A little while back I got really excited at the prospect of being able to make my own laundry detergent. It's DIY + money saving! What is not to love about the idea? Well I haven't been able to try it yet because we still have commercial detergent to use up that I don't want to waste.
Sooo when I noticed at the beginning of the week we were running low on Dishwasher detergent, lightbulbs! If people can make their own laundry soap there has to be recipes for dishwashers too!
Well not so much as the laundry recipes, it took a little more digging to find ones for dishwashers (not dish washing soap but ones for use in a dishwasher). Then almost all of the recipes were powdered... and it may just be me but with our city's hard water powder just does not seem to work well in the older dishwashers. I almost always buy liquid/gel detergents for that reason.
I finally found a few that were liquid versions and compared and contrasted and came up with my own variation.
Homemade LIQUID Dishwasher Detergent
You will need:
1 cup Distilled White Vinegar
3/4 cup Water
3/4 cup Dr. Bronner Sal Suds
2 1/2 tsp Lemon Juice
4-6 drops Grapefruit Oil
A sealable container (I used a mason jar cause I am currently obsessed with them)
Simply mix all ingredients together in your container. (Mixing quickly will cause it to suds up some, no big deal)
The mixture is VERY watery.
I use a half tablespoon in my pre-wash dispenser and then one full tablespoon in the regular detergent dispenser.
I also add white vinegar by itself as the rinse aid. I keep it in a condiment squirt bottle for ease of use.
So far I am loving it, my dishes look as clean as when I used Finish, Palmolive, or Cascade. Oh and cost per load? Roughly $0.07-$0.04 !
Sooo when I noticed at the beginning of the week we were running low on Dishwasher detergent, lightbulbs! If people can make their own laundry soap there has to be recipes for dishwashers too!
Well not so much as the laundry recipes, it took a little more digging to find ones for dishwashers (not dish washing soap but ones for use in a dishwasher). Then almost all of the recipes were powdered... and it may just be me but with our city's hard water powder just does not seem to work well in the older dishwashers. I almost always buy liquid/gel detergents for that reason.
I finally found a few that were liquid versions and compared and contrasted and came up with my own variation.
Homemade LIQUID Dishwasher Detergent
You will need:
1 cup Distilled White Vinegar
3/4 cup Water
3/4 cup Dr. Bronner Sal Suds
2 1/2 tsp Lemon Juice
4-6 drops Grapefruit Oil
A sealable container (I used a mason jar cause I am currently obsessed with them)
Simply mix all ingredients together in your container. (Mixing quickly will cause it to suds up some, no big deal)
The mixture is VERY watery.
I use a half tablespoon in my pre-wash dispenser and then one full tablespoon in the regular detergent dispenser.
I also add white vinegar by itself as the rinse aid. I keep it in a condiment squirt bottle for ease of use.
So far I am loving it, my dishes look as clean as when I used Finish, Palmolive, or Cascade. Oh and cost per load? Roughly $0.07-$0.04 !
