SL forums have done it again! Today I found a thread about making powdered soap for the dishwasher. I tried it out immediately with sparkling results!
The Recipe:
Borax
Baking Soda
Vinegar
In a wide mouth container, mix equal parts Borax and Baking Soda and blend well. Use a scoop to measure into your machine when you are about to wash a load, and pour 1/3-1/2 cup white vinegar into the bottom of the machine as a rinse aid. You may also (in addition) fill the rinse aid compartment with vinegar. Run your machine as usual.
What could be easier? Oh, and cheaper? I already keep a bulk size bag of Baking Soda (got it at Sam’s Club) on hand because I use it to clean about everything in my house. And of course I always have Borax for making my laundry detergent. So it was a no brainer for me to whip up this stuff.
I haven’t figured out what the total cost savings would be compared to using other dish detergents, but I can tell you that every time I buy dishwasher soap, I cringe at the price….not to mention the chemicals. And the main thing is effectiveness of course…..it works….so how can you go wrong? For a family of five, soon the be six, we do a lot of laundry and a lot of dishwashing. It is not unusual for me to run my dishwasher up to 3 times per day! So to be able to have a savings of approximately 85% or greater on the soaps and household cleaners is really worthwhile!
Now if I only had a dishwasher….
Happy Mother’s Day!
are you still using it? I found after the first couple weeks it stopped being effective and all my glasses were very cloudy.
I decided then and there to totally get rid of the d/w. We’ve been washing by hand ever since– more than a year.