Ingredients in Homemade Dishwasher Detergent
Rachelle Mathia
Your environmentally friendly dishwasher detergent is going to have four main ingredients.
- Washing Soda—This stuff has been around forever. It is a natural substance, made from salt and limestone. Scientifically it is known as sodium carbonate. It cuts grease on anything and can be used for many (if not most) of the cleaning projects in your home. Arm and Hammer puts it out in the United States. If you can't find it at your grocers you can find it on Amazon and other places online.
- Borax—Borax occurs naturally in the environment and can be mined as well as created in a lab. It is toxic in concentrated amounts, and you should keep it out of the reach of children. You can find it by the laundry detergent; Borateem is one brand.
- Kosher Salt—Kosher salt is a pure salt. I use it for cooking because the food tastes cleaner. It it what my recipe calls for, I am not sure why.
- Citric acid—You can buy food grade citric acid like Fruit Fresh or just use unsweetened lemonade packets.
Recipe for Homemade Dishwasher Detergent
- 1 cup Washing soda
- 1 cup Borax
- ½ cup salt
- ½ cup citric acid
Mix together and store tightly covered in a Mason Jar. Use one tablespoon per load. Add vinegar to the rinse dispenser for the best results.