Recipe Review: 4-ingredient Home made Dishwasher Detergent

I couple of posts ago, I shared a recipe for green, all-natural DIY dishwasher powdered detergent. The recipe I shared was for "trial size" and the amount I made was good for for about 15 loads of dishes. 

Today I'm revisiting this recipe. I've used it for two months now, and wanted to share my critique of this home made detergent recipe. To recap, here's the very simple recipe. It's made with things you can find at many local grocery stores. 

RECIPE (trial size, 15 washes) 

3/8 cup Citric Acid 

3/8 Cup Washing Soda 

1/8 cup Baking Soda 

1/8 cup Sea Salt

RECIPE (regular size, 60 washes) 

1 1/2 cup Citric Acid 

1 1/2 cup Washing Soda 

1/2 cup Baking Soda 

1/2 cup Sea Salt

Product Review:

Q: WOULD I RECOMMEND THIS PRODUCT TO A FRIEND?

A: YES! I have loved using this. It is simple to make, inexpensive, effective, and all-natural.

Q: WHAT IS THE APPROXIMATE PRICE OF THIS PRODUCT? 

A: After buying the initial ingredients, the cost per load is only pennies. 

Breakdown of item costs: 

• 2 lb box baking soda - $2.00 (Walmart)
• 7.5 oz jar Citric Acid - Approx. $4.00 (Walmart)
• 3 lb box washing soda - $3.97 (Walmart)
• 26 oz Morton Natural Sea Salt (fine) - $2.00 (Walmart)

Each load only calls for 1 Tablespoon of detergent mixture. So, for the grand total of about $12, you have enough materials to create a LOT of detergent that will last you quite a while. The citric acid was most expensive item, but you can buy in bulk from Amazon or other local stores (such as a canning supply store) and your cost per dishwasher load would go down even more. 

Q: WHAT DID YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT THIS PRODUCT?

A: There are a couple reasons I will continue to use this detergent recipe: 

It's all-natural with no toxic chemicals:

I've been using liquid and powdered detergent for a long time with brands like Finish, Palmolive, Cascade, etc. I've preferred liquid over powdered detergents, because I always felt like the powdered ones left more of a residue that liquid ones. Whether powder or liquid, though, there always seems to be a little residue from the detergent.) Another important fact is, all these items are filled with harsh chemicals. There are warnings on the boxes that caution the user to keep away from children, and to not ingest. As of late, I've wondered why we put this stuff through the machine that "cleans" the items we eat off of. A part these products end up being ingested by us. So why am I even using this? These items are toxic, and I'm putting them on my forks and knives. Yikes. I like that my 4-ingredient recipe is so simple, and made with things that are natural and safe for consumption. 

It's super effective:

I feel like my dishwasher has been wanting to die for a while. Since we have lived in this house (for 2 years now) there have been 7 or 8 instances where the dishwasher lines get clogged, and water won't run through the washer. There will be old water left in the bottom of the dishwasher that won't drain, and fresh water won't be flushed in to the system to actually wash anything. The washer and kitchen end up smelling like mildew and rotting food, and it's so gross. In order to get it to work, I would have to dump hot water in the basin of the dishwasher manually (maybe 3-4gallons) and then set the washer to "drain" so it would flush the lines. About 70% of the time after than it would work again, but sometimes I would have to flush everything a couple times.
My dishwasher had been acting up like this a couple weeks before I decided to switch to this all-natural powdered detergent. I was nervous that this detergent would clog it up too, so I was cautious. I must tell you, though, since using it, I have had ZERO issues! I think this mixture has even helped to rid the lines of any buildup. After two months of using the all natural home made detergent, the water lines function great in my washer now, and the stainless steel liner on the inside has never looked cleaner. I guess I didn't realize how easily the lines can get clogged by the residue of the store-bought detergents. But if each load I do now is literally a cleanse for my dishwasher, just think about how that cuts down on maintenance and extends the life of that appliance. 

As for actual dish cleaning, my clear glassware comes out without spots. Pots, pans, and metal items look shinier that they have in the past. With plates, cups, bowls, sippy cups, etc., they call come out clean as well. I realize that a lot of what comes out of your dishwasher depends on the age of your dishwasher, how you load it, and if you presoak or leave crusty food on the dishes, but dish detergent definitely plays a major part. (Here's a good article on How to Load and Run a Dishwasher for Efficiency and Ultimate Cleanliness if you're needing pointers.) 

I feel like these 4 basic ingredients in this recipe pack a punch and are much more effective that the traditional store-bought brands. 

It's cheap and very easy to make:

So, the cost per load of this detergent is super inexpensive. And the great thing is, if you're transitioning over to your own home made green cleaning products, you will use all these ingredients for other recipes, or you might even already have them on hand. 

To make this, you just measure each item, dump it in a jar or air-tight container, shake it until it's mixed well, and then it's ready to go. It's even an easy and safe project that I can have my kids help me make. We had a lot of fun making laundry detergent together. This is another cleaning item that they can help me make. It's part science lesson, part household responsibility lesson, and part family fun/quality time. 

Q: WAS THERE ANYTHING THAT SURPRISED YOU ABOUT THIS PRODUCT?

A: I was REALLY surprised that it fixed the issues I've been having with my dishwasher, and that it cleaned the interior of my dishwasher so well. 

I was surprised out how little I need to use to get my dishes clean. 

I was surprised that even though I had a prejudice against powdered detergents, this has cleaned better than any liquid detergent product I've used. 

Conclusion: 

I am really pleased with this recipe, and I hope my friends and family will give it a try. It affirms my opinion that you don't need to spend a ton of money to get safe and effective home cleaning products. We have officially gone 100% green with all our cleaning supplies in the house. There are still some cleaning solutions that I'm experimenting with (like window/glass cleaner, all-purpose cleaners), but I won't be changing or trying a different dishwasher detergent recipe any time soon.