DIY All-Natural Dishwasher Detergent (Borax Free)

I made the plunge into an all-green DIY cleaners lifestyle. I may have jumped into this a little prematurely, because I just packed up all the old cleaning supplies in my house (ALL OF THEM), and put them in a giant box, and gave them away to a neighbor friend who would use them. (The above image doesn't show the laundry products, dish soaps/detergents, or hand soaps. In the end, it was a very heavy box full of cleaners.) I was so pleased with myself, and realized how much I not only cut down on chemical cleaners, but also on the overall clutter. I've reduced the space dedicated to keeping my cleaning supplies by half. Quitting traditional cleaners cold turkey has caused some initial inconvenience, because I haven't made all of my own green DIY products yet. If I need something, I kind of need to figure it out right away, and get a recipe together quickly so I can address whatever cleaning need I have. Luckily with DIY cleaners, a lot of them are made from the same ingredients, and as long as you have the basics on hand, you can get things together pretty quickly. 

A higher-priority cleaning product on my list was dishwasher detergent. I've been putting dishes off for a couple of days because we've been sick and I just hate doing dishes (and I had not made detergent yet). That's always the ONE THING in the house that really seems to get away from me. So, this weekend I had a lot of catch up to do. 

I didn't want to just throw things together, though. I researched a lot of different methods and recipes. Several DIY recipes called for Borax...but I also saw several that were anti-borax for possible health reasons. I found recipes for liquid gel detergents and powdered detergents. Ultimately, I decided to go the Borax-free powdered route because it seemed the simplest and was the healthiest and very effective. Since I'm experimenting and trying to find the right fit for me, I made a trial size based on some recipes I found on the internet. I got the original recipe from realfoodrn.com and thankyourbody.com (it was the same recipe on both sites), and just cut it down considerably. I didn't want to mix together stuff for 50 loads if I didn't like the outcome. If this recipe doesn't pan out, I'm going to try a slightly different recipe that I found on drkarenslee.com.

NOTE: I did manage to try this recipe with one load tonight. It seemed to clean everything pretty well. I really don't have any complaints. I've read that a lot of people will also put vinegar in as a rinse-agent in the second compartment. It's supposed to reduce spots and really make things sparkle. We lost the cap to that second compartment...so I haven't tried that. But my dishes came out clean, so I don't feel like I'm missing anything. 

DIY All-Natural Dishwasher Detergent (Borax Free)

RECIPE: 

Though this is a "trial size", it still makes enough for 15 loads of dishes! The only harder-to-find ingredient was the citric acid. I found it in the canning section of a Walmart Supercenter for under $3.  I had to go to two different Walmarts to find it because the first one was out of stock. You can also buy in bulk through amazon...but I've found that you don't need too much, and I didn't want to wait for it to ship to me.

Ingredients:

3/8 cup Citric Acid

3/8 Cup Washing Soda

1/8 cup Baking Soda

1/8 cup Sea Salt

Directions: 

Mix all ingredients and combine in a storage container (I used a disposable tupperware container). Use 1 Tablespoon per load. This Borax-free recipe will clump up a little in the container. I give mine a good shake before using it to loosen everything up. I've read that if you have really hard water, use a little more citric acid.