Shanspirations

Dishwasher Detergent has seemed expensive to me compared to many other household cleaning products.  One day I wondered if I could use less expensive household cleaners such as Borax to make my own.  Borax is versatile and I use it for many things already, so I thought it might work for dish-washing cleaner, too.  A quick google search revealed that, yes! you could use Borax to make dish-washing soap.  I read bunches of sites and the basic recipe and tips I settled on boiled down to this:

1.) Add 1 part Borax to 1 part washing soda (which is different than baking soda),

2.) Then add a little bit of store-bought dish-washing powder (I added about a quarter cup of Seventh Generation Free and Clear Automatic Dishwashing Detergent).  (This step is optional).

3.) Use this “homemade” mixture in your dishwasher’s pre-rinse spot.  In the place you’d normally put detergent, fill with plain vinegar.

(The vinegar is necessary for the product to rinse fully with no residue.)

I’ve been using this method for about 8 months and I’m so pleased with how much I’ve saved in purchasing dishwasher detergent.  I still have the same box of Seventh Generation that I had when I started and it’s still more than half full.  Borax and washing soda are significantly cheaper per pound than commercial dishwasher detergent.  And I just feel better about mixing up my own every now and then and no longer whipping through commercial products.

Felt so good about it today as I started a dishwasher load that I decided to post on it.  For the past year I’ve had a dishwasher again after living a year before that in a place without one.  That year I had learned it really wasn’t that bad sans dishwasher and that washing dishes by hand is perfectly do-able.  But this past year when I got to have one again?  I learned I really do like having a dishwasher (very much) after all!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 19th, 2009 at 4:29 pm and is filed under Housekeeping. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.