Back in May, I posted a dishwasher detergent recipe that I tried after completely running out of Cascade. Initially, the recipe worked very well, so I decided to continue using it. Unfortunately, the great results only lasted for about a week. After that, a slight white coating began to develop on my dishes, so I discontinued using it. The idea of making my own dishwasher soap didn’t end there, though. Recognizing the potential cost savings, I kept the idea in the back of my mind. Additionally, having become aware of the toxicity of Borax, and disliking the use of bleach that is so commonly used in commercial detergents, I wondered if I might be able to find a recipe with non-toxic ingredients. I found what I was looking for at Passionate Homemaking.
The recipe worked beautifully. I considered sharing it here on the blog right away, but decided to wait a while to see if the beautiful results continued, or if it would prove to disappoint as the other recipe had. I am happy to report that after about two weeks of usage, my dishes are still coming out sparkly. I love the fact that there is no chemical, bleachy odor emitting from the dishwasher or my dishes… just the smell of totally clean dishes. I can safely share the recipe without any reservations. :-)
Homemade Dishwasher Detergent
- 1 cup Dr. Bronner’s Sal Suds
- 1 cup water
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 6 drops tea tree oil
- 1 1/2 cup white vinegar
Combine all ingredients. Use 1 Tablespoon of mixture per load.
A few notes:
- An old mason jar (pickle jars, jam jars, etc.) is an excellent place to keep the detergent.
- Store a measuring tablespoon right in the jar with the mixture.
- Use a Sharpie marker to write the recipe directly on the jar, so that it will be handy when you need to make it again.
- As given on Passionate Homemaking, the recipe would use only 1 cup of vinegar. I changed the amount because I found that the water in my home required a lower ratio of Sal Suds and a higher need for a rinsing agent. The extra vinegar worked much better for me. Experiment with the amounts of Sal Suds, water and vinegar to find the ratio that works best with the hardness of your water.
- While I love all of Dr. Bronner’s castille soaps and use them for most of my household cleaning and personal care, Sal Suds is really the key product here. His other castille soaps will not do the job sufficiently.
- Remember, it is a natural product and not as abrasive as bleach and other chemicals that go into store-bought detergents. A good rinse of the dishes, and maybe even a little scrub, is essential prior to loading the machine. It is a small amount of work which I feel is worth the cost savings and the peace of mind to know that I’m not exposing my family to toxic chemicals.
- Lindsay at Passionate Homemaking estimates the cost of detergent to be 5-6 cents per load. I haven’t done the math myself, but I trust her!
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This formula sounds great. I’ve made it but not used it yet because I have a question. The mixture is less viscous than commercial dishwasher liquids. My dishwasher has two cups for dishwasher detergent – one open and one with a lid that releases sometime during the wash cycle. With store bought dry and liquid detergent the instructions are to fill both cups. I’ve always done it thus with no problem. My question is whether I should put a half tablespoon of this recipe in each cup or one tablespoon in either the open cup or lidded cup or whether it matters.
Hi Rick, my dishwasher only has one cup for detergent, so I really don’t know. It probably doesn’t matter, but I would test a load each way and seeing which one gives you better results.
After a few months of use, I still love this formula. However, I do still use a commercial detergent once every week or two. I think any kind of dishwasher soap will eventually begin to leave a slight buildup over time, and washing an occasional load with something else seems to prevent this.
Love your site on natural stuff and Christian child rearing. Love all the resources.
I’ve read that a lot of people use only the Sals Suds (and water) for dishwashing. I wonder if you’ve tried that. I’ll have to experiment a bit for myself. :) Also, I know that some people use it as a laundry detergent. Have you ever tried it for that? I know you already have one you use and like (and maybe it’s cheaper) so it might not be worth the time to try something else.
Just curious. I’m just starting out with trying to make my own products … or possibly buying low cost quality products. I’m a bit behind as I’m now expecting baby number 6 (I feel like I should have done all this way before now). :)
Just curious if you are still using this dishwashing detergent? How did it hold up long-term?
I still use it intermittently, and it still works great!
Just wondering about Borax? you mentioned its toxic, do you still use it in your laundry detergent? I was going to start with your laundry rec. then move on to dishwasher. do you still recomend Borax for the laundry soap? thanks!
Hi Leann, I do use Borax in the laundry detergent, and we’re still loving it. :-)
I use Sal Suds for handwashed dishes, laundry and have used it make up as a spray for hard surfaces, which performs excellently for all those purposes. I recently went back to using 50/50 (half water, half vinegar) for hard surfaces though, as it’s just as effective and way cheaper. For laundry, since we have soft water, I only have to use 1 tbsp of Sal Suds per large load. And I also use 1/2c baking soda for boosted cleaning power and amazing freshness. And I put 1c white vinegar in the fabric softener dispenser instead of actual fabric softener. The white vinegar helps to rinse out the Sal Suds more fully and also helps to soften the laundry. Then I have 6 organic wool dryer balls in the dryer to add extra softness. Two of the balls have lanolin in them to help guard against static. Sal Suds can also be used straight for pre-treating. I keep large old parmesan containers full of baking soda around to use as an abrasive for cleaning. We use Dr. Bronner’s liquid castile soap as hand soap (fill a soap foamer pump about an 1inch w soap, fill the rest w water). Dr. Bronner’s castile soap bars for hair, face and body. I use full strength white vinegar as a disinfectant, which is more effective and way safer than bleach. I think that about covers our safe, no bad chemicals transformation. And I may have to try your recipe for the dishwasher and have to pass that recipe onto Lisa Bronner. She has a blog you should check out. I have learned SO much!! Oh, check out her Youtube videos on how to clean windows! I just started doing that! Spray White vinegar, use a black rubber squeegee (wipe it off with a microfiber cloth purchased cheaped in the automotive section), then spray with club soda and do the same thing. Brilliant!! Oh, and to clean toilets, shake baking soda in all around and then spray with straight white vinegar, let sit, scrub and flush. I hope this helps! Cleaning the house and fam in a safe green way is so inexpensive and EASY!! You can do it! Yes, you can! (No, we don’t watch Bob the Builder, but it’s a good saying.)
Thanks for sharing your tips, Alisha. :-)
I just thought I would also mention, that using the closeable cup on the dishwasher is all that is necessary. The outside cup is just to try to get you to use up your detergent faster, so companies make more money. It’s right up there with the whole “wash, rinse, repeat” ploy on shampoo bottles (if you actually use shampoo).
You might want to try swaping out the borax for baking soda for a while, to see if it works for you just as well. It’s excellent for making fresh clean laundry without it being toxic. (: I am much happier since I made the switch and there is no way it can irritate my children’s skin or cause any harm at all. Two of my children are prone to eczema.