Eco-Friendly Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

July 15, 2020


Washing dishes by hand? Who has time for that? I know I sure don't with trying to keep 4 kids alive, a husband, a kitty, potty training a toddler, blogging. I struggle with the basics of home life like meal planning, let alone washing dishes by hand. So anyways, my dishwasher was acting up so I called the maintenance man to come look at it. Luckily it wasn't a hard fix, but he did give me some wonderful advice about proper appliance maintenance that I want to share with you.



The worst soap you can use in your dishwasher is any type of gel detergent. It gums up the water drain pipes and all the other elements in the dishwasher. He also advises that you fill each soap container only half way but do fill them both. All this time I have only filled the main compartment and never the pre-wash compartment. He also mentioned the best brand to use to keep your dishwasher running at it's best. While I am not affiliated with this brand I personally only use Cascade powder in my dishwasher if I am not using my own eco-friendly homemade dishwasher detergent. I asked the maintenance man about store brand detergents and he told me that soap is one of those items you get what you pay for and it was better to spend the extra money on the good soap. You do not have to use as much either!!

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I took the opportunity to quiz the heck out of this man while he was inside my house...for free!!! I asked about washing machines and the best soap to use and how much, all that jazz. He declared with much conviction that TIDE powder was the best out there!! I said well I cannot afford that is there anything else I could use....he said well, ALL is ok. But after talking to him I rather believe he knows his stuff.

He said that you do not have to use as much as the box says to use, and you MUST wash your clothes in warm water!! All this advertising on cold water soaps is fraud. He said especially if you use fabric softener you must use warm water for the softener to work. If you use cold the softener does not break down and you are essentially just flushing most of it back down the drain!! GOOD TO KNOW!! Any brand is ok to use on this. 

Ok, so I make my own laundry soap and told him what I use and he was like yeah that great!! So....now I will share what I use!! Plus using your own homemade products help reduce your exposure to toxic chemicals in your home making your home much healthier to live in.

Eco-Friendly Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

Here is a simple homemade detergent that is cheap but highly effective in cleaning the worst stuck on food dishes just like traditional store brands. Trust me, I have two lazy teenagers who don't like to rinse off their dishes!

1 box Borax
1 box Washing Soda
1 box Baking Soda

Use only enough to fill each compartment halfway and be sure to use a rinse aid. I use plain white vinegar as a rinse aid and it works fabulous! 

What eco-friendly dishwasher detergents do you use and are they effective?

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7 comments

  1. Thanks for the tips and the great recipe for Laundry Powder (I will have to find the time to do it asap).

    :) Kylie from Random Drawers
    http://randomdrawers.blogspot.com.au/

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous7:42 AM

    Great article. Thank you to tell us more useful information. I am looking forward to reading more of your articles in the future.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous9:48 AM

    yes this is the best soap I have ever used!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous10:35 PM

    If you're interested in having a guest blog poster please let me know. I will provide you with unique content for your webstie, thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thank you so much for sharing this useful article with us for for preventing home appliances to get repair.Till now i was taking the services of Appliance Repair Los Angeles. But i will give it try to your method now.

    ReplyDelete
  6. This is interesting tips to know about maintaining a dishwasher. I use gel tablets all the time. Now, I will definitely have to consider using this recipe.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Nice blog you have here, thanks for sharing this

    ReplyDelete

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