It’s been a while since I made a new DIY post, so here’s my latest project: dishwasher detergent.
It’s so simple — much easier than my soap recipe or even the DIY deodorant.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 1 cup borax (natural disinfectant)
- 1 cup baking soda (natural disinfectant)
- 1/4 cup kosher salt (reduces effect of hard water)
- 2 packets lemonade-flavored Kool-Aid, unsweetened (Citric acid is the main ingredient in these powdered packets, and it removes hard water stains. You can also buy citric acid from a place that sells brewing ingredients, but I think Kool-Aid is much easier to come by.)
Simply mix these ingredients together and you’ve got homemade dishwasher detergent! Add 2 tablespoons to the detergent compartment just as you would with store-bought detergent.
I’ve only used this mixture twice on my own dishes, but the results have been the same as with the Seventh Generation detergent I was using previously so I’ll keep using it. I also plan to try adding 1/2 a cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle because I’ve heard that really makes your dishes come out sparkly clean.
Happy dish washing!
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Going to give it a shot! (I’m kinda scared of kool-aid now. Citric acid is the main ingredient??)
If you prefer a liquid detergent, you can boil soap nuts in water and then use the cooled liquid in the dishwasher. To get sparkly dishes you would want to include vinegar as a rinse aid.
This is yet another tidbit of knowledge I keep in the back of my mind in case the corny (citric acid) detergents try to kill me.
I was considering making some detergent with my giant bag of soapnuts! I’ll have to try that next time. Thanks, Jami!