Looking for a more natural, healthy solution to get your dishes clean? Here are a list of dishwasher detergent recipes from sites all over the web tested by home owners just like you. We researched the ones that had the best results and posted 3 here for you to try and see which one you like best. First make sure you dishwasher is operating correctly and if you have any issues, consider hiring a dishwasher repair company. Without further ado, here they are:
1. From Happy Money Saver
Karrie tested 20 different dishwasher detergent recipes until she could find one that didn’t leave her dishes cloudy or unclean. Here is the recipe:
You’ll need 5 ingredients:
- 1 Cup Washing Soda (cleaner)
- 1 Cup Baking Soda (cuts out grease)
- 3 packages unsweetened lemonade drink mix (added cleaning power, antibacterial and smells awesome)
- 1 Cup of Kosher Salt (reduces hard water build up – you might be able to reduce this amount if you have soft water)
- 1 Cup Water
Directions:
Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl with a spoon.Use a tablespoon per wash and wash as usual.
Total cost per load: $0.03
For more information view the original recipe at Karrie’s blog.
2. Natural Dishwasher Detergent From Wellness Mama
Homemade powdered dishwasher detergent with all natural, inexpensive ingredients.Author: Wellness MamaRecipe type: CleaningIngredients
- 2 parts borax
- 2 parts washing soda
- 1 part citric acid
- 1 part salt
- essential oils for scent (completely optional)
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients and store in an air tight container.
- Use 1 tablespoon per load as needed.
- For an extra boost, add a few drops of dishwashing liquid (only a few!!!) to the powder before closing the soap container in the dishwasher.
- You can also add white vinegar as the rinse agent, though honestly, I forget this most of the time and it still works.
Notes
1 Part= Any Measure you want.
In other words, if 1 part=1 cup, you would use 2 cups each of borax and washing soda and 1 cup each of citric acid and salt. If 1 part was ¼ cup, you’d use ½ cup of borax/washing soda and ¼ cup of citric acid/salt.
3. From HouseLogic
This post form houselogic goes through an actual testing process they used to find the best dishwasher detergent. Here was the winner:
1 cup borax
1 cup washing soda
½ cup kosher salt
5 packets unsweetened lemonade mixMix all ingredients and store in a tightly sealed jar. Use 1 tablespoon per load, or 2 tablespoons for extra-dirty dishes. Makes 42 loads.
Cost per load: $0.02
Overall I would definitely start with Number 1. It’s only a penny more and contains no borax.