How to Make Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

There’s nothing like reaching for the automatic dishwasher detergent only to find you’re fresh out, or you’re on your last pod. Normally, you’d run to the store or add it to your running grocery list for your next trip.

But suddenly, things are not normal. It’s comforting to know how to do things yourself—how to be more self-sufficient. With this post, you can add one more recipe to your “Make It Myself” file!

To make automatic dishwasher detergent you will need:

Airtight container

A wide-mouth Mason jar or similar is excellent for homemade dishwasher detergent because it’s easy to scoop from that wide-mouth, and easy to replace the lid to keep it as airtight as possible. However, any container, plastic or glass, with a tightly fitting top will work. A zip-type plastic bag will also work in a pinch.

Baking soda

This is ordinary baking soda, also known as bicarbonate of soda. You can find this in any grocery or supermarket in the baking aisle or online.

Washing soda

Find Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda in the laundry aisle of some supermarkets, in discount department stores like Walmart and Target and online. This is not the same as baking soda, but a distant cousin. It is also known as sodium carbonate. The generic version of washing soda is known as soda ash, which is generally a lot less expensive.

Borax

Sold in several forms, you are probably most familiar with Twenty-Mule Team Borax, in the laundry aisle often shelved near the Super Washing Soda. Or you can find generic borax in larger quantities, but much cheaper.

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How to Make the Best Homemade Powdered Laundry Detergent

Making laundry detergent is easy, cheap, and effective in standard and HE washers. Save money and avoid harsh chemicals with this ORIGINAL recipe and procedure for making powdered homemade laundry detergent. It is so good and costs less than 5 cents per load. Liquid version.

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Salt

Any type of table salt works here—table salt, Kosher salt, sea salt—whichever you have on hand. This, however, is not Epsom Salt, which is completely different and not used in this recipe.

Citric acid

You can find citric acid in health food stores and online. An excellent substitute is Unsweetened Lemon (or Lemon-Lime) Kool-Aid! But it must be lemon or lemon-lime only, and unsweetened—no substitute Kool-Aid, please.

Lemon essential oil

This is an optional ingredient, but if you have Lemon Essential Oil it will give your detergent a boost and lovely fragrance.

Pro-Tip:

Washing soda and borax are prone to getting hard. To keep make sure your detergent remains in a nice powder form, don’t multiply this recipe. And when you have one of those little silica gel packs, toss it into your container of detergent rather than tossing it in the trash! That will help keep it loose and powdery.

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