I use vinegar, borax, and washing soda to make a variety of household cleaners because my eyes would burn, I'd cough from inhaling the fumes, and my skin would itch and crack. So, the other day when I ran out of dish detergent, I thought, I make all my other cleaners, why not try to make dishwasher detergent? The only thing I was missing was citric acid...well, it was a little expensive and I had to order it because it's not something you can run to the store and pick up. So, I searched around to see if there was anything I could substitute it with until I could order some. Lemi Shine! The side of the bottle says you can clean your washer with a tablespoon full, so I did that before I made my detergent. There was a big improvement! Next, I loaded my dishwasher, added 1 Tablespoon of my new detergent, and hit start! I couldn't believe it...my glasses weren't cloudy anymore! Then I loaded every clear glass, vase, and jar in to get a wash! No more cloudy glasses, they all came out clear!
The recipe to make your own dishwasher detergent is...
1 cup washing soda
1/2 cup salt
3/4 cup Lemi Shine or Citric Acid
The vinegar is your rinse aid. Use this instead of Jet Dry...it's cheaper and don't worry, it won't smell!
***UPDATE***
The first batch I made, I stored in a glass jar...it became one big clump that was difficult to use. The next bag I mixed and stored in a Ziploc bag. No more clumping problems!
I have a friend who makes her own laundry detergent as well.
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