Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Super Duper Savings - Part 2

Let's talk about detergent.   

As a Christian I feel convicted to be a good steward of what God has given me. So even though seventh generation makes amazing products that clean very well and smell fantastic in the process, they can put my budget over the edge. It costs $6.99 a box, which isn't exactly highway robbery, but it also isn't chum change. Two idioms in one sentence - thankyouverymuch English degree.


So I decided to make my own dishwasher detergent. I'm a bad blogger and took zero pictures. It's pretty self-explanatory though.


In a large bowl combine:
- 1 cup of washing soda
- 1 cup of borax
- 1 cup of Lemi-shine (we have hard water so I found that using a cup really seems to help, but if you have soft water you may only need to use 1/2 cup)

Keep this powdered mixture out on the counter for several days. Every time you pass by, mix it up. I used a potato masher, but you could use a wooden spoon if you don't have a tater masher. This step is very important because it helps prevent the detergent from clumping down the road!

Then, transfer your detergent to a sealed container. Put 1 tablespoon of this goodness in with your dirty dishes and wait for the magic to happen! I also use white vinegar as my rinse aid, which helps make my dishes sparkle!

I have been using this detergent for a while now and I think it works just as well (maybe even better!) as the store bought kinds. My dishes come out so clean and shiny. It's a win for my dishes and a win for my bank account. Bam. Happy cleaning!


Do you have any homemade recipes you'd like to share? Any natural cleaners you like to use? I'd love to hear about them!

ps: read all about super duper savings part one here
pss: image from here

21 comments:

  1. I don't use any home products. I'd like to, I'm not sure if I have enough patience, I should try it out though! Thanks for sharing.

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  2. What a great idea! Dish washer detergent is expensive! We buy the tablet things and they cost like $10 a bucket, which is highway robbery if you ask me.

    I might have to try this for sure. I still have dreams of making my own laundry detergent.

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  3. @ Brandi - You should definitely give it a try. Making the laundry detergent was so easy and i've barely made a dent in the bucket (and I do a lot of laundry!).

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  4. I haven't made my own but have had friends give me their homemade detergent and I love it! Works great! Lately i have been using soap nuts which are all natural and affordable. thanks for the recipe!

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  5. Help me out here... what is washing detergent?? Our dishwasher at our current place is not very good and this sounds like a great way to help get the dishes a little cleaner!

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  6. I really need to try this and the laundry detergent! With buying the new house, we could use some money saving!

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  7. @ Amanda - I'm not entirely sure what you're asking. . . The detergent I made is what you put in the dishwasher to clean the dishes. The stuff I made is the same that you would buy. It can come either in a powder, packet or gel - mine is a powder.

    Although if your dishwasher isn't working very well - it might need a good cleaning. I clean mine by putting a cup of vinegar in the top rack standing up and turn it on a regular cycle.

    Let me know how it all turns out!! :)

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  8. What a great idea to save some money! I have to try it!

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  9. Oops I wrote washing detergent... I meant what is washing soda? And we tried cleaning it out, it's just a very low grade appliance (since we are still renting), but it did help some!

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  10. @ Amanda. . . Hahahha. I was wondering what you were using in your dishwasher otherwise! Washing soda is just a cleaner used in a lot of other cleaning products (laundry detergent, dishwasher detergent, grout cleaner, etc). Our dishwasher can be finicky sometimes too and I'll have to really rinse the dishes off first - but we just replaced a few parts and it seems to work better now. Good luck!! :)

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  11. I have never made my own. I don't have a dishwasher right now but this might be something to consider in the future.
    -Diana

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  12. I still have to make that washing machine detergent you made a while back! I need to remember this one as well. Right now we use those over priced individual tablets for the dishes...but I did manage to get 200 of them at Costco. Hopefully that lasts us a while!

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  13. I make my own laundry detergent but haven't done washing detergent yet. I should give this recipe a try. I am always looking for more ways to save money. Like your family we are always looking for ways to be good stewards of our money.

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  14. Oooooh ooh love this post! I'm all about making my own cleaner too. I've been using homemade cleaners for about 2 months now, and I'll never go back! I didn't have a recipe for a detergent though, so thanks for sharing! I'm going to do a blog post soon that features my cleaning recipes, too!

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  15. Wow what a great recipe! So "Eco Friendly"and saves money too!!

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  16. @ Kelly - Those individual tablets are sheer delights. Too bad they're so pricey! 200 would last us forever though! Oh the joys of Costco :)

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  17. @ Britt - I'm looking forward to your post . . . I'm always on the lookout for more homemade cleaning recipes. My next mission is making liquid hand soap. Any tips for that?

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  18. I've been seeing this stuff all over pinterest, but haven't tried it yet myself. I guess I wanted to hear that it actually works before trying it. Thanks!

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  19. Awesome!! I just posted a bunch of homemade cleaning product recipes on my blog but this is a new one to me. I'm going to have to try it out!

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  20. @ Aryn - going to check out your post now! thanks :)

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