Blog Description

The Penny Pinch follows my journey to save money here and there. There will be posts about using coupons and my shopping trips with them, DIY products and projects, and any other money saving tips I discover. There is nothing wrong with trying to pinch a few pennies!

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

DIY Dishwasher Detergent

After trying my own laundry soap and loving it I decided to try dishwasher soap.  Now this took a little more research as there were many opinions on it.  I do like the one I have and had to do a little trial and error with it but overall I am happy.  The results of this depends a lot on your water (hard or soft) and if your dishwasher is clean.

There are products out there that can clean your dishwasher, but there is a easier way.   Fill a glass measuring cup, or something similar, with about 1-2 cups of vinegar and place it in the bottom basket of the dishwasher.  Run your sink faucet for a few minutes to make sure HOT water is running through the pipes then turn on the dishwasher for the longest setting.  The vinegar will eat away the grime, mold, hard water, and clogged up sprayer jets.  Once completed sprinkle a cup or so of baking soda on the bottom of the washer and run again on just the rinse cycle.  This will freshen and shine the dishwasher.  I would suggest doing this every 1-2 months depending on how heavily you use your machine.

Now on to the recipe.  In this recipe you can replace the Lemon Kool-Aid with Citric Acid, which is a little harder to find but works as well.  You will need to look up a recipe with that if you choose to because the amount is different.  The first ingredient in Kool-Aid is Citric acid, so it works the same and much cheaper.  You will need to experiement with this, as some people suggested using Lemi-Shine product along with this to help the cleaning power, while other suggested placing 2-3 drops (no more or you will have bubbles all over your kitchen...yes I learned the hard way!) of dish soap on the inside of the door before closing it.  Lastly the best rinse aid is...vinegar.   Vinegar is amazing and I have many more posts about how awesome it cleans, not to mention is cheap.  Fill you rinse aid compartment and you will have spotless shiny dishes.

This comes out to around $0.04/Load!  Way cheaper than Cascade or Finish which can run upwards of $0.30+/load.

Dishwasher Detergent

1 Cup Borax
1 Cup Washing Soda
2 Packets of Lemon Kool-Aid (other store brands work too)
1/2 Cup Kosher Salt (Acts as a natural scrubber)

Simply mix all together and place in an airtight container.  Use 1-2 tablespoons per load by placing it in the normal soap compartment.


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