Homemade dishwasher detergent that works?

[BlessedOne]

Ok as I stated in a different thread. I used to use the normal Palmolive but then they changed to some biodegradeable formula and it does not clean very well and leaves a nasty residue on some of the dishes. So once I finish the bottle (unless I can find the normal formula again), I am going to have to find a new detergent.....which is a somewhat annoying process. But I got to thinking that maybe there was a good homemade recipe that actually works. I know many of you do not use dishwashers....but that is one thing that I am not giving up yet ..lol. My hubby is not enviromentally minded like I am and I know he would not like the idea of me using a homemade deteregent (unless it REALLY worked). But since I do not let him do dishes most of the time anyway, then to me I should be able to pick the detergent.
I do not like pre-cleaning my dishes....so it will really have to work!

Any ideas?

[tuscanymom]

I just tried making my own with a recipe I found online with equal parts baking soda and borax. I've used it a couple time so far and everything is clean (I don't prerinse either) but the glasses are not crystal clear. There doesn't seems to be a film that I can wipe off or wash off but they just look cloudy. Overall, I 've found the natural detergents just don't make your dishes gleaming and shiny, but I'm okay with that. I'd rather have cloudy dishes than use chemicals. My husband has other thoughts. I'm also wondering if borax is okay to be putting on my dishes?

[lab80]

I have made a homemade dishwashing detergent that is working pretty well for us. It is only 1 cup of baking soda and 1/2 cup of salt. I originally made it with borax as well, but it left a film on a lot of the dishes so DH stopped using it. But he uses the new batch I made. Just use a tablespoon. You can also put vinegar into the rinse aid compartment. Or you can add (so I've read) 2 packets of lemon kool-aide to the mix for the citric acid. Or fresh lemon juice and make a paste out of it all. We have a little hanging thing that is lemon scented Jet Dry (DH wanted to try it because he didn't think the vinegar did anything). We aren't having any real problems with our new routine.

[BlessedOne]

thank you all for your ideas



Lab80....do you make the salt and baking soda into a paste or do you just pour it in dry and let it make a paste later with the water of the dishwasher?

I will have to try that........although I do not think that it would be overly cost effective......the baking soda box would not last long...therefore having to be replaced more often and therefore costing more than the few bucks for a big thing of normal detergent.
Maybe I am wrong though......
although I will say cost factor has not stopped me in many of my endeavors...lol

[sunnysandiegan]

Baking soda is incredibly cheap. Maybe you are buying the little boxes, though??? Stroll through a restaurant supplier store (Smart & Final, for example) or warehouse store (Costco, for example) and many other places to find the large 10-12 pound containers of it.

There is a thread around here somewhere I started this week on price comparisons of baking soda and white vinegar.

[lab80]

I don't make it into a paste...just add the dry mix into the closing section where the detergent goes. I originally thought "the more the merrier" for this, but less works much better. We buy the big 12lb bag of baking soda from Costco and it's like $6 or something and it lasts a while.

GL, I hope it works out for you.

[Rebecca]

I never had luck with homemade dishwasher detergents. I didn't like the spotty, filmy look on the glasses. It felt like they weren't clean.

Now I just buy the Ecover or Seventh Gen brands.... they're low or no phosphates, and I feel good about that.

[BlessedOne]

Originally Posted by sunnysandiegan

Baking soda is incredibly cheap. Maybe you are buying the little boxes, though??? Stroll through a restaurant supplier store (Smart & Final, for example) or warehouse store (Costco, for example) and many other places to find the large 10-12 pound containers of it.

There is a thread around here somewhere I started this week on price comparisons of baking soda and white vinegar.

thanks.....all of the places like that are in the next town an hour away.....so next time I am up there and remember, I will try to check into that.

[GirlOutOfNY]

My grocery store [Publix] carries a 4 lb. box of Arm and Hammer Baking soda in the baking aisle with the little boxes. Its about $2 I think. I also reuse a parmesan cheese shaker and put baking soda in that to sprinkle in sinks and toilets to clean them!

[Ruthla]

It really depends on your water and your dishwasher. I used to use plain borax in my dishwasher and it worked great. Then I moved, and in my "new" dishwasher, my dishes came out dirty and streaked with white powder. I switched to 7th generation dishwasher detergent and I haven't had a problem since.

You may need to experiment with different recipes, or different brands, to see what works best in your dishwasher.

[BlessedOne]

Originally Posted by GirlOutOfNY

My grocery store [Publix] carries a 4 lb. box of Arm and Hammer Baking soda in the baking aisle with the little boxes. Its about $2 I think. I also reuse a parmesan cheese shaker and put baking soda in that to sprinkle in sinks and toilets to clean them!

great idea!! I actually have a parmesan container in my recycle bin right now!!! Rock on!
we do not have a publix either....=(

[PhantasyMama]

My detergent has worked wonderfully for us.

I put this mixture into a sealed container.

1TBS for light load
2 TBS for heavy load

Full vinegar rinse after wash.

1 Cup Washing Soda
1 Cup Borax

Always use vinegar in a rinse cycle after each wash. This will rid of any residue, film AND it will help keep your dishwasher running smoother.

[traceface]

Originally Posted by sunnysandiegan

Baking soda is incredibly cheap. Maybe you are buying the little boxes, though??? Stroll through a restaurant supplier store (Smart & Final, for example) or warehouse store (Costco, for example) and many other places to find the large 10-12 pound containers of it.

There is a thread around here somewhere I started this week on price comparisons of baking soda and white vinegar.

you can buy like 25 lb boxes of baking soda for even less in an animal feed store (like for agricultural animals not pets) it has some use in goat care!?