For several months, no matter what detergent we used in the dish washer, our dishes were coming out with a lot of spots.  Sometimes, the dishes looked dirtier after the wash cycle than when they went in!  After seeing how well other home made cleaning solutions work, I knew I could figure out a good home made dishwasher detergent.





I tried several different homemade dishwashing detergent recipes, but nothing seemed to work.  So, I went back to trying store bought detergents.  Still, the dishes were  coming out less than clean.

After searching pinterest, I realized part of the still dirty dishes problem could be that the dish washer itself needed a cleaning.  I was all ready to take some of the dishwasher apart for a deep cleaning when I came across this post where a dishwasher repair man gives tips on how to care for your dishwasher.   Thank goodness! I REALLY did not want to spend a whole lot of time deep cleaning the dishwasher.  All I needed was some Lemi Shine.

I ran to the store and purchased Lemi Shine machine cleaner and the dishwasher detergent additive.  After using the machine cleaner, I was amazed at how the clean dishwasher looked.  All of the hard water deposits were gone!  So I ran a load of dishes through the dishwasher using Cascade and the Lemi Shine dishwasher detergent additive and the dishes came out spotless.


Unfortunately, I did not have the same results with some of the homemade detergent I had left over.  But now, I knew the secret was that I needed half of the mixture to be Lemi Shine.  So, after a lot of trial and error, I believe I have found the right combination for homemade dishwasher detergent:

1/2 cup Borax
1/2 cup Washing Soda
1/4 cup Kosher Salt
1 cup Lemi Shine

I mixed this up in a container and use a heaping tablespoon of detergent along with a VERY small squirt of dish liquid.  I also use the Lemi Shine rinse aid and now we have nice clean dishes again.

I'm glad I can use homemade dishwasher detergent.  But now I know, no matter what detergent I use, I need to make sure the dishwasher itself stays clean.  So, now I use the Lemi Shine machine cleaner once a month, and even if I use store bought detergent, I still add the Lemi Shine additive.


Linking to:
Fluster's Creative Muster
Brag About it Tuesday
Fabulously Frugal Thursday

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0 comments on “Home Made Dishwasher Detergent”

  2. Very good combination of products, I am using exactly the same ingredients and really is very efficient. I hate seeing dishes of glass with spots. Best regards

    Reply

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