DIY Dishwasher Detergent

So I have been making my own dishwasher detergent for about six months now.  And I love it!  It works better than any store bought cleaner I've ever used.  It gets my dishes clean, does not leave water spots and I believe that its cheaper than using store bought detergent (but I haven't done the math).

So I got my inspiration from a pin I found on Pinterest.  You can look at the original here.  My recipe varies slightly and I make a smaller portion at a time because I didn't want to buy a new container to put it in to.

So here are my ingredients:

• 2 cups of Borax
• 2 cups Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
• 3 packets lemonade drink mix (for citric acid)
• 1 bottle of LemiShine

I've heard from other blogs that a problem that many people have had is after everything is mixed together it tends to harden and then is difficult to use.  With my first batch I had the same problem.  The way I solved it was by mixing the borax and washing soda together in my food processor.  Ever since I started doing that I haven't has an issue with hardening.


So, go ahead and add borax and washing soda to food processor.  It takes less than a minute for it all to combine.

Pour it into the container you are using.  I use the last container that I had for store bought dishwasher detergent.  It came with a lid and seals.  It works perfect for me.

Add lemonade drink mix. 

Add LemiShine.

Mix together.  I know it's weird that I use a fork to do this.  It's what I use, use whatever you want, just mix it together.

And that's it, you're done.  To scoop I use an old tablespoon sized measuring spoon.  It's one tablespoon per load.  Sometimes I will put a little mix into the prewash as well.  It makes enough for around 64 loads.  Which if you do a load a day it will last over two months.  Sounds like a good deal to me!