DIY

This is the first time that I have had a dishwasher while living on my own. Prior that this, my only dishwasher was my husband. He did a good job, but I am happy to have a real one. I decided to see what making my own dishwasher detergent would entail, and it was surprisingly easy, cheap, and according to the reviews works as well, if not better than expensive store bought stuff so I decided to give it a try. It only takes 4 ingredients.
    
     Borax
     Washing Soda (NOT baking soda)
     Salt
     LemiShine


I was able to find all of the stuff at Walmart, except for the Washing Soda which I found at the grocery store in the laundry aisle. But I learned, thanks to pinterest, that you can turn baking soda into washing soda. I failed Chemistry so I can't explain how it works, but I found this explanation online: 

     Baking soda's chemical makeup is NaHCO3 (1 sodium, 1 hydrogen, one carbon, and 3 oxygen molecules). Washing soda's chemical makeup is Na2CO3 (2 sodium, 1 carbon, and 3 oxygen molecules). When baking soda is heated up to high temperatures, it breaks down to become washing soda, water steam, and carbon dioxide.




So, If you bake Baking Soda at 400 degrees it will turn into washing soda. You will know that it is washing soda when it is no longer semi shiny, and is dull and grainy. Or you can just buy it. Either way it works. 


Anyway, back to the recipe. Like, I said, SUPER easy.

I even made a cute label for the container! I love my cricut! 

Mix 
1 Cup Borax
1 Cup Washing Soda
1/2 Cup Salt
1/2 Cup LemiShine (use more if you have hard water.)


Mix together in an air tight container. (MAKE SURE IT IS DRY BEFORE YOU USE IT...Trust me)


Use 1 tablespoon per load. You can use white vinegar as a rinse aid if you want. My daughter decided to dump all of our vinegar out on the grass the other day, so I didn't do that, but my dishes still came out clean and shiny!!