Homemade Dishwasher Detergent Ideas

There are a lot of varied ways of saving money and using homemade products is one of them. Dishes and utensils are important household items and cleaning them properly is a major task. With numerous options available among washing detergents homemade dishwasher detergents are now being preferred. Washing the dishes with a homemade detergent can save you a lot of money and is safer for the environment while being effective.

The Advantages of Homemade Products

As there are two sides to every coin, homemade products have advantages and disadvantages, both. However, these products value and benefits are far more than the drawbacks. The advantages are as follows:

• Environment-Friendly Products: Protecting the environment is a major concern today. Using homemade products can help you in making that little difference toward the betterment of the environment.
• Knowledge of The Ingredients of The Products: The products which are available in the market do not provide a description of their exact components. By using homemade products you get to know the ingredients which are being used.
• Effective Results: Sometimes the products which are available in the market do not provide the promised results. Using homemade products can give you effective results. This happens because these can be customized for specific use or purpose by changes in the ingredients.

The major components of many homemade dishwashing powders are the following:

• Washing soda
• Citric acid
• Salt
• Borax
• White vinegar (which can be used as a rinsing agent)

The method of using such a detergent is fairly simple. The quantity of the ingredients would be one part of each ingredient, mixed with a dry spatula. Here are some general instructions which can help you:

• Mix all the ingredients in equal quantities and keep them in an air-tight container.
• Use the amount according to the number of utensils.
• You can also add drops of the liquid dishwasher to the powder to add that extra boost to your washing process.
• Adding white vinegar for a rinsing effect in the dishwasher is also recommended.

The 3 popular types of homemade dishwashing detergents

Powered Detergent:

The ingredients of this detergent are the following:

• 1 cup of Borax
• 1 cup of washing soda
• Half a cup of kosher salt
• Half a cup of citric acid

Directions

Mix all the components and use only 1 tablespoon of this powder to wash the dishes. You can add white vinegar if you want to get rid of the smell and this also helps in cleaning the stains.

Lemon-Scented Detergent:

The components of this type of detergent are the following:

• 2 cups of borax
• 2 cups of washing powder or baking soda
• 4 tablespoons of lemon juice

Directions

Mix all the components and store it in an airtight container. Use only 2 spoons of this powder to wash the dishes.

Quick Dish Washing Detergent:

The ingredients of this type of detergent are the following:

• 1 spoon borax
• 1 spoon washing soda
• 2 spoons of water
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

Mix all the ingredients and directly put them in the dishwasher or to use. This type is mainly for those times when you don’t have any washing powder and you have just few dishes to wash.

Storing the homemade powders

It is very important that you store the homemade detergents in an air-tight container. This is to avoid the components to react with the air or moisture. We don’t want the mixture to become clumpy or sticky.

Next also make sure you don’t use a wet spoon in the powder during use. This could degrade the unused detergent by adding moisture to it.

Additionally, also make sure that you keep the detergent in an opaque jar. The sunlight can sometimes reduce the strength of the ingredients by degradation.

The effectiveness of homemade dishwashing powder

Some might think that making a detergent at home will not be good enough. But in recent times people have started using natural products mainly to avoid the harsh chemicals used in regular products.

Homemade Dishwasher Detergent Final Thoughts

Making products at home is very effective and is slowly gaining popularity. You can use this powder while washing dishes by hand and also in a dishwashing machine. The technique to use these detergents is the same as any normal washing powder.

It is not only skin-safe but also gives a good fragrance and can clean any kind of stain. The most important thing is that it makes you self-sufficient; you can be the judge of the components of this powder. Going natural has become a recent trend. Using such a product is a good, pocket-friendly, and healthy option.