Almost a year ago a coupon came out in the paper for $2.50/1 Electrosol Tabs (we recently just had another one of these). When this coupon first came out I STOCKED up!! We didn’t buy dishwashing detergent for a very LONG time.
But eventually, we ran out and I just couldn’t bring myself to pay even $2 for dishwashing detergent. I just couldn’t. Something about it just seemed wrong! It’s like actually paying money for toothpaste… I just CAN’T do it!
Anyway, I decided to look up online how to make homemade dishwasher detergent. And I was shocked at how easy it is! We even had all of the ingredients here at the house! So I’ve been using this recipe for the past couple of months and it has worked really well for us. The trick is being sure not to put too much in there because it will leave a white film on your dishes (ask me how I know!)
You will need:
A box of 20 Mule Team Borax
A box of Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
White Distilled Vinegar
Put 1 Tbsp. of Borax and 1 Tbsp. of Washing Soda in the detergent holder. Then fill up the rinse aid section with white vinegar.
And that’s it!! You might need more or less of the ingredients depending on your dishwasher, so just try it out with these measurements and adjust it from there.
What about you guys? Do you make your own dishwasher detergent? What’s your recipe?
WONDERFUL! WONDERFUL! WONDERFUL!
I just started making my own laundry detergent. I am definately going to try this!
I have used homemade dishwasher detergent for a long time. I have found (at least with my particular dishwasher/water supply), my dishes still come out a bit cloudy with that exact recipe. To fix that issue, I have found that if you add equal parts of borax, washing soda and electrasol powder form dishwasher soap, your dishes come out clear. I usually mix up a batch in a plastic storage container and add 1 tbsp to each load.
Thanks for the great suggestion! Hubby was just saying this morning we needed more dishwasher soap, so this will be great to try! If you do have the above mentioned ingredients, you can also make your own laundry soap! Have been doing this for a while, with very positive results (I just made more yesterday…should last us almost 6 months!)! And SO MUCH CHEAPER!!! Look at the Duggar Family’s website for the exact recipe and directions.
I’ve been making my own laundry soap using the same ingredients (+ Ivory soap) for over a year and love it; didn’t know I could use the same in the dishwasher! Thanks!
I love tips like this one, all ingredients being cheap and eco-friendly. Vinegar, borax and soda are such powerful cleaning agents. I wish more people would discover how useful they can be.
My recipe for automatic dish washer , dish cleaner
1 small box baking soda
1 16oz box salt
5 pkgs of lemonaide no sugar drink mix
buy cheapest you can find of all ingredients
mix well and use about 1 tablespoon per load
makes about 60 loads