At the beginning of my DIY adventures I set out courageously to eradicate chemicals from our house. Equipped with only baking soda, vinegar, and essential oils– I was determined that anything I could buy from the store I could replicate at home.
Replicate? That’s the wrong word for it, a common mistake that I seem to make. You see, I’m not replicating those products– how could I? They were artificially created in labs and factories, using ingredients that I would never see in their raw form. The whole purpose in making my own was to avoid those harsh chemicals and create an entirely new product, one that served the same purpose but with no side effects.
No side effects. No damage to your skin, eyes, or throat. No warnings of “do not ingest”, “harmful if swallowed”, “keep away from children and pets”. No threat of later on finding out that my household cleaners may result in cancer. (Source) Not to mention the environmental hazards. Need I go on?
Despite my good intentions, there were plenty of easy, DIY products that I just never got around to making. So much for the mother of the year award!
It wasn’t until the other day when I was home without my car, faced with a mound of dirty dishes, and unarmed. I ran out of dish detergent and needed a replacement. Finally, my opportunity had arrived!
- 1 cup borax
- 1 cup washing soda
- ½ cup citric acid
- ½ cup kosher salt
- Mix ingredients in a container with a lid.
- Shake it periodically for the first few days to reduce the risk of clumping.
- Use one tablespoon per load.
I mixed my ingredients, recyling an old plastic container with a secure, screw on lid. But something was missing… a cute graphic, perhaps? (Come on, don’t roll your eyes. I needed to win back my mother of the year award, after all!) This may not be the fanciest one in the world, but it’s whimsical and colorful and fun and matches my website.
*You can right click to download the jpg.
And now for the advice that I promised. How many of us have been told that you can substitute white vinegar for its harsher Rinse Aid counterpart? I recently read that the vinegar can corrode the plastic inside of some modern dishwashers. Bummer! But there’s a way around this: If you’d like to continue using vinegar to aid in your dishwashing then add it to small cup, sit it on your dishwasher’s top rack, and run your load as usual. All of the benefits with no of the side effects. Perfect!
About Aubrey
Interesting post, Aubrey! Thank you! I don’t know where to purchase citric acid though. I guess I’ve never looked for it. -Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures
I bought mine online from Amazon, but if you don’t want to order it online then I think traditional hardware stores carry it.
Hi! This is for dishwashers, right? Thanks so much for posting the recipe. I’ve been looking for alternatives.
Yes, this recipe is for dishwashers.
I’ve used the homemade laundry detergent and liked that so I’ll probably be giving this a try too! I also make homemade Febreeze and shower cleaner=)