Homemade Dish Washing Recipes

Powder Recipe #1

1 cup Washing Soda
1 cup Borax

Powder Recipe #2

1 cup Baking Soda
1 cup Borax
For the above two recipes:
Mix thoroughly and store in a plastic container, use approximately 2 TBS per load.
Use vinegar in the rinse compartment as a rinse agent to help prevent residue
Try adding 2-3 drops essential oil
Powder Recipe #3

1/4 cup Washing Soda
1 TBS Liquid Dish Detergent
Use the above for each load of dishes.

Liquid Dishwasher Detergent Recipe

1 part baking soda
1 part borax
1 part water
1 drop lemon or orange essential oil per cup of detergent
Mix the ingredients thoroughly and store in a seal-able jug.
Use 2 to 3 TBS per load.
If you’re having a cloudy dishes problem after using the homemade detergents:
Try adding a few drops of liquid dish soap to the powder compartment when you add the powder.
You could also try cutting back on the amount of soap used (if you’re using 2 TBS, try cutting it back to 1 – 1 1/2 TBS).
Make sure to use vinegar in the rinse cycle
*Update: There are several comments from readers reporting both success and problems (namely that the homemade detergents below cause issues including a cloudy residue left on dishes). I don’t know why there’s a discrepancy, but it may have something to do with water temperature (not hot enough) or water quality (too hard, etc.). My dishwasher is still going strong with no problems, dishes are consistently clean with no residue and it’s about 20 years old–good old Maytag!

Because these recipes I’ve collected below are at least 10 or 15 years old (I’m going from memory here), the problem could be with newer models of dishwashers? How much water is used to flush & rinse the dishes? I’m not sure. I would suggest you watch carefully how the homemade detergents affect your dishes when first trying them (do they leave a powdery residue?).

If you have any advice or feedback, please feel free to share them below.