Frugal Friday- Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

I have been making my own dishwasher detergent for a few months now.  I think it works just as well as Cascade, but at a fraction of the cost.

So here's how you do it....

Ingredients Needed:

Washing Soda, Kosher Salt, Lemon Shine, and Borax

 In a Ziploc Baggie or an Airtight Container mix: 1 Cup Washing Soda, 1 Cup Borax, 1/2 Cup Kosher Salt, and 1/2 Cup Lemon Shine.

I have an old OxiClean Scoop to measure out the detergent.  About 1 Tablespoon will work.

Easy!!!

My Thoughts

1. I'm not sure how the detergent works on really dirty dishes.  I basically wash my dishes before I put them in the dishwasher, so this detergent works really well for me.

2.  I have seen other recipes that call for Citric Acid from the canning stuff or Lemon KoolAide.  I bought the Lemon Shine to see how it would work.  Next time I'll try the KoolAide.  You have to have some sort of acid to prevent your glassware from getting that cloudy residue.

3. The Kosher Salt helps keep the mixture from getting lumpy.  The slightest bit of moisture will cause the detergent to basically turn into a solid piece.  Not Fun to chip away at it.  I learned the hard way and that's why I started using the Ziploc.

Come back next week for another money saving tip!