Homemade Dishwasher Powder
There are many dishwasher detergent recipes. I don’t claim to have the best recipe, but I will share what works for me.
WON’T DISH SOAP WORK?
You don’t want a lot of suds in your dishwasher. Regular soap in a dishwasher would result in an overflow of suds onto your kitchen floor. The best dishwasher detergent will rinse completely clear after removing grease and bacteria from your dishes.
ARE ESSENTIAL OILS ESSENTIAL?
I choose not to use essential oils in my dishwasher detergent. Heat can diminish and even eliminate the scent of an essential oil. Because quality essential oils are not cheap, I choose to utilize them in other applications. Feel free to add essential oil if that is your preference.
DISHWASHER POWDER:
Mix together 2 cups Borax, 2 cups Baking Soda, ½ cup Salt and 1 cup Citric Acid.
This makes enough powder to just fit inside a quart sized zippered freezer bag. This bag, I place inside a larger freezer bag. The reason for the double-bagging is to keep moisture out of your powder. Otherwise, the Baking Soda and Citric Acid will draw up any humidity in the air and harden into clumps. I use a DRY kitchen spoon to place a couple of tablespoons of powder in my machine per load. Using this, I’ve never had to use any spot-free solutions for the rinse/drying cycle.
This versatile powder can also be used to hand wash dishes. A small amount of vinegar added to the basin’s rinse water will help rid greasy dishes of any residue.
TIP FOR SOAPY SPONGE:
Next to my kitchen sink, I keep a bar soap dish resting on top of a clean sponge. The soap dish has drain holes in the bottom. I place a sponge beneath these holes so that when the bar soap is used, it drains onto the sponge. If I need to spot clean a dish or a soiled surface, I simply moisten this sponge and use it.
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