Yesterday I decided to do a little more research on this subject because I've had several people ask recently about a LIQUID dishwasher detergent option. After reading THOUSANDS of websites/blogs and MILLIONS of comments (well it SEEMED like it!)...I still have not found an acceptable homemade liquid version. Yet.
BUT....while I was reading the MILLIONS of comments I came across a "dishwasher recipe" by someone named Babsy that intrigued me enough to give it a try. (thenewhomemaker.com)
It's not a RECIPE per se (because you don't need to mix it up beforehand)...but a combination of liquid soap and oxygen bleach, with a vinegar chaser as a rinse aid. Babsy said she used liquid castile soap as the soap part of this recipe...but I tried that and while the dishes/glasses LOOKED pretty clean...there was still a powdery film on them.
I almost gave up at that point....but decided to try the method one more time, this time using Dawn Dish Soap. I was actually a little afraid to open the dishwasher when it was finished because I didn't think my heart could take another disappointment, but this time I was TICKLED PINK with what I found! All the dishes appeared to be CLEAN, CLEAR and FILM FREE!
Here are some pictures I took to TRY and show the sparkly-ness of the glasses.
Here is the "recipe" I used:
1 teaspoon oxygen bleach (I bought a 5 lb bucket of SUN brand at the Dollar store for about $3)
1/2 teaspoon Dawn dish soap
1/2 cup white vinegar (poured into a bowl or cup on the top rack of the machine)
Finally, find a small container that can sit upright in the top basket and fill it with 1/2 cup vinegar. I have been using vinegar as a rinse aid for a long time...but I usually just pour it into the bottom of the dishwasher when I start it up. By putting the vinegar in a bowl or cup, it will overfill as the cycles goes on, and the diluted vinegar will be evenly dispersed throughout the dishwasher.
I know that MANY people put vinegar in the rinse aid dispenser...but I've tried that and it hasn't worked for me.
A word of caution. Don't use MORE than 1/2 teaspoon of the Dawn dish soap or you could have a sudsy overflow on your hands. That being said, if you peek in the dishwasher during the wash cycle...you WILL see a fair amount of suds. Don't be alarmed. It's just "washing" your dishes! It will be gone when the cycle ends.
In conclusion....I realize that this homemade dishwasher cleaning stuff is tricky business! What worked for me may not work for you! But hey...it MIGHT....and if you're interested....now you know how. :-)
Chalk one up for homemade today! It's.....
Perfect timing Jill! I was just about to use a hammer on the major clumps from my last batch of powdered homemade dishwasher detergent! I really look forward to using this Oh-So-Easy solution!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks again!!!
genius, you are a genius!
ReplyDeleteI notice that most home solutions use Dawn - is there really a difference in their formula that makes it better than Ajax or Palmolive or any other brand? Love your blog!
ReplyDeleteDawn and Vinegar is always an awesome thing! Adding the oxygen bleach just made it better. thx for this!!
ReplyDeleteWhy do you specifically say soap (not detergent)? Is detergent supposed to have more scrubbing power? I rinse my dishes thoroughly before they go in.
ReplyDeleteThank you for including a print friendly button. With all that is going on with Tide your solutions are the best. Thanks again for all your hard work to find the best formula for us to use.
ReplyDeleteAnony...here is a link that explains the difference between soap and detergent. It's short and to the point. :-)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.care2.com/greenliving/10009.html
Basically, soap is made from natural ingredients and detergent is made from synthetic (man-made) ingredients. However, even though it sounds like a no-brainer, soap can mix with the minerals in water and leave a film...that's why typically we wash our clothes with detergent...to keep them from from turning grayish. Hope this helps....a little. :-) I'm still learning...
I'm like a crack head! I rush every morning to get my cup of coffee (while my laptop boots up) and get my homemaking assignment for the day! Your blog has helped me to enjoy my home again! Thank you, Jillee!
ReplyDeleteI'm going to try the vinegar in a cup...I've been putting it in the dispenser and it wasn't doing a thing.
ReplyDeleteI've been using just Dawn in my dishwasher for some time and Jet Dry for the rinse. Dawn works great & doesn't leave the film that the dishwasher stuff does. I'm going to try the Oxi add-in and see what happens. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteLooking foward to trying this. However, has anyone else noticed that using vinegar as a rinse agent seems to turn any aluminum based cookware/pans a darker color? I guess it's not a big deal in the grand scheme of things and it's really on an aesthetic kind of thing, but when i was using vinegar in my dishwashers dispenser, that was the first thing I noticed.
ReplyDeleteInteresting! I think I will try this one. I found that using lemi shine with my regular dishwashing packets has really made a difference in the sparkly effect, but your way seems much more cost effective! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteAWESOME! Thanks for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteI might give this one a go. I've been really down since the last recipe I tried left my dishes filmy and dirty. Now I have a huge batch that I don't know what to do with. Thanks for the "recipe".
ReplyDeleteI am so in love with everything that I have seen so far in your blog. I wish that I could "like" some of the comments (FB spoiled). I will be teaching my daughter this method as she is the child designated to wash dishes. I'll play it off as a science experiment to see if that makes her like washing them a bit more (than not at all). Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds great! My dishwasher has 2 detergent spots...one for the pre-wash and one for the main wash. Should I just not worry about the pre-wash and put this in the main wash dispenser?
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the great ideas!
I just found this on Pinterest. I need to get some Dawn next time it is on sale. I sure hope it works for us. We have hard water.
ReplyDeleteDoes this work better than your homemade dishwasher DETERGENT recipe then? Also, does the vinegar work better in a cup or bowl on the top rack than just putting it in the bottom?
ReplyDeleteDo you have to use "blue" Dawn, or can you use any color/scent? I notice that usually any 'recipe' that calls for Dawn uses the original blue. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThe recipe I use is I cut your liquid homemade laundry soap recipe in 1/4 which makes 3/4 gallon and then I cut down the soap to a 1/4 of a bar and use Ivory instead of felsnaptha then I added 5 packs of lemon koolaid if your water is hard add a little salt to this recipe use vinegar for your rinse and walla I end up with a couple of spots on my glasses but no build up no film and it's less spots than I get with hand washing. I have used this for a month now and love it! I ONLY USE A HALF A TEASPOON.
ReplyDeleteI actually use your liquid laundry soap recipe for the dishwasher with a few tweeks I cut the recipe in 1/4 (3/4gallon) then changed the soap to Ivory rather than Felsnaptha and cut that down to 1/6 to 1/4 (just eyeballed) followed the instructions for the laundry soap and then added 5 packs of lemon Koolaid. If your water is harder add about 1/2 cup salt to this. I use vinegar in the rinse. YOU ONLY HAVE TO USE 1/2 TEASPOON OF THIS. This recipe is on the runny side so I usually fill up an old hand dish soap bottle to dispense from. I LOVE THIS
ReplyDeleteHey...we have the same glasses! Can't wait to try this.
ReplyDeletedon't know if it's cheaper, but we use Finish from costco which ends up costing me about 10 cents per load. would have to do the math to see if this is cheaper. i'm very happy with the Finish - the only dishwasher detergent i've ever been happy with. it consistently gets EVERYTHING off the dishes and leaves a crowded dishwasher load full of shiny dishes. i love vinegar and Dawn and the oxygen bleach so might give this a try.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if your homemade Oxy-kleen would work instead of sun oxygen cleaner?
ReplyDeleteBecky in South Carolina...you are very welcome...and thank YOU for being a dedicated reader. ;-)
ReplyDeleteK. James...I have searched and searched for this answer...but have yet to find it! But I will continue to look!
i make my own laundy soap (liquid and powder) and i've learned a 1/4 c of borax or washing soda in the dishwasher will also help get sparklie clean dishes and no film
ReplyDeleteI am concerned with the oxy being harmful? I was reading the back of the oxy and was not sure if it was something I should clean and then eat with? I have done it witout the oxy, but some things are still left with the film. I am guessing the oxy is a big part of this receipe.
ReplyDeleteI'm doing a similar thing with my dishwasher washing. I use the cheap DW detergent called "Sun." I fill the DW cups about half full, then splash a little vinegar right into the DW tub before turning it on. Once in a while I add 3 drops of Dawn (or any dishwashing liquid) to the door. My dishes look great!
ReplyDeleteOne thing I figured out after going from Cascade to the cheaper brand of DW detergent is you need to clean your dishwasher. There's some kind of brown stuff that shows up in the tub when you make the switch to homemade or cheap brands of DW detergent. After you clean it, everything goes great.
Jody
First of all, I love the great ideas you post, and thank you for sharing, I have made several of the homemade cleaning recipes you have posted and I am hooked. Although,I do have a question, Is the Sun oxygen cleaner and oxygen bleach in the recipe one and the same, because I can find the Sun oxygen cleaner in the store, but not oxygen bleach. I am also concerned as the previous anonymous comment (although, it wasn't me) with the oxy being safe to use on dishes and to eat or cook out of them. Please comment back, Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI'm new to your blog and just love it. I tried this tonight and it worked beautifully! I did peek during the wash cycle, and there was a fair amount of suds in the dishwasher. Everything was squeaky clean at the end, though, and none of the glass objects were streaked. Love it, and thanks for the work you are doing on this blog!
ReplyDeleteis this safe to use on a dishwasher with a stainless steel tub? also wondering if sun oxygen is safe to use on things your eating off of?
ReplyDeleteYou are a domestic genius. I've wanted to go greener for sometime and I had no idea where to start. I found your pins on pinterest and am now hooked!! I think I hit the point a lot of us hit where we are tired if over paying for household items. We are going to br trying this and the laundry soap. Bravo!!!
ReplyDeletei have tried just the borax and b soda as a powder in the diswhasher dispenser, then vinegar but that hasn't worked. the other day i tried ivory dishsoap and a mix of borax and b soda then vinegar. that worked great!!! all the dishes were sparkly. today i am gunna try the dawn but there is a different kind with olay in it. so i guess i will see if it works!!
ReplyDeleteI tried this and it didn't work... AT ALL. Nothing was clean. Am I doing something wrong?
ReplyDeleteI don't know much about putting up ideas on the net but have been hooked on my recent solution to the dishwasher problems. My dispenser which never really worked and opened inconsistently finally broke and I started just putting my cheap dishwasher powder from walmart that I store in a half gallon jug straight onto the door, added 4 drops of dawn and put a small shot glass full of vinegar on the top shelf. My dishes sparkle. I will try your version with the dollar store sun oxiclean also but the vinegar/dawn plus the 1/4 cup of generic dishwashing stuff that I drop on the door is the nicest clean I have ever gotten even when I tried the cascade. I was always so afraid to try the dawn since the men bubbled the dishwasher out at church hall once but they filled the cups. I started with 2 drops and worked up to 4. I will never go back to not using the dawn added. I am not even replacing the stupid dispenser part that is broken as my dishes are clean like in the old days when the detergent had the phosphates. Thanks for your great blog posts. I do think some of the concoctions depend on the hardness or softness of water but the dawn/vinegar addition to the generic powder was my happy day. I never had much luck with the powder stored in the box under the sink until I started pouring it into the closed waterproof container and it never clumps up.
ReplyDelete