Cost effectiveness of: HOMEMADE DISHWASHER DETERGENT
I’ve seen various recipes for making your own dishwasher detergent. All of them seem to have the same basic ingredients:
1 c Borax--$3.38 a box (75 oz), about 10.5 c/box=$0.32/cup
1 c Baking soda &/or Washing soda--baking soda 13.5 lb bag $5.62, about 25 c/bag ( 7oz/c),= $0.22/cup; washing soda 55 oz $3.24, about 6 c/box, =$0.54/c
1/4 to 1/2 c Epsom salt or kosher salt--epsom salt 10 lb $6.98, 1 c about 8 oz so about 20 c/box=$0.35/c
1/4 to 1/2 c citric acid, or fruit fresh or 2 .25 oz pk (.5 oz total) unsweetened lemonade kool-aid--lemi-shine 12 oz $3.66, about 1.75 c/container=$2.09/c; unsweetened kool-aid $0.20 for 2 pk or .5 oz (at 10 for $1)
and then using 1/2 to 1 c vinegar for rinsing--16 c/gallon $3.58 for 2 gallons=$0.11/cup
Use 2 T dry ingredients + 1/2 to 1 c vinegar + 2 to 3 drops dawn per load
Cheapest per load cost using homemade: 1 recipe makes about 35-40 T or 17-20 loads worth if using only 2 T per load. This is using only baking soda, not washing soda in place of or in addition to the baking soda; also it uses epsom salt which was cheaper than kosher salt; and the cheapest kool-aid (generic brand):
1 c borax ($0.32)
1 c baking soda ($0.22)
1/4 c epsom salt ($0.35)
2 pk kool-aid ($0.20)
TOTAL to make: $1.98;
TOTAL cost per load (2 T/load): about 10-12 cents without vinegar or liquid detergent drops
optional additions: 1/2 c vinegar ($0.06) per load, 2-3 drops liquid dish soap
Great Value Dishwasher Detergent, 75 oz $3.78 (if I remember right)-- 2 T/ load=about 5 cents a load.
SO....is it worth it to make your own dishwasher detergent? Based on my calculations, it is actually cheaper to use Walmart's generic brand. Is 2 T enough per load to get the dishes clean? 2 T fills up one dish detergent holder--not both the lidded and overflow holders. So if you usually only fill up one detergent holder then 2 T will be enough, if you normally have to fill up both holders, then the pricer per load will be more. You will have to determine if you are happy with one or both holders being filled, it will also depend on the type of dishes and the dirtiness of the dishes.
Other notes:
Each time I have tried making homemade dishwasher detergent, it does clump and harden together, so some scraping, banging, etc. is required to loosen it back up to actually use. I've not had an issue with it actually cleaning the dishes though.
Vinegar and dawn are optional but do make a difference for glassware as shown on:
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