This is one of the super simple recipes that almost feels like cheating š!
We had been using this homemade detergentĀ for a year, and it works just as well as the pretty pricy store-bought dishwasher detergent we had before.
Now we hardly ever use it anymore. Not because the detergent doesn't work, but because of minimalism! We gave away most of our kitchenware and plates so now we actually don't have enough plates to fill the dishwasher with anymore š! We only kept 1 big plate, 4 side plates, 2 small rice bowls, and 2 blates (= something between a bowl and a plate)... It works surprisingly well because my husband does all the dishes right afterwards so they don't pile up. Well, I do still use the dishwasher whenever I bake a lot though š.
Ingredients
1 part (dishwasher) salt 3 parts baking soda
Instructions
Mix salt and baking soda and store in a big jar. Use 1 Ā½ tablespoon (~22.5 ml) per cycle. Do not fill your dishwasher with any additional salt!
If you do prefer to fill your dishwasher with additional salt, use only 1 tablespoon of baking soda per cycle.
Nicola says
Ah, this is fantastic, thanks. Using dishwasher tablets had been annoying me lately - chemical smell in dishwasher, residue on some dishes, toddler wanting to play with them, expensive and packaging. All gone and dishes are sparkling, thanks for sharing.
Marinette says
Hey! What brand of dishwashing salt and where do you get it?! i'm having a little trouble with it. haha
Catherine says
Would dishwashing salt = washing soda? It would help to know the brand so I can look for similar products here in MN-USA where I live, Thanks for the blog, keep it up!
shia says
Dishwasher salt is NOT washing soda! One brand is "Finish", but I think they sell it in a plastic packaging?
Annice says
I would love a follow-up on how this has been going for your dishes and dishwasher? I have tried 2 recipes for zero waste dishwasher detergent and both have left my dishwasher scummy, and the same goes for my dishes. One recipe was bea johnson's recipe - sea salt, washing soda, and citric acid. Another was "gel" - castile soap, washing soda and water. Bea's recipe is better, but it's still not up to the standards of conventional dishwashing detergent I can buy at the store.
Juliette Broucke says
I love how simple this recipe is!
I tried it out and it worked like a charm! I did thoroughly rinse my dishes before putting them in the dishwasher but still, it worked perfectly.
Thanks!
http://gracefulandgreen.blogspot.be/
Catarina says
I don't have a dishwasher, so i wash by hand...and i'm really struggling with a recipe for dish soap... I use Aleppo grated with washing soda and water, but it is terrible when finds grease...i have also sprinkled soda, but doens't improve much...Can you help me?? I don't want to buy a bottle one full of nasty ingrediente....
shia says
Hey Catarian, our dish soap has the same ingredients and we just use soap directly on dirty dishes, which will cut the grease. Soda doesn't help much. Also, we put the dish soap directly onto the dirty dishes and watch to not dilute it with water. Happy holidays! Shia
Bonnie says
I use 25% acetic acid in the well that the dishwasher uses for 'rinse' cycle
The baking soda could use a vinegar rinse to neutralize the strong alkalai and this should remove the film .
Cat says
Hello Shia,
I'm really enjoying reading through your blog posts. I have a question about the baking soda - can I swap out baking soda directly for wasch soda? It's the Frosch brand wasserfrei soda. I live in Germany like you used to, and am looking for solutions here. Baking soda is the Kaiser Natron stuff right? Thanks in advance for any advice!
Cheers, Cat
shia says
Hey Cat,
yes, you can, as I also point out in the German version of this article ;). Kaiser is the brand, not a type of baking soda, but yes, baking soda is "Natron".
Do check out the German version of my blog, my articles over there are localized to what you can find in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
All the best,
Shia
Marta says
While I appreciate sharing your experiences about using baking soda as a dishwashing detergent, I have a big problem with one thing.
Adding salt to your washing detergent won't in any way replace the salt that you should be adding to the reservoir at the bottom of your dishwasher! The goal of that reservoir is to keep the brine, that your dishwasher uses to regenerate it's built-in water softening system. Salt rich water from the reservoir doesn't mix with dishwashing water. Telling people: "Do not fill your dishwasher with any additional salt!" is a bad advice. If people, who have dishwashers, that need be filled with dishwasher salt won't do that, the effects of washing will worsen with time and eventually dishwasher's built in water softener will break and need costly repair.
Emily says
Hello there! Maybe Iām completely out of the loop, but is dishwashing salt the same as water softener salt? Iāve been looking online and Iām really confused, so any help is appreciated!
Sammy says
Hi Shia,
I've pretty much been systematically reading every post of yours starting from the most-recent, and there's a lot of good tips and information. I have two questions about this post that I'm hoping you have the time to answer:
1) I moved to a rural area a year ago and we needed to invest in a water softener for the entire house, so the water going to the dishwasher is already softened. Do we still need to add salt or do you think that just the baking soda is enough?
2) Have you done research into the source of baking soda from a waste and environmental impact perspective? I have come across a couple blogs that discussed potential downsides to baking soda (e.g. mining), and wondered what your two cents were on that front.
Thanks so much, keep up the great work!
Sammy
Sage says
Thank you for sharing this recipe! I recently got a new job in environmental planning and moved to a new city. This is my first apartment that has a dishwasher!! I'm stoked, but was disappointed when I could only find dishwasher detergent in plastic packaging at my grocery store. Can't wait to try this out!