I love homemade, natural dishwasher and laundry detergent! I am definitely getting back to nature in my house. I’m trying to do as much as possible naturally and that includes cleaning. I personally cannot tolerate or breathe in man-made chemicals. I immediately get headaches. I have struggled for a long time trying to find products that clean my house, that don’t singe my nose hairs and knock me out at the same time! I finally found some!
One ingredient that I cannot do without is vinegar. I clean my wood floors, counter tops, sinks and more! I can tolerate the smell and it is cheap. No household should be without white vinegar I think ) .
I must say that I LOVE Dr. Bronner’s Castille Soap as well. This soap is absolutely amazing! It cleans everything and I mean everything. I can wash my hair, body and even bathroom glass doors and fiberglass basin (used in combination with baking soda) with it. And it really cleans, no elbow grease required. This soap’s ingredients are all natural and contains: olive oil, mint oil, coconut oil, palm oil, avocado oil, tea tree oil, hemp oil, alcohol and beeswax. I was so excited with Dr. Bronner’s soap that I decide to find other natural products to clean my house, including dishwashing detergent and laundry soap. You will find other variations of this recipe, but it’s these combinations I like best. These two recipes have all dry ingredients, with the exception of the essential oil and I prefer to store my soap this way. I hope that you’ll try them and get great results too.
- 2 cups of Borax
- 2 cups of Washing Soda
- 1 cup of Citric Acid
- 1 cup of salt
- Favorite Essential Oil
- Combine all ingredients. Mix well. Store in an air-tight container, preferably glass.
- Use 1 tablespoon per load as needed. For extra shine, add white vinegar in the rinse cycle.
- Optional: Add 1-5 drops of your favorite essential oil, depending on personal preference.
- 2 cups of Washing Soda
- 2 cups of Borax
- 2 cups of shredded soap - Dr. Bronner's
- Favorite Essential Oil
- Combine all ingredients. Mix well. Store in an air-tight container, preferably glass.
- Use 1/4 cup per load.
- Optional: Add 1-5 drops of your favorite essential oil, depending on personal preference.
- Essential oils: Citronella, Cinammon, Castor Oil, Rosemary, Lemon eucalyptus, lemon grass(all mosquitos), Rose Geranium (for ticks) and fractionated coconut oil
- Use at least 5 different essential oils. Get a new small spray bottle and put 5 drops of each essential oil into it along with the carrier oil: fractionated coconut oil, olive oil or witch hazel.
- "Different insects are repelled by different chemicals, so you'll get a more effective repellent if you combine a few different insect-repelling natural oils. If you are making large amounts of insect repellent, a good rule of thumb is to mix the repellent so it's 5-10% essential oil,with 10-20 parts carrier oil or alcohol." Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.
I love your homemade natural dishwasher detergent. I have finished one batch and recently made another and stored in the same sealed container but this time it is hard as a rock. How can I get it usable and what did I do wrong?
Thanks
Linda
Hi Linda! Thanks for your comment. It’s weird that it worked for you the first time. I am wondering if your container had moisture in it, and are you using a glass container? When you make it, you can also put your mixture into ice cube trays, add a little lemon juice and this will form into individual packets. For now though, you may just need to break it down manually and use the chunks. Hope this helps.
Thanks so much for the help.