Update: The recipe shared below worked great for only about a week, and then I began to see a white cloudy residue on my glassware. I have since begun using another recipe for homemade dishwasher detergent that works very well and is non-toxic!
At our last grocery trip, I was completely oblivious to the fact that we were nearly out of dishwasher detergent. Upon discovering this, I was not wanting to load up 6 kids to go out just for this one item, but likewise feeling too lazy to wash all of our dishes by hand. So, I went online and found a recipe for a homemade version. It worked wonderfully! So well, in fact, that I plan to continue using it. The dishes came just as clean as ever, no residue at all, and without the chemical smell that I can’t stand. Here’s how to do it:
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In other words, mix equal amounts of Borax and Baking Soda. Use 2 tablespoons of mix in the dishwasher. That’s it!
Alternately, you could just put 1 tablespoon each of Borax and Baking Soda into the dishwasher. But I’m a “mix” kind of gal, and I like the simpicity of keeping just one container of detergent under my kitchen sink.
And yes, that actually is a 12 pound container of baking soda you’re looking at! We don’t do anything small around here. We cook for an army and clean for one too!
Did you know you can also add a packet (or two for an army) of lemon koolaide? You know the cheap 10cent ones? :L
We still haven’t done this yet, but we really need to. They just don’t sell Borax at Costco, so we haven’t picked up any yet [smile].
~Luke
Okay Michelle… I am so glad you posted this! But as soon as I started reading it… it reminded me that I forgot the dishwasher detergent this afternoon myself!! Although I don’t have to load up 6 kids to go get some… I may just try this instead. And can I ask Vicki a question? Are you adding the lemon koolaide to the above mixture? or are you JUST using the lemon koolaide?
Thanks for this post Michelle!
Adding it to above mixture.
I was just wondering if you know of anything that is not so toxic (borax is extremely toxic).
Monique, I actually changed my usage of this recipe due to a white cloudy residue developing on my glassware. Sprinkling vinegar in the bottom of my dishwasher prior to running it has been helpful with that, as well as using a small amount of Cascade with it. You can read more about it here: http://myblessedhome.wordpress.com/2009/05/19/dishwasher-soap-revisited/
I don’t know of any other recipe for dishwasher detergent. Most other cleaners will foam and can not be used in the dishwasher. I use Dr. Bronners soaps for almost every other cleaning job in my home, but the “sudsy” factor makes it unsuitable for the dishwasher.
I found some info about Borax and it’s toxicity here: http://www.greenfootsteps.com/borax-information.html It is definitely dangerous if consumed, but I feel comfortable using for cleaning purposes – probably more so than most cleaners sold on the store shelves.