tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32933752.post8955817302935477599..comments2011-11-19T03:16:45.671+11:00Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05380570737780717931noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32933752.post-79286330379662722342011-11-19T03:16:45.671+11:002011-11-19T03:16:45.671+11:00I 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. <br /><br />Also if you are getting a residue you can fill the resevior with white vinegar instead of a store bought rinse aid. <br /><br />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.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32933752.post-19266564148117243382011-09-15T14:13:54.097+10:002011-09-15T14:13:54.097+10:00ground 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&#39;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? :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32933752.post-62879747748901502792011-05-17T01:00:04.175+10:002011-05-17T01:00:04.175+10:00One 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.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32933752.post-8621193258419553442011-05-17T00:50:59.140+10:002011-05-17T00:50:59.140+10:00I 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&#39;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. <br />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&#39;t dissolved citric acid go in to the rinse dispenser just as well as vinegar? <br />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&#39;t have to deal with clumps of rice in my septic system.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32933752.post-49701441524844008492011-02-08T10:29:48.402+11:002011-02-08T10:29:48.402+11:00Hello Miriam,<br />I&#39;m sorry, I&#39;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&#39;t be more specific...<br />JulieJuliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05380570737780717931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32933752.post-70792601971708945162011-02-05T22:02:27.930+11:002011-02-05T22:02:27.930+11:00Hi, I&#39;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.<br />Thanks!Miriamnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32933752.post-88250854914929662682011-01-29T17:58:07.077+11:002011-01-29T17:58:07.077+11:00If 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.Melissa Mastersnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32933752.post-80423042518671816252010-12-29T14:12:31.259+11:002010-12-29T14:12:31.259+11:00Citric acid causes the clumping once mixed with the bi-carb. If you don&#39;t want clumping add it separately each time or leave it out. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />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.<br /><br />Use i tbsp only of the mix in your dishwasher. Works greatAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32933752.post-47559654110038041432010-11-11T11:56:52.338+11:002010-11-11T11:56:52.338+11:00Im off to try the dishwashing powder now, Thanks.<br />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.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32933752.post-74437526341363717292010-06-20T08:31:55.425+10:002010-06-20T08:31:55.425+10:00I have so enjoyed reading through all the comments and suggestions!<br /><br />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&#39;s much cheaper than buying citric acid. DO NOT get any flavor by lemon, though...unless you like pink, purple, red, etc dishes. ;)<br /><br />I&#39;m having a difficult time with the clumping, too. :( Would love to find a solution to that!Rebecca Batey Fradinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10410108700961287983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32933752.post-72360631979089917912010-05-28T12:04:47.647+10:002010-05-28T12:04:47.647+10:00Hi Christie,<br />That would probably work really well, I must try that, thanks!<br /><br />Hi Cheryl,<br />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&#39;s why I now leave out the borax. Yes, I&#39;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&#39;t remember - which is essentially citric acid and is quite cheap, perhaps you have that locally? Sorry I can&#39;t be of more help...<br /><br />Cheers,<br />JulieJuliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05380570737780717931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32933752.post-69073721704700010492010-05-28T03:02:46.418+10:002010-05-28T03:02:46.418+10:00Hi from Canada,<br />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&#39;m so confused by all the different recipes for the dishwasher.<br />I&#39;ve only tried 1 so far (1 tbsp Borax, 1 tbsp washing soda) - my glasses came out cloudy.<br />Now I&#39;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&#39;m baffled.<br />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!<br />My dishwasher is full now so I&#39;m going to try the BAKING soda, salt, &amp; citric acid recipe as see how it goes.Cherylnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32933752.post-89306620960447825112010-05-25T16:30:10.648+10:002010-05-25T16:30:10.648+10:00I&#39;m wondering if popping some uncooked rice into your stored powder will help stop the clumping? I haven&#39;t tried this yet, but I will definitely let you know how it goes.Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09276070221178771348noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32933752.post-7005999547752505062010-05-19T19:03:50.733+10:002010-05-19T19:03:50.733+10:00Hi Chelle,<br />Yes, the liquid soap is for hand washing dishes in the sink. Unfortunately Babs didn&#39;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&#39;m not sure if I&#39;m game to try it for fear of destroying my dishwasher? I&#39;ve seen what regular liquid detergent can do, and it makes a huge mess... Otherwise I don&#39;t know of any other liquid recipes, I&#39;m sorry. I&#39;d be very interested to hear if the liquid soap and citric acid works for you?<br /><br />Cheers,<br />JulieJuliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05380570737780717931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32933752.post-47440798665499982382010-05-18T13:15:30.121+10:002010-05-18T13:15:30.121+10:00OK so I&#39;ve read your comments carefully. Dishwasher powder unfortunately doesn&#39;t work well in my OLD dishwasher. So I am looking for a homemade dishwasher liquid or gel. I&#39;m assuming the liquid recipe you have is for washing dishes in the sink.?<br /><br />I don&#39;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&#39;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?Chellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17181437552898833293noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32933752.post-29613238942570891542010-04-13T15:12:29.480+10:002010-04-13T15:12:29.480+10:00Hi Cynthia,<br />Awesome tip, thanks! The lavender shampoo sounds yummy too :-)<br /><br />Cheers,<br />JulieJuliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05380570737780717931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32933752.post-48690479534471185542010-04-12T09:07:26.708+10:002010-04-12T09:07:26.708+10:00Thanks 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&#39;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!cynthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13554603968588546258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32933752.post-68458153380291393032010-01-25T12:46:22.683+11:002010-01-25T12:46:22.683+11:00Hi anon,<br />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...<br /><br />Cheers, JulieJuliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05380570737780717931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32933752.post-31060146348274787162010-01-24T02:19:35.561+11:002010-01-24T02:19:35.561+11:00could you use lemon juice instead of citric acid as lemon is very acidic?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32933752.post-56419303785485030082009-07-18T23:32:50.518+10:002009-07-18T23:32:50.518+10:00Hi Julie. I am over in the UK and hope you don&#39;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.<br /><br />Namastekathhazelhttp://kathhazel.livejournal.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32933752.post-8639660748903697112009-02-04T19:56:00.000+11:002009-02-04T19:56:00.000+11:00I am so trying this!<BR/><BR/>Thanks.Susehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14837796439737091649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32933752.post-81998314372639894742009-02-04T14:28:00.000+11:002009-02-04T14:28:00.000+11:00So glad to have found your site....I have been searching forever for a dishwasher powder recipe...this is great. thanks :)Michelle Saleebahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17090802677373471562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32933752.post-72965483050048958562009-01-18T13:35:00.000+11:002009-01-18T13:35:00.000+11:00Just 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). <BR/><BR/>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. <BR/><BR/>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! <BR/><BR/>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....Babsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32933752.post-21014346433581016482009-01-16T03:24:00.000+11:002009-01-16T03:24:00.000+11:00For 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...What's in a name?http://www.blogger.com/profile/12135443835544306368noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32933752.post-81605775969519804932008-12-26T23:44:00.000+11:002008-12-26T23:44:00.000+11:00I 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. <BR/><BR/>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.Belovedgoddesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12189189331024564663noreply@blogger.com