The Ingredients For Homemade Dishwasher Detergent Are Already Hiding In Your Kitchen

If you've never looked into making your own dishwasher detergent, you might be surprised to learn that the same familiar ingredients show up again and again: washing soda, salt, citric acid, and borax. These building blocks are pretty inexpensive, easy to find, and likely already sitting in your laundry room or cleaning cupboard. So, we could all just be making our own dish detergent, right?

To understand how a homemade detergent actually works, we need to first learn what each ingredient does. Firstly, washing soda, also known as sodium carbonate, does most of the heavy lifting by breaking down grease and food residue. The addition of salt helps prevent mineral buildup by softening hard water. The citric acid also works to break down mineral deposits left by water. Finally, borax boosts the stain and grime removal process. Put all these ingredients together, and they'll mimic what commercial detergents do but without any of the excess fragrances, dyes, or trips to the store.

If your dishwasher isn't cleaning properly, whether glasses are coming out cloudy or plates still feel greasy, know that homemade detergent is not a miracle fix for everything. Some dishwasher issues are caused by other issues, such as clogged filters. Still, you shouldn't knock this DIY project until you try it. You may find that a homemade detergent performs just as well, if not better than, store-bought pods.

Once you've combined washing soda, citric acid, salt, and borax in a dry container, you only need to use 1 to 2 tablespoons in your dishwasher per load, so you can either mix a large batch in advance or combine small amounts as needed. With this detergent, moisture is the enemy, mostly due to the citric acid, which can clump together if exposed to humidity. Keep your homemade detergent in an airtight container to ensure it stays fresh. 

With homemade solutions such as this, there are also safety considerations worth mentioning. For example, washing soda and borax can irritate your skin and eyes if touched without gloves. Always keep the finished product in a place where children and pets cannot access it. Additionally, borax can be harmful if swallowed so be sure to ensure that your dishes have been properly rinsed and there isn't any DIY detergent residue remaining before using your dishes. 

If you've ever used a lemon to keep dishes and dishwasher fresh to mimic the effect of the citric acid, a citric acid powder-based cleaner will work better. The powder delivers a consistent concentration of citric acid without the addition of sugars or solid organic matter. Lemon juice and vinegar both have strong cleaning powers, but not quite enough to be swapped out for the ingredients used in your daily dishwasher cycles. For those who enjoy DIY projects and being in control of what ingredients they use at home, a homemade dishwasher detergent can be a useful alternative that is worth trying. Just remember to pay attention to storage and safety concerns.