Homemade dishwasher detergent

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This is our recipe:1/2 C baking soda1C borax1/2 C salt1/4

C citric acid powder20-30 drops Citrus Oils, or as desired. Mix

everything, then add oil as desired. I use orange oil, the type one

would cook with, not the type one would use in perfume. We store it in a

glass jar and add a little less than a tablespoon to the detergent dispenser before every load. We rinse with vinegar in the rinse dispenser.

I get citric acid from the health food store in a 5 pound tub. I think the last time it was 12.50 or so. I use it to make quite a number of household cleaners and things for the bath like bath fizzies. I'm maybe 1/2 way through my tub and have had it for a few years. Smaller containers are in most pharmacies, but if you have a friend who is a soap maker, he/she may have some they'd be willing to share. Follow the same proportions for a smaller batch.

We had to get a new dishwasher when the (very) old one bit the dust a few years ago, and the man from the appliance who delivered it said that

the advice he gives everyone is to under-use detergent on all appliances.

He said that if you cut back 1/3 to 1/2, the dishwasher & washing machine will last a lot longer. I've since read that this seems to be true.

For the dishwasher's sake, go easy on the detergent: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/13/your-money/13shortcuts.html?src=me & ref=your-money