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Natural Dishwasher Detergent

June 12, 2009 By 6 Comments

Some of you may have read my post from Wednesday about using baking soda in place of dishwasher detergent. (See post here.) It has worked fine, but I had been wanting to find a good recipe for detergent. Then I remembered yesterday that my parents had gotten me a book called Green Clean for Christmas (It isn’t listed on Amazon or I would share the link.)

Well, I tried the recipe yesterday and this morning and have been pleased with the results. I added 1 Tbsp. of baking soda and 1 Tbsp. of the liquid dishwasher detergent. I know that I can always just use baking soda, but I “feel” better using something more. Let me know if you try it and how it works for you.

Natural Automatic Dishwasher Detergent

1/2 Cup Liquid Castile Soap
1/2 Cup Water
1 tsp. Lemon Juice
3 Drops Tea Tree Oil
1/4 Cup White Vinegar

Mix ingredients together and store in a squeeze bottle. Use 1 Tbsp. per load.

The original recipe calls for 2 Tbsp. to be used, but I think 1 Tbsp. is plenty. I also just realized something as I was typing this out. I used 1/2 cup white vinegar. Oh, well. It worked fine with the extra vinegar. That may explain why it seemed like a science experiment when I was mixing it all together. :-)

Filed Under: natural cleaning
  • Kelly

    Did it seem to do anything better than just the baking soda?

  • Jackie

    I don't know that it has done anything totally different. I guess the soap in it makes you "feel" like things are cleaner. I really don't know if I have a conclusive answer. Sorry. I may have to try a load with just the baking soda again to compare. Both methods get my dishes clean and that is all that matters. I will have to try to figure up price-wise which is more cost effective.

  • Abbi

    Thanks for the recipe, I have been wanting to find a natural homemade one as I am about to use up my stockpile of dishwasher detergant.

  • Jackie

    Thanks for your comment, Abbi. Let me know what you think.

  • Betsy

    Do you happen to know if this dishwasher detergent is safe for septic systems?

  • Jackie

    We have a septic system, but our dishwasher and washing machine bypass it and go through a drain system that leads somewhere outside. That being said, I would think it would be safer for your septic system than using regular detergents that contain bleach. From what I have read natural cleaners should be safe for septic systems. I am no expert, though. Hope that helps.