Homemade Dishwasher Detergent Recipes

Below I've listed two homemade dishwasher detergent recipes which contain natural ingredients, including a heavier duty recipe, and one for harder water.

There are lots of reasons you might want to make your own homemade dishwashing detergent, including to save money and also to use more natural ingredients.

The good news is that you can make your own quickly and easily, without spending a lot of money or time.

The dishwasher soap recipes below are both powdered versions of dishwasher detergent.

Please note that some homemade recipes can leave a residue on your dishes.

If this is a problem for you, when you use these homemade versions of dishwasher detergent you may want to also add vinegar to the rinse, or use the citric acid recipe listed as the second recipe, because it does not leave as much of a residue as the first one can, especially in areas with hard water.

Natural Dishwasher Detergent Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 cups borax
• 2 cups washing soda

Directions:

Combine and thouroghly mix the ingredients in a 32 ounce (or larger) plastic container which contains a lid.

For each load of dishes for your dishwasher add 2 tablespoons of the mixture to the dishwasher's detergent dispenser.

You can substitute baking soda for washing soda, if you want. However, washing soda is more alkaline so it is a bit stronger.

Warning: Do not wash aluminum pots or teflon pans with this dishwasher detergent, because the alkalinity will pit the aluminum and remove the teflon coating.

Citric Acid Based Dishwasher Detergent

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup borax
• 1/4 cup baking soda
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon citric acid
• 5-7 drops essential oil (your choice of scent, but I suggest lemon essential oil) (optional)

Citric Acid {Referral Links}

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients together in a container with a lid, and then use 1 tablespoon of the mixture for each load of dishes in your dishwasher.

The citric acid will help cut the residue that some homemade powdered dishwasher detergents can leave behind, plus can help you removed hard water build up.

You will also need to pre-rinse your dishes well, since it does not remove dried on food as well as commercial products.

Homemade Dishwasher Rinse Aid: Vinegar

You can also make your own dishwasher rinse aid. Check out this article about how to use vinegar as automatic dishwasher rinse aid instead of purchasing a commercial product.

Do You Have Your Own Dishwasher Detergent Recipe To Share?

I have provided a couple of recipes here to make your own dishwasher detergent, but I know there are others out there.

I would love to hear what homemade dishwasher detergent recipe works best for you and your family.

You can share your homemade dishwasher soap recipe here.

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CAUTION: This website is provided for informational purposes only. It is provided as is, without warranties or guarantees. Some stains and messes just won't come out, and are permanent. Further, some cleaning methods can harm your item, so if what you want to clean or launder is sentimental or expensive call a professional. See disclaimer of liability for more information.