In my Bloom guest post about DIY cleaning supplies, I included a recipe for homemade dishwasher detergent. It did a passable job, but a little tinkering with the recipe turned out something even better: dishes that are clean and sparkling too-- not a speck of filmy deposits in sight!
New and Improved DIY Dishwasher Detergent
1/2 c. baking soda
1/2 c. borax
1/4 c. Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap
Combine ingredients in a food processor (an electric handmixer might work too), until mixture is crumbly. Store in an airtight container. Use about 1 T. per load.
For best results, use in combination with white vinegar as a rinse aid. This is how I do it:
Add 1 T. "detergent" to prewash compartment, and fill the main wash compartment with white vinegar. Fill rinse aid compartment with white vinegar also. Now you're good to go!Note: I use Lavender-scented castile soap, and I've noticed that it doesn't smell so good when combined with vinegar (kind of like vomit). It's pretty faint and only noticeable for if you stand right in front of the dishwasher, but goes away as soon as the rinse cycle starts. The smell hasn't been a problem for me and my over-sensitive pregnant lady nose as long as I give the dishwasher a little space during wash cycle. Those of you with sensitive noses, consider yourselves warned. Try unscented castile soap or set your dishwasher to delay and run after you're in bed.
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3 comments:
I think I might try this because our dishes have suffered from filmy hard water deposits and the only thing I found that fixed it is a detergent made specifically for hard water. As amazing as the results have been it cost 4 dollars for a tiny bottle of it. I just wish you would have posted this yesterday before I bought 4 new bottles of it. :)
Awesome Steph! I can't wait to try this. This might be a dumb question but where do you buy castile soap?
Thanks for the warning about the smell.
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