My unfrugal present to myself was to have a cleaning lady come and clean my house. This is definitely a luxury item but I had gotten some money for my birthday. I look around the house now and I think it is money well spent. The whole house just glows.
It did however bring to mind the money that I spend every month on cleaning products. Dishwasher detergent always ends up being one of the more expensive cleaners. The others seem to last longer and I can find less expensive alternatives. The cheap dishwasher detergents just seem to end up a gelatinous clump in the dispenser so I decided to make my own. I finally settled on this recipe as it has few ingredients and they can be easily found at Walmart. Look for essential oil in the craft section or check out Michael’s in the candle section. I have put links to Washing Soda and borax just so you can see the boxes.
Homemade Dishwasher Detergent
1 Cup Washing Soda
1 Cup Borax
2-3 drops of essential oil
Add all ingredients to food processor bowl or blender and process until they are powder. Store in a cannister or coffee can which is airtight. Use 1-2 tablespoons per load depending on the hardness of your water. If you are getting spots or residue try using a little less. The first time I used it I put too much in and it did leave a residue. You can also substitute white vinegar for Rinse Aide.
I used an apple pie fragrance oil that I had used for making candles and when the dishwasher runs, the whole kitchen smells like apple pie. It is so much nicer than the acrid smell of commercial dishwasher powder.
Other Uses for Washing Soda and Borax
If you are wondering what to do with the rest of the borax and washing soda, here are some additional uses.
For the remainder of the washing soda you can also try The Simple Dollar’s recipe for Homemade Laundry detergent.
Carpet Cleaner/Pesticide
2 Cups Cornmeal
1 Cup Borax
2-3 drops of essential oil
Add all ingredients to food processor or blender and grind to a powder. Sprinkle on carpet and let sit for an hour or so before vacuuming. Store remainder in air tight container. The borax will kill fleas and other pests but it can also hurt your pets if they walk in it and lick their feet. Be sure to keep kids and pets off until it is vacuumed up.
Drain Cleaner
1/2 cup Washing Soda
2 Cups boiling Water
Put washing soda directly into the drain and pour in boiling water. Leave for 10-15 minutes and then flush with more hot water.
General Housecleaning
Floors:
2 Tb Washing Soda in a gallon of water. Wash as usual.
General Purpose Cleaning Spray
1 tsp Washing Soda per gallon of water. Add to spray bottle and clean away.
You can add a drop of essential oil to any of these recipes. It leaves a nice clean fresh scent and gets the job done. For additional homemade cleaning products, check out the article at Being Frugal.
Do you make any of your own cleaning products? How have they worked for you?
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Tags: frugal living
Neat ideas! I love your idea for putting eau de apple pie in the dishwasher detergent.
Recently a dishwasher repairman told me that you can use Tang to clean the dishwasher. He said you just put a bunch of it in–he was vague on the amount but I gathered he thought it should be quite a bit, maybe a half cup or more–and then run the washer on the regular cycle, with no dishes in it.
I’ve not tried this, as I put vinegar in mine washer with each cycle, & that does a pretty good job of keeping the machine clean.
[...] recipe for shrimp and quail baked in a pie. Oh My Aching Debts has a neat and simple idea for making your own dishwasher detergent, plus several other DIY household products. Be sure to visit the carnival for the many other great [...]
Don’t forget using Borax and Washing Soda to make your own laundry detergent. I’ll give your dishwashing detergent a try and hope it works. I’m never happy with the ones I buy! Thanks for posting it!
I no longer purchase any kind of cleaner, but make them all on my own. I just recently made my own laundry detergent, and I have learned about all of the wonderful cleaning properties of vinegar. The book that has taught me the most was Organic Housekeeping. The best thing I learned: Vinegar in a spray bottle is the best thing for keeping your fabrics fresh. Just spray a little bit on there, let it sit a minute, and wipe it up with a clean rag! Perfect!
I am on the hunt to make a version of dishwasher detergent that works for really hard water. This recipe made all of my dishes covered in a white chalky film and left little gritty marks all over. Hmm. I heard of another recipe that u use citric acid (lemon kool aid works if you are out)and salt in addition to Borax and washing soda. That seemed to help a little. And now I am trying a recipe that uses Calgon (NOT the take me away kind!!). So hope this works. I also want to say how amazing using washing soda cleaned the white grout in my kitchen. Who puts white grout in the kitchen anyway?! And one more thing
. Plain old vinegar sprayed in your shower will take off years of soap scrum. Just let it sit for as long as you have. The longer the better. I think I let it sit for almost a 1/2 hr. And I tried everything from Soft Soap to bleach to comet and Bar Keepers Friend. Plain vinegar–go figure. I also want to mention making your own laundry soap is swesome. And it won’t suds so don’t look for them. I used Fels Naptha and washing soda and of course Borax. With my hard water had to dissolve it in very hot water first before switching over to cold otherwise Fels Naptha wouldn’t dissolve completely. Kudos to all you going green!!!
I saw a video clip recently on some website (didn’t write it down because I was looking for something else at the time) that showed an old clip of Chris on “Home Matters” that Susan Powell used to host. Anyway, it showed a lady talking to Chris and she gave a recipe for homemade hand-dishwashing detergent, not for the machine. Does anybody have a recipe for homemade
dishwashing detergent for washing dishes by hand?
thanks!
maria
I have read a bunch of recipes that use washing powder to make dishwasher detergent, but when I was researching the product I read that it should not be consumed. Is it safe to use on our dishes? I’m concerned about my family ingesting trace amounts that might be left on their plates, cups, and utensils. Is there any research or information that might put my mind at ease before I attempt this.
Thanks.
Coreen, I believe that any soap/washing product would be dangerous if consumed. If you look at a bottle of dishwasher detergent I am sure that it would say that it was poisionous if taken by mouth. Even toothpaste has a warning on it not to swallow it as it is toxic. The chemical that is in washing soda is also used in swimming pools as a ph balancer.