It was such a good idea. I was going to make these and give some away and use them always as a way to save money on dishwasher detergent.
Yep. It was a great idea.
I’m not sure what I did wrong. I’m sure it had nothing to do with how I skimmed over the recipe and rushed to get it done before leaving for a trip. It probably wasn’t that I tried popping the tabs out of my ice cube tray before they were fully dried.
Now I have a solid rock of dish soap on a plate. Once I get it to ever dissolve off of there, that is going to be the cleanest plate ever. But let’s just say, Laura won’t be sharing this recipe yet with you because something went terribly wrong.
Do you make your own dishwasher detergent? I want to!!! But I don’t want to use Borax. I’d be happy with a recipe for any form of liquid, powder, or tabs. I just think it will be a nice way to save money and avoid toxins.
I know someone who uses a drop or two of seventh generation dish liquid and a 1/4 c white vinegar. I know you’re not supposed to use dish liquid but she has for years and says its works great.
I’ve been using this one for years. Very happy with it. http://myhealthygreenfamily.com/blog/wordpress/homemade-borax-free-dishwasher-detergent-with-secret-ingredient/
I use a tweaked version of her laundry soap too.
Fill your dishwasher cup with 1/3 baking soda, 2/3 table salt, two drops dish soap, and a drop or two of essential oil if you desire a smell!
I think it would help a lot if you used a silicon mold instead of a regular plastic ice cube tray.
I made my own for a while, but I find Seventh Generation on sale often and it’s much cheaper than making my own. My homemade versions always turned rock hard. Not worth my time!
I fill the detergent cup with baking soda and table salt, equal amounts of each. Works great for me!
1 cup washing soda
1 cup baking soda
1 cup kosher salt
3 packages unsweetened lemonade mix
Combine and use a tablespoon or so.
Notes: I’m all about wholesome pink salt, but wouldn’t waste it on this! Kosher salt is cheap. The lemonade mix is for the citric acid, so if you have that, you could sub it.
I find this works well for me, as long as our water softener is doing it’s job. If not, it will not work well, but that’s because our water is very hard. So if you have hard water, I wouldn’t bother with “natural” dishwashing soaps. : ) I use vinegar in the rinse aid compartment, as well.
I’ve tried about a million (or so it seems) recipes, but none of them seem to work well at my house (we have funky water). This one works for us. http://www.drkarenslee.com/homemade-dishwasher-detergent-without-borax-recipe/