, they are both good for cleaning :-) Personally I would prefer to use baking soda on my dishes, as it is edible - and that's why I now leave out the borax. Yes, I've heard that citric acid can be expensive and hard to get in some areas, which kinda defeats the purpose somewhat of making your own. I believe that there is some kind of powdered orange drink mix in the US - Tang? I can't remember - which is essentially citric acid and is quite cheap, perhaps you have that locally? Sorry I can't be of more help...
Cheers,
Julie
I have so enjoyed reading through all the comments and suggestions!
You can get unsweetened lemonade or koolade mix instead of citric acid (just check that the first ingredient is citric acid). The dollar stores usually have it 10 for $1 so it's much cheaper than buying citric acid. DO NOT get any flavor by lemon, though...unless you like pink, purple, red, etc dishes. ;)
I'm having a difficult time with the clumping, too. :( Would love to find a solution to that!
Im off to try the dishwashing powder now, Thanks.
I noticed the clumping problem and just thought you may be able to use a piece of terracotta. Terracotta should absorb the moisture. You can put terracotta in with your brown sugar to stop it from clumping so it may work for the dishwashing powder also.
Citric acid causes the clumping once mixed with the bi-carb. If you don't want clumping add it separately each time or leave it out.
Washing Soda is more alkaline than baking soda so I use one cup washing soda, a quarter cup sea salt, and then vinegar in the rinse aid.
I have read that citric acid being acidic will cancel out the alkalinity of the soda. Makes sense to me so I leave it out. I leave out the Borax too because I do not have hard water. If you do have hard water add a cup to the mix.
Use i tbsp only of the mix in your dishwasher. Works great
If you like healthy chemical free shampoos (and I do), the Made from Earth Tea Tree Shampoo is a real treat. It contains real tea tree and peppermint oils that produce a tingly sensation when put to work. I have pretty short hair so a quarter-sized dollop is plenty. I rub it into my wet hair and soon feel the cleansing sensation of the peppermint oils. After just a few minutes I rinse it out and my hair feels very clean.
Hi, I'm just wondering how many washes you get from 1kg of your dishwasher powder. I am trying to compare cost with the current environmentally friendly product I use.
Thanks!
Hello Miriam,
I'm sorry, I've never actually gotten around to working it out! I do intend to do that the next time I need to buy ingredients for it, but I do know that it was considerably cheaper than the Ecostore powder I was using prior. Sorry I couldn't be more specific...
Julie
I have been using 7th Generation Automatic Dishwasher Gel for about 6 months. Periodically dumping a 1/2 cup of vinegar into the bottom of the dishwasher as I turned on the wash cycle. Lately the vinegar wasn't cutting it. My dishes were coming out cloudy and the debri was not washing off even when I added the vinegar. I recently learned that vinegar IS acidic acid and that stronger vinegars are a stronger percentage of acidic acid. I decided to experiment with acidic acid-- which I just happened to have sitting in my cupboard for another purpose. When I poured a tsp of powdered acidic acid into my regular gel cleanser the dishes came out a little less cloudy but then I mixed about a tablespoon of acidic acid with water. I stirred it to dissolve all the powder then added maybe a tablespoon of baking soda to the mixture, it instantly bubbled up fiercely. I stirred it then dumped the concoction into the bottom of my dishwasher. I added my regular washer gel.
The dishes came out sparkling and beautifully cleaner than they have EVER come out of the dishwasher. That is when I decided to search the net and see if anyone else was using citric acid in the dishwasher and I found this site. So my 2 cents worth is DO NOT leave out the citric acid and baking soda. And it seems to me that citric acid is cheaper (I find it in the bulk section at my coop store.)than buying vinegar which is mostly water. For me, dissolving the citric acid and activating it with the soda was key to getting amazing results. So maybe the people who are having problems with cloudiness need more citric acid because of their water hard/soft (mine is well water) and maybe chlorine (in varying amounts in all municipal water supplies), may effect results of the dish-washing recipe too. Also if vinegar can replace the rinse cycle gel then couldn't dissolved citric acid go in to the rinse dispenser just as well as vinegar?
P.S. I saw somewhere else that someone had a similar basic diswashing recipe listed and he added rice kernels to the recipe and that had worked for him to stop the clumping. My thought is to try grinding the rice first so I don't have to deal with clumps of rice in my septic system.
One more benefit when I dissolved the citric acid and baking soda and dumped that into my dish washer which looked clean but was dingy inside. After just one complete wash cycle the inside of my dishwasher is so clean that it looks brand new again.
ground rice should solve your problem with clumping and citric acid is available in bulk from your local home brew shop. I, too, have been researching homemade dishwasher powder and also have had problems with cloudiness, stains on the cutlery and food left on plates. its very confusing isn't it. we have a septic tank and i am very conscious of what goes into it. where do i buy liquid castile soap from? :)
I have used this recipe for a LONG time. I will only mix it up a little at a time because it does clump. If you only use 1/4 c Borax, 1/4 cup baking soda, 1/16 cup salt, 1/16 cup citric acid and omit the essential oil you should be able to use it up before it clumps.
Also if you are getting a residue you can fill the resevior with white vinegar instead of a store bought rinse aid.
Not all dishwashers need a full tablespoon of detergent at a time. You might have to play around with it a bit before you find how much or how little your dishwasher requires. I hope this helps.
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