I have been wanting to make my own laundry detergent for a while. I researched the ingredients needed and all the recipes included borax. I looked at our current detergent be Seventh Generation and it has borax in it so I assumed it was fine to use. I was going to order borax online when my husband asked me how safe it was to use. I checked its rating on the Skin Deep database and it is listed as a 5-6. It also says not to use on infant skin. So I did not order the borax and instead searched for recipes that did not include borax. I ordered the washing soda online because it was cheaper that way and I do not know where to get it locally.
I never got around to make the laundry detergent but we were out of dishwasher detergent so I found a recipe online. I had to look for a recipe without citric acid because I did not have any but I had lemon juice which I thought would do the same thing. I found a recipe for dishwasher detergent at http://bonzaiaphrodite.com. The only change that I made was to use Seventh Generation dishwasher soap instead of castile soap.
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
1/4 cup liquid dish soap
2 tablespoons pure lemon juice
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon washing soda
Combine all the ingredients in a non-reactive saucepan over medium heat. Mix until everything has dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool. Pour into glass container. Shake before using. Fill dishwasher compartment and pour white vinegar into rinse compartment.
I have used this twice now and it cleans as good as my Seventh Generation dishwasher detergent did and this is so much cheaper!
Hello just made my second batch of this, I am very pleased with it, my dishes are clean and streak free I even think the inside of my dishwasher is cleaner. So good to find a recipe that doesn't include borax. So easy to make and store, I don't think I will need to buy dishwasher liquid again or rinse agent, just using the distilled vinegar in the rinse aid reservoir. thank you
ReplyDeleteI'd be interested to know if this recipe still works for you. I've made the batch 3 times (although w/o the lemon juice; I just substituted more vinegar) and thought it worked at first. Now my dishes do not look clean at all. The washing soda is clumpy (it never does dissolve when I'm melting it down). I'm desperate to find something that will work!
DeleteI can't tell you how thrilled I am to find this! Thanks so much for posting! The only dishwasher detergent recipes that I have found have been powders, and I am rather concerned about etching. This sounds like a great option! And as luck would have it, I just squeezed the last bit of dishwasher gel that we had!
ReplyDeleteI'm making my first batch now, and I am so excited. I don't know if you have a Walmart near you, but they had the washing soda for $3.24. Also since you said Seventh Generation products had the borax we used castile soap..which I found the peppermint castile at Whole Foods for $10 bucks (32 ounces) they have the cheapest price I have ever seen on it. It's Dr Bronner's Brand and it is $16 or more everywhere else!
ReplyDeleteI made this with Dawn dish soap and tripled the recipe. We'll see how well it does when I wash dishes next. Thanks so much for the recipe!
ReplyDeleteI've heard Key Lime juice is great for cleaning and I can get it easily and cheep where I live. Does anyone know if I could use that instead of the Lemon Juice?
ReplyDeleteBorax is about as dangerous for your skin as table salt. You might want to research it a but more. I havf read lots of "negative" things about borax, none vof which are based in scientific findings.
ReplyDeleteThat's true, Borax is fine to use on your skin. But when washing plates and glasses, things that you will be putting in your mouth or food on, I'd be weary. Borax does caution on ingestion, so I'd rather be safe.
Deleteyes borax can have a bad affect on your internal organs especially your kidneys, liver and thyroid and also your intestines as well as your stomache it is an Iodine blocker it pushes iodine out where it is needed and replaces it self with iodine.
Deletealso we get plenty of a borax derivative in our bleached flour that is used in bread and sold in our stores as well as everytime you buy bleached flour as it is cut with it to make it more grainy and flowing. this is why so many people have huge health problems. I being one of them.
so if you look it up yes it used to be used by people for stomach aches and such but it is also used for bugs and roaches as well to kill them as well so if it kills bugs I would not want it in my body.
Hi! I just made my first batch of dishwasher soap using palmalive. It came out having an amonia smell to it. Is this normal?
ReplyDeleteIt should not smell like ammonia. Maybe an ingredient in the palmolive reacted with the rest of the ingredients.
DeleteThere is a film on all my dishes after using this. I am using vinegar with no luck in removing the film. Help please.
ReplyDeleteI made this using Dawn dish detergent. I will be finding a different recipe. I followed the recipe exactly, and ended up with suds on my kitchen floor. I was really hoping this would work.
ReplyDeleteTry using the non concentrated Dawn (Walmart has it), not Dawn ultra or cut the Ultra at least by half and add that much more water.
DeleteI've used ultra Dawn. But only 2 tbsp. And no sud problem and cleans very well
DeleteI just ran the dishwasher with this recipe and the dishes came out just fine! I have tried the homemade powder version with the citric acid and that was not good at all. The citric acid clumped up and the dishes were left with grease and powdery film. I used castile soap and I did add about 5 drops of dawn to the final concoction (for insurance) I will stick with this recipe for my dishes. So glad!
ReplyDeleteI have a question can you use plain old baking soda in place of the washing soda???
ReplyDeleteWashing soda has a different effect then baking soda, However you can make your own washing soda out of baking soda by baking it....I know sound weird I was skeptical about it did some research I cant say I understand the whole process of changing it but it does change. It is much cheaper to buy baking soda and isnt really that hard to bake, you just spread it on a cookie sheet put it in the oven at 350 for about 30 minutes, ovens may vary a bit, and when you take it out it is no longer shiny if you use a flashlight and you shine it on baking soda it sparkles washing soda does not as soon as it is no longer sparkly its done.
DeleteI just played around with this recipe a bit and managed to thicken it to a consistency similar to Cascade Gel. I decreased the water to 1 cup and increased the washing soda to 2 tbs. I used Dr. Bronner's Castile soap for my liquid and I added a tbs of grated bar soap. I cooked it until everything was dissolved and let it sit until cool, whisking about every 15 minutes to combine. I poured it into a clean container with a squeeze top using a funnel and it works great!
ReplyDeleteI'd be interested to know if this recipe still works for you. I've made the batch 3 times (although w/o the lemon juice; I just substituted more vinegar) and thought it worked at first. Now my dishes do not look clean at all. The washing soda is clumpy (it never does dissolve when I'm melting it down). I'm desperate to find something that will work!
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Don't mix Castile soap and vineger. You will come up with the opposite of clean. Research it. It just makes a gooey paste and has no cleanin abilities. Just an
ReplyDeleteFYI. :)
what's the difference between washing soda and baking soda?
ReplyDeleteYou can make your own washing soda. Just bake baking soda on a cookie sheet at 400-450 for about an hour. It's ready when it's not fluffy anymore. More like flat and grainy.
ReplyDeleteWashing soda is not the same as baking soda. They are two different compounds and are used for completely different purposes.
Washing soda, aka sodium carbonate (or soda ash), is a natural cleaner and a powerful water softener. It’s very basic with a pH of 11. The Environmental Working Group gives it an “A” on their scale, so it passes with flying colors, making it safe and non-toxic.
However, it’s very caustic and not edible. Make sure to wear gloves if you’ll be touching it with your hands, and try not to inhale the tiny particle dust that might fly up if you stir it too fast.
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