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Monday, December 22, 2008

Make it Yourself to Save Money - Dishwasher Detergent


Sorry for the week absence. I have had two of the kids home with a stomach flu (I will spare you the details). Plus with all the last minute preparations for Christmas, it has been a little crazy around here.


But what I now want to share with you is how to save money by making things yourself...for less.


#1 Dishwasher Detergent


This is the easiest one, which is why I started here. My 9 year old son is now in charge of making our dishwasher detergent when we run out.


What you need:

box of borax (laundry soap isle)

big box of baking soda (Wal-mart laundry isle)

container of table salt

Rubbermaid 32oz or larger drinking bottle

funnel


Here is all you have to do to make it:

Pour 1 1/2 cup Borax into bottle using the funnel,

add 1 1/2 cup baking soda,

add 1 cup of salt.

Cap the bottle and shake well.


That's it. I just fill the regular wash and the extra clean wash bins on the dishwasher door, and turn it on. It washes just as good as the expensive stuff, plus it even scrubs off the gunk that the kids don't scrap off. I have a well and septic system at my home, and it is totally safe for septic systems too.


I have not done the math on how much it costs per batch to make, but I know it has to be tons cheaper than the store bought stuff. We have been using ours for three months now. I would not tell you how to make something if I have not been using it myself. So be assured, it is safe and works great. I would however keep it out of reach of little ones due to the borax!


Next week I will share my homemade laundry soap experiences and recipe.

4 comments:

Natalie said...

We do not have a dishwasher. Can we use it like normal dish detergent?

Anonymous said...

Is it really baking soda, or washing soda? Thanks for the recipe

Anonymous said...

This is the first time I've seen a recipe for homemade dishwasher detergent - thanks! I will give it a try once I find some borax. For some reason, the stores in my area don't seem to stock it. Happy holidays!

Michelle said...

Kristi,
It is baking soda, NOT washing soda. You will however need the washing soda for the laundry soap next week :)

I get the giant box of baking soda from Wal-Mart in the launrdy soap isle, it is under $3.00 and it is huge. If you buy the little boxes, it is more expensive that way.

Natalie,
I will now go on the lookout for liquid dish soap. I seem to get mine pretty cheap at Walgreen & CVS with coupons. So I have never thought about making my own liquid soap. I will research, make and try before I post about it! But this recipe is for the automatic dishwashers only.

A blog about living within your means in todays world, while being married, raising three kids, working full-time, and trying not to go crazy in the process.