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Homemade Dishwasher Detergent Recipes
*Update: There are several comments from readers reporting 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 the dishwashers themselves (mine is still going strong 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), I think 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 not use the recipes but I’ll keep them listed here for reference so you can compare them to other recipes you come across.
If you you do try them, watch carefully for any problems. If you have any advice or feedback, please feel free to share them below.
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 sealable 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 dishsoap 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
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Good to know – I tried the first recipe months ago and all my dishes were cloudy so I gave up. I still have some though. So, it sounds like all I need to do is add a little liquid dish soap to it.
I added oxiclean powder to the mix and mixed in some seventh generation powder (equal ratio) to my mix. for the pre-rinse, I add one small drop of liquid detergent (hand wash detergent). My dishes sparkle!
The homemade dishwasher soap works great if you us 2 tbsp vinegar to the rinse aid. I have not bought rinse aid in a while.
I am wondering about using Borax in the dishwasher. All the recipes for homemade all call for it, but to be safe, I called the company of Borax, and they told me NOT to use it in a dishwasher…..Has anyone had any problems from using it?
I need something because the “organic” detergent that I am using now, leaves a black mold in my dishwasher, which makes me wonder how clean my dishes really are. There is also almost liek an etched film on my glasses, any ideas on what I can do??
THANKS so much!!
Hi Tracy, I’ve used it with no problems, did they say why it shouldn’t be used in a dishwasher?
I won’t use borax for dishes because I know that if you want to kill ants, just add enough corn syrup to make a syrup and put it out for the ants (keep away from humans and pets). The ants carry it back to their homes and everybody dies. Borax is poison and can be fatal to humans.
You’re thinking of Boric Acic, not borax. Different stuff altogether.
Borax IS Boric acid any government website will tell you so….Boric acid is an acute eye and respiratory tract irritant, which is quite toxic if ingested. In addition, it is unavailable in parts of Europe because of concerns that it caused birth defects and problems with the reproductive organs of children. It is recommended that pregnant women and children in particular do not have exposure to Borax.
Here is some info on Borax, used in cleaning/detergents:
Wikipedia
Dialcorp
Consuming Borox isn’t a good thing, however using a couple tablespoons of a mixture made from Borax and soap or soda that is well diluted in the dishwasher as a detergent and that is washed away in the hot rinse cycle is something different.
Sometimes I’ll soak dishes in bleach or have bleach in the rinse water (when washing dishes by hand)–especially when camping. Bleach is a VERY bad thing to consume.
ETA: But it is good info to note the hazard. If your dishwasher doesn’t flush enough water through and leaves detergents on the dishes, using Borax or any commercial dishwasher detergent is not a good idea.
Is the Liquid Dish Detergent in recipe # 3 regular dishwashing soap? I tried the recipe, and when I mixed the washing soda with liquid soap (Ajax w/ bleach alternative) it created a very strong smell and the cup it was in started heating up. It seemed like it created some sort of chemical reaction. Is this what is supposed to happen?
No SHollander that’s not what’s supposed to happen. Just use regular dish detergent liquid, nothing with bleach.
is there a certain type of vinegar to use? i’m assuming (and we all know what that means) that you would use white or distilled vinegar. Yes/NO?
thanks!
Hi Erin, I just use regular white vinegar.
Yes, Borax is poisonous, but so is dishwasher soap.
In fact, I wouldn’t want to eat most cleaning products, including straight white vinegar.
Is there a recipe that does not use Borax or washing soda? I would rather use a pure castille soap instead.
Hi i use something that makes my dishes shine i put about 1 teaspoon of baking soda regular arm and hammer 1 teaspoon of salt you could use a bit more salt if wanted salt acts as a scrubber and a pinch of dish soap not the kind with bleach i use Palmolive comes out great.
The poster above who mentioned that Borax is used as a pest repellent is confusing Borax with Boric Acid. Boric Acid is what kills pests like ants and roaches. Just wanted to clear that up.
Borax Will Kill Ants! Not just Boric Acid…It’s true, mix Borax with Sugar or corn syrup and they will take it back to their nest and kill everyone including the queen…safer around kids and pets than Boric Acid, but still a poison, keep it away from your children and pets
Borax ~ the washing soda contains a peroxide and sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) all durivied from nature and depending on it’s use is very harmful to humans and animals even though it is an all natural product. YES ants will die using Borax but the same result can be done using straight baking soda and icing sugar. It is the baking soda which they swallow then it expands in their stomaches and they explode.
FYI: the only difference with washing soda and baking soda is the peroxide compound which is also found in OxyClean at a much higher concentration level. It is still considered a GREEN product b/c it isn’t harmful unless injested in large quantities and it is naturally derived, not chemically!
Washing soda and baking soda are two totally different things. Baking soda is edible. Washing soda is not edible.
Hi…i wanted to know if these recipes can be used to clean the dishes by hand – no dishwasher at home – thanks!
To Noelia, if you mix Dr. Bronner’s castille soap with water 1-2tbsp to 8 oz water that will make a liquid soap that is organic. Use more Dr. Bronner’s if you need more, there are no rules to the recipe…
I have tried the above recipe & I have had white film on my dishes ever since. I end up running my dhishes through a water only cycle (which costs more money) or I end up hand washing my entire load of dishes after they have already gone through the dishwasher. I don’t have hard water because I never had this problem until I started using the Borax & Washing Soda mix. I clean out my dishwasher once a month & I have used just White Vinegar. Does anyone have any other ideas?
please someone help her cuz i am having the same problem.
I would say to put some white vinegar in the dishwasher.
NOT in the soap tray thing, but i’ve had to pour a good bit in the bottom of the dishwasher after it’s filled with water, and before it drains LOL
you kinda have to stand there and wait.. wait… haha! like boiling water!
but the heat activated with the vinegar will surely get the film off your dishes!
I use Zote Soap grated/melted and mixed with water..I put it in a old dish detergent bottle and shake each time I use it..I also put a 1/4 cup bleach in the bottom of my dishwasher.. Works good for me..
How much water do you mix with the Zote soap for the dishwasher detergent and can you use the mixture to hand wash dishes.
Thanks
Annette
I tried the borax/baking soda mix and was not impressed at all. I also use white vinegar for rinse agent but I don’t think it does a very good job. I decided to try putting about a 1/4 teaspoon dish soap in each cup with the borax/baking soda and it’s working better but I still get white film sometimes and my glasses are cloudy. At least it didn’t cost much to try it out. I’m going back to dish detergent.
What is the reason for the Borox? Why not just use soap??? I would think the soap and hot water would be enough to kill all the germs…
My family owns an appliance service business and I can tell you that putting anything that suds (soaps or liquid dish soaps) is NOT a good idea for your dishwasher. Dishwashers are not designed for a “sudsy” wash. Using sudsing soaps can cause your DW to leak or worse coat the washer parts with residue that will continue to sud in future wash cycles as well as leave residue on your dishes. Adding vinegar to your rinse cycle is great! *If you have used “soaps” in your DW I highly recommend that you cleanse your DW by running a cycle (no dishes) with a TBS of olive oil. This will counter any soap residue left in the DW. Make sure to add vinegar to the rinse cycle to ensure it is very clean. Hope this helps for those of you seeing residue. (A&H washing soda and Borax are not sudsing detergents, it’s the bar soaps and liquid DISH soap you should stay away from.)
Will the homemade recipes get rid of the black mold?
Also, will the homemade remedies get rid of the gritty residue that ends up in my glasses?
This may have been answered for you already. If so then ignore my post.
The best Mold controller I’ve found is this recipe.
If you already have mold/mildew problem allow the spray to rest on the surface areas for a few hours. Wipe with a soft cloth, then respray the areas and let dry without rinsing.
1 1/4 cups vinegar
3/4 cups water
4 drops cinnamon essential oil
6 drops patchouli essential oil
2 tsp tea tree essential oil
Combine all ingredients in a spray bottle. Spray surfaces well but do not rinse.
Zote bar soap has hardly any soap bubbles, I think thats why I have No residue on my dishes..
Lisa, vinegar kills mold.
Has anyone tried both #1 & #2? Which one is better?
I also tried the first recipe. I loved it the first 4 or 5 times. Then this white coat of dust like film is now covering my dishes. I am using vinegar in the rinse. I also tried to lessen the amount used, but nothing has worked. I went back to using Cascade but the dishes still have a coating of the white stuff. Does anyone have any advice. If I am desperate. I would warn anyone of this before they try it. My water is not hard, as I NEVER had any residue before I used the homemade solution.
Danielle it sounds like a calcium/lime buildup in your dishwasher (that’s why the film is there regardless of what detergent you use). Try soaking the dishwasher in a few inches of vinegar and hot water overnight. Or do a search online for “calcium buildup dishwasher” for more ideas. Your sprayers might be clogged with calcium or food bits as well.
I’ve experienced the same troubles with cloudy dishes (white residue) when using 50/50 Borax and washing soda mix (1 tbsp. each) even though I used vinegar in the rinse cycle. To get rid of the heavy white residue, I tried running the dishwasher once with Cascade, and that didn’t work. I then took a 2 cup measuring cup, filled it to the top with white vinegar, and placed it in the upper dishwasher rack. Then I ran my dishwasher on full cycle, and as the water splashed around, the measuring cup overflowed spraying a good combination of hot water and vinegar, and this cleaned off all the residue. I tried the 50/50 combination again 3 more times:
once using 1-1/2 tbsp. of each thinking the recommended amount of 1 tbsp. each maybe wasn’t enough, a second time using 1/2 tbsp. of each thinking maybe I was using too much, and then once using the recommended 1 tbsp. each mixed with hot water to make a runny paste thinking it would work better if already moistened. I was left with a white residue each time, so now I am back using Cascade. I don’t buy the dishwasher soap build up theory because I recently cleaned my dishwasher with Dishwasher Magic, plus I’ve been using vinegar in the rinse cycle since the machine was installed. Years ago I tried the 1 drop regular dishwashing liquid in the machine and I had soap bubbles coming out around the entire door, so I do not recommend using dishwashing liquid in your machine.
I also have been using the homemade DW detergent recipe #1 and have a horrible white residue that will not go away. I have also always used vinegar for the rinse cycle. I am however going to try adding some Zote soap and see if that makes any difference, only because I have a lot of this stuff left and hate to waste it, if I can make it work. If anyone has any other ideas, let me know!!! Thanks.
Just use a couple of tbsp of Borax and white vinegar in the rinse. It works great & no residue. I’ve used it for a while now. I do have a water softener though. Maybe that makes a difference?
For those having trouble with the white residue, can you tell me if it’s a newer model of dishwasher you have or older? I’m wondering if the answer to the varying results is due to how your dishwasher handles each load?
My dishwasher is at least 10 years old. Today I tried using the 50/50 borax and washing soda mix again, 1 tbsp. each, but also added 1 tbsp. grated Zote soap – this made a world of difference in the amount of white residue. There is only a trace amount, so next time I am going to increase the Zote soap to 2 tbps.
Borax, Washing Soda & grated soap is what I use to clean my laundry. That may be overkill in the dishwasher and could be why you get the film. I only use Borax (1-2 tbsp/load of dishes) and then add white vinegar to the rinse solution reservoir. My dishes are crystal clear without even any spots from drying. If you have gotten a build up of white film that is hard to get off, just wash them in white vinegar for a while. Even that is enough to get your dishes clean and it clears off any residue. The borax just adds a bit of scrubing power to really dirty dishes. But straight vinegar works great to clean off residue. It is considered a natural disinfectant and just look what it will do for coffee stains! (I’m referring to running straight vinegar through your coffee maker for those of you who may not have heard of that one yet.)
Best of luck!
Gina
Ive tried the recipes too. Ive tried everything……a little less, a little more, vinegar to the rinse thing, adding a cup of vinegar at the beginning of the rinse cycle…..adding dish detergent…….adding vinegar to the recipe, adding orange juice or lemon juice to the recipe…….I mean everything. I get that dreadful white film on everything and the more you wash them the film gets cloudier and whiter. YUCK! My machine is fairly new….maybe two years old, I didnt have a problem before, and now Im at the point where the dishes arent always coming out clean. SO my washer works worse now! I LOVE the clothes detergent BUT this detergent stinks….doesnt work at all for me.
Thanks for the feedback, there’s obviously a problem somewhere, so I updated the post above advising caution. I’m thinking the discrepancy between the results is the type of dishwasher used?
If it helps I use the washing soda and baking soda recipe with no problems at all and my dishes look fine to me. We bought this dishwasher used about 7 years ago and I can’t remember how old it was then but it wasn’t ancient. Also I have used this homemade mix for quite a few months now when I first found it on tipnut. Thank you for the recipe.
I forgot to say to that I use vinegar in the rinse cup.
I tried recipe #1, in a dishwasher that is 11 years old. Dishes came out just as clean as my normal detergent. I did put a bit of vinegar in the rinse cycle, just to be safe. I’ll watch for buildup, but so far I’m good!
Hi,
I’ve had the same problem with my dishes with the homemade recipes as well as the eco-friendly dishwasher soaps (both liquid and powder). I place vinegar in the cups during the rinse cycle and it works… at least 1 cup of vinegar in order to counteract the film…
My dishwasher is about 10 yrs old or so…
Hi I don’t really have a comment but a question. are these for dishwashers or hand washing dishes? or does it even matter?
You don’t want to use borax and/or washing soda on bare skin. It is caustic and will irritate your skin. On the back of the Borax box there is a suggestion to use a little borax when washing your fine china. It doesn’t say anything about repeated use on dishes used daily, but if you do use it to hand wash, you most definitely should use rubber gloves. I just use vinegar on my dishes now. That vinegar smell goes away when it dries and my dishes are really clean. If you need extra scrubbing power, try baking soda (may be causing some film if used regularly) or even just a little kosher salt (canning salt or table salt will do as well)
Hope that helps!
Gina
Gina
I recently ran out of dishwasher detergent and money to buy more detergent, and was forced to find a solution. I tried 1/2 cup baking soda, 1/2 cup vinegar. Pour in seperately and be ready to shut the door fast. *(remember making volcanoes for science projects) This works fine for me. My dishes came out cleaner than ever and there was no harmful fumes coming out of the vent. The fumes from brand name detergents takes my breath away. Is there any reason this simple mix would not work just fine?
Also to the reply about not eating white vinegar, why couldnt you eat white vinegar? I pour it on cooked spinach, also use to make pickles. I have never been told not to ingest vinegar. My grandmother also would put a tsp of baking soda in warm water and drink for indegestion, and in a pinch it has worked for me. I didnt die, yet.
I had a powdery film too. What I did was adjust the amount of baking soda to 1/4 to a 1/2 less. Then I filled my rinse compartment w/White vinegar. No Problems since!
At what point do at the vinegar to the rinse? When you start cycle or do you have to wait for rinse cycle to begin then put it in?
Thank you
I wonder if the water temperture differences could be why so many people are having different results.
Putting aluminum in the dishwasher can cause white residue on glasses. Make sure you arent placing any aluminum “silver”ware, pots, mugs, etc (stainless steel is usually fine)
I suspect the different results described are due to different amounts of calcium in the water (hard and soft water).