These DIY dishwasher pods are a greener and cleaner alternative that work surprisingly well! These homemade dishwasher pods are fairly cheap to make as they only have washing soda, epsom salt, borax, lemon essential oil, and vinegar.
Your water hardness matters
When we lived in Arizona we had hard water and these didn’t work well there (it was such a pain trying to find a green way to clean our cloth diapers too). But everywhere else we’ve had moderate to soft water and these have worked fine. Some say to add vinegar to your rinse aid compartment, but I’ve also read that this can break down your rubber gaskets that seals your dishwasher.
If you don’t know your water’s hardness, you can buy strips and do a test yourself (the best way) or you can try one of these zip code finders to see what the average hardness in your area is.
I have personally found that generic maps on websites don’t tend to be accurate. Some use different matrix and one little area may have a different water hardness than the rest in the area.
DIY Dishwasher Pods
Homemade dishwasher pods, or tablets, are super convenient to use. You just pop them into your dishwasher compartment and use them like you would the store bought ones. But this is a way to ensure you’re getting an eco-friendly and toxin free cleaner.
What we use on our dishes to clean them is so important because our food goes directly on them. So give yourself the peace of mind knowing that your family is using safe cleaners. Plus, they’re quick and easy to make too!
What You’ll Need
To make these, you’ll want some sort of silicone or rubber mold to place them in. You want to ensure that the molds are small enough that they’ll fit into your dishwasher pod compartment. I’ve used an ice tray mold before wonderfully!
You’ll also want an airtight jar to store them in. If you’re storing them under your sink, I’d say the airtight part is important so if moisture got under your sink you don’t ruin your pods.
The ingredients in these tabs are:
- epsom salt
- washing soda
- borax
- lemon essential oil
- vinegar
About the ingredients
- Epsom Salt
- This is the salt you’ll find in the bath aisle for sore muscles. Epsom salt helps to your dishwasher pods work hard with caked on food. It also helps to prevent mineral build up within your dishwasher and on your dishes.
- Washing Soda
- This is normally found in your detergent aisle and is either up high or down low since it’s a stain remover and laundry booster. It helps to remove greasy build up on pots and pans. Washing soda is a more abrasive cleaner than baking soda.
- Borax (white box, mule team variety)
- Someone will probably comment about how toxic borax is. I have seen some heated debates within the crunchy communities over borax, especially over kids playing with slime. I’ve seen people claim that mule team Borax is as toxic as table salt. Sodium tetraborate (borax) isn’t boric acid. Borax, nor any substance, shouldn’t be breathed in. The same goes for baking soda, flour, or other powdery substances. You can read more about it here.
- Borax can help block mildew growth and whiten. There’s a reason Grandma used borax! It helps to cut through grease and cleans well.
- Vinegar
- Vinegar helps to prevent your dishes from looking cloudy out of the dishwasher. It also helps cut through soap build up. It’s the only liquid used in this recipe to help wet the ingredients so they hold together too.
- Lemon Essential Oil
- Lemon is a powerful grease fighting essential oil (even lemon juice can be used for it!) It also helps to whiten and shine things.
Save this for later!
DIY Dishwasher Pods (without citric acid)
These eco-friendly and toxin free dishwasher pods are little power houses! They leave your dishes come out of the dishwasher squeaky clean.
Materials
- ½ cup washing soda
- ½ cup Borax
- 1/4 cup epsom salt
- 1/4 cup vinegar
- 13 drops of lemon essential oil
Tools
- silicone mold
Instructions
- Mix all dry ingredients together.
- Add essential oils and vinegar.
- Mix ingredients until well incorporated.
- Put into molds, pressing the ingredients down as you add them so they're packed in.
- Allow to sit out and dry for 12-24 hours.
Notes
If you have enough molds, feel free to double this recipe!
Don't forget, every month you should clean out your dishwasher just like your washing machine. Every week I pull out the screen and "catch" from the bottom of my dishwasher to clean them. Then, each month, I add ¼ cup citric acid and ¼ cup baking soda then run my dishwasher on it's pots and pans setting.
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