Homemade cleaners can be a frugal way of keeping your home sanitized, but when you add essential oils to your cleaners, you get a hygienic, safe alternative to chemicals while getting a beautiful aroma.
My kitchen is the cleanest room in our home. That might not be saying much since the rest of the house is an absolute disaster, but I feel that since the kitchen is in the center of our home (and lives) and the source of our meals, it should be kept clean. (Just ignore the dishes piled in the sink from time to time.)
Homemade Dishwashing Detergent
- 1 box borax
- 1 box washing soda, not baking soda
- 1 container (approximately 2 cups) Lemi Shine or Citric Acid
- 3 cups kosher salt
- 3-5 drops Lemon Essential Oil
- Distilled Vinegar
Combine borax, washing soda, Lemi Shine, salt, and Lemon Essential Oil in a container. Use 1 tablespoon of the mixture per load in the dishwasher, adding it to the specified compartment according to the dishwasher manufacturer’s instructions.
This is essential for eliminating a residue on your dishes, especially plastics…
Fill the rinse agent dispenser with distilled vinegar or pour vinegar directly into the bottom of your dishwasher before operating.
UPDATE: After using this recipe for homemade dishwashing detergent for several months, I noticed a build-up on our plastic containers. We eventually switched to Finish Dishwashing Detergent.
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Where do you find the citric acid or Lemi Shine? I am very interested in getting started in making my own laundry detergent and dish washing detergent, etc. We seem to be allergic to almost all the purchased detergents because all we do is scratch and itch when we use them. Might as well try making the other stuff too.
Thanks for all your “leg” work on this stuff.
I was able to find the citric acid with the canning supplies at Walmart. The LemiShine was with the dishwasher detergents also at Walmart. LemiShine sometimes offers coupons on their website so check that before you go because it was a little more expensive than I anticipated but was still cheaper than buying the pre-made stuff. Also, I have not looked at Amazon for citric acid in bulk but that might be a cheaper option too. Hope this works well for you. Just don’t forget the vinegar! 😉
Have you ever had a problem with film on your glasses or plastic items in the dishwasher after using your detergent recipe. I have tried other recipes before and it left residue on my glasses and plastic items.
On the plastic, YES. The vinegar as a rinse aid is a MUST to keep that film away.