DIY Dishwasher Detergent (Powder)

“A penny saved is a penny earned” may not seem like much with today’s inflation, but, hey, it’s still money and it will eventually add up.  While we were out Monday, i found a quarter in one spot and a penny in another and you bet your sweet life i picked them up.  I could do several loads of laundry or dishes with twenty-six cents! ha

If you were game enough to try the “homemade” laundry detergent, here’s another one for ya’.  But i have to tell you, it’s exhausting putting it together.

Ninja and Persi

Yeah, right.

This “recipe” consists of four ingredients, so for those of you in the “Five Ingredients or Less” club, like my friend Bonny, it’s do-able.

We already had the Borax and the Arm and Hammer Washing Soda from having made the Laundry Soap (found these in the laundry aisle at Wally World); all we had to add to the mix was Kosher Salt and a product called Lemi Shine.  No problem.  Lemi Shine was in the cleaning products aisle and Kosher salt was next to the regular ol’ iodized salt by the seasonings.    Personally i was unfamiliar with Lemi Shine but this is what it does according to its manufacturer: Lemi Shine removes tough hard water buildup and film from dishes, glassware, and flatware while it cleans and deodorizes automatic dishwashers.  Wish i’d found that when we first moved here, before we had a water softener installed.  West Virginia has got the hardest water.  It’s murder on your glasses, your flatware, your appliances, your shower tile…your body too, i’m sure.

When i measured out the Lemi Shine, it came out to be about 1 1/2 cups, so i adjusted the recipe to fit that amount.

DIY Dishwasing Detergent

1 1/2 cups Borax

1 1/2 cups Arm & Hammer Washing Soda

1 1/2 cups Lemi Shine

3/4 cup Kosher Salt

Take a deep breath, flex your muscles and…mix all four ingredients together.  Now put into a container.  Use 1 tablespoon for normal loads and an extra half or two tablespoons for heavy loads.  It ends up somewhere around five cents a load compared to commercial products that average around 12 to 14 cents a load.

Also, skip the expensive Jet Dry.  Pour white vinegar into your rinse aid compartment.  Vinegar costs about 6 cents a fill versus Jet Dry’s roughly $4 a fill.  Convinced???

We made, we tried, it conquered!  AWESOME!  You wouldn’t believe how clean everything was, including the dishwasher!

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