I ran across this article last week about making your own dishwasher detergent. We were almost out of dishwasher tabs so I thought I would give it a try. Not only is it eco-friendly but it’s super cost effective. The article estimates 50 loads cost 50 cents! Considering I pay probably around 8 dollars for 50 loads I was sold.
I found all of the ingredients at my grocery store. The only citric acid I could find at the store was the Fruit Fresh bottle in the canning aisle. That may have raised my cost per load. But I did a little research online and found that you can buy a 5 pound bottle on Amazon for $26.
I mixed up my first batch tonight. My dishes were just as clean as they were with the dishwasher tabs. It is suggested that you add vinegar to your rinse spout for best results. I gave the new detergent a try without the vinegar for the first run. My glasses were a little spotty so I’m guessing the vinegar would take care of that. When I run out of this batch I’m going to buy some citric acid online and continue to make my own. Two thumbs up to my new eco-friendly dishwashing method!
yay! I'm glad to hear it worked well… I may need to give this a shot once my current supply runs out. I'm always skeptical of powders, I wonder if I could mix it with a little water of vinegar when I put it in the load so that it for sure empties…. hmmm I'll have to experiment.
Great, once we get a dishwasher we'll have to try it!! Way to be eco friendly and save money!
great idea on the detergent! I may have to try that as well. I have heard that vinegar can corrode very quickly, so you may want to use that sparingly.
Thanks for the tip, Carmel. I probably won't use the vinegar too often. The spots don't really bother me.