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Home Dishwashing Detergent

homemade dishwashing detergentIncreasingly, we are thinking about how to avoid the huge amount of harmful chemistry present in our lives in the form of detergents for washing and washing dishes, gels, sprays and other substances. In addition to health, many are worried about the financial side of the issue, because manufacturers through advertising sell dishware at inflated prices. That is why one wonders involuntarily whether it is possible to make a dishwashing detergent with your own hands and use it in a dishwasher, will it be harmless to the machine and the person and high-quality when washing? Let's try to figure it out.

We are preparing a dishwasher

Most powders and dishwashing liquids in a dishwasher consist of surface-active substances (surfactants) that allow the powder to foam, various acids that corrode fat, and water softeners. In addition, the composition may include bleach, sodium silicate (prevents metal corrosion), enzymes, brighteners, thickeners and other substances with difficult to pronounce chemical names.

The effect of such substances on human health is being debated. In insignificant quantities, they are really harmless, some of them can be found even in food or medicine. But is it possible to replace such substances in order to prepare a dishwashing detergent with your own hands, which can be put in the dishwasher. We found several such recipes.

Recipe number 1. In one glass of hot water you need to dissolve 1 teaspoon of soda ash, and then add 1 teaspoon of hydrogen peroxide. This safe tool may not wash out burnt pans, but you can wash plates, spoons, forks and other small dishes without harming the dishwasher.

Important! Using such a liquid dishwashing liquid, it is necessary to pour salt into the dishwasher.

mustardRecipe number 2. Another detergent can be prepared on the basis of mustard. Yes, it is on mustard, which foams well and launders fat. So, half a glass of dry mustard, mix with half a glass of borax and one glass of soda ash. The mixture should be stored in an opaque container in a dark place.
I must say that some users have a negative attitude to this recipe, explaining that mustard is very poorly soluble in water, clogs the nozzle in the sprayer and is not washed off the dishes. But how many people, so many opinions, someone has no problems with such a homemade product. By the way, it can be used not only in the dishwasher, but also when washing dishes by hand.

Recipe number 3. This recipe is more aimed at saving the budget, although the use of surfactants is negligible, and will not affect human health, of course if you are not allergic. Amateur chemists thoroughly analyzing the composition of the powders for the dishwasher, came to the conclusion that a simplified and effective powder can be prepared at home. This will require:

  • 25 g of neonol (surfactant),
  • 25 g of sulfanol (surfactant) and
  • 950 g of baking soda or soda ash.

The first two substances are commercially available and are necessary for the formation of foam. Soda is the basis of the composition, since in one portion of such a powder (30 g), only 1.5 g of surfactant. Pouring 1.5 g of substance into the machine is extremely inconvenient, therefore, soda is used as the basis. Prior to us, the cost of such a tool has already been calculated, so we will not give calculations, but give a specific figure, 1 kg of powder will cost about 50 rubles. As you can see the savings are obvious. This homemade product is well suited for washing dishes in soft water, with hard water the use of salt is mandatory.

Note! Some substances that are part of the factory powders may not be needed, for example, sodium silicate from rusting the tank of the machine, which is already made of stainless metal.

There are still many recipes for home remedies, but they are applicable for washing by hand, and not for a dishwasher.

DIY pills

Some craftsmen and amateurs of the experiments went even further and came up with not just how to make the powder at home, but to make pills. Tablets are the most popular dishwasher detergent, but they are also the most expensive. Marketers work great, attributing unusual properties to them. We found recipes for making such a pleasure at home for a much smaller amount.

To prepare the first recipe you will need:

  • 350 g of washing powder, look carefully at its composition, because it is practically no different from powder for dishwashing, except that it does not have soda;

    Important! Like washing powder, a powder for a dishwasher is needed in order to remove fats, proteins and other dirt from clothes or dishes. So, in both powders there is everything you need.

  • 150 g of soda ash, which not only helps to clean up impurities, but also softens water;
  • water as a connecting element.

So, mix the dry ingredients, adding a little water, a thick slurry should turn out. We fill the ice mold with this slurry, and after a couple of hours we get the finished tablets out of it. Note that the shape should not be too large, focus on the size of the store tablets, as the tablet should fit in the dishwasher compartment.

The second recipe, slightly different from the first, you need to take 80 g of baby powder (not so aggressive), for example, "Eared Nanny", 18 g of soda and 2 g of liquid dishwashing detergent. The dry ingredients are mixed and then the dishwashing detergent is added. The resulting mass is laid in molds for ice until solidified.

homemade dishwasher tablets

Important! If you use baby powder, then substances that fight protein pollution work at a temperature of no higher than 400C, therefore, in the dishwasher you need to choose the appropriate mode.

The described recipes for preparing tablets for washing dishes at home may not be super eco-friendly, but they are much cheaper and more economical.

From a safety point of view, you can use this recipe for the preparation of tablets. You need to take 150 g of baking soda, 200 g of borax, a pound of Epsom salt, which is popularly called magnesia, and then mix all the ingredients well. After that, gradually add concentrated lemon juice or a solution of citric acid until a thick slurry is obtained. Then spread the gruel into molds and wait until the mixture hardens. Dishwasher tablets are ready.

Pros and cons of homemade products

Judging by the recipes and their composition, it is not difficult to guess all the advantages and disadvantages of homemade dishwashing detergents. We list them for clarity, and start with the pros:

  • the most important plus is the low cost, one portion of homemade powder will cost about 1.5-2 rubles, if you take the well-known Finish, then the same portion (30 g) will cost 15 rubles, a homemade tablet costs 1.7-2 rubles, But the factory average of 20 rubles per piece. Even if used separately salts for the dishwasherthere is a benefit;
  • the composition of a home remedy can be changed depending on the needs and characteristics of the dishwasher, putting more or less of some substance;
  • when preparing the product with your own hands, you know exactly what you put and how you will wash the dishes, and therefore the composition is safer.

Disadvantages of such funds also have:

  • Firstly, you will have to spend personal time to prepare a detergent, although 20-30 minutes is not so much.
  • Secondly, powder and tablets have a not very aesthetic appearance. Although how to look at it and try.
  • Thirdly, it is necessary to experimentally select a portion of such detergent for one washing cycle, it may turn out that its consumption will be a little more than the factory means, but with such a cost it does not matter.

So, whether or not to do the dishwashing detergent in the dishwasher is up to you. Read the reviews of people on thematic forums, especially since in most cases real people communicate on them, and not marketers of well-known manufacturers. Good luck with your experiments!

   

8 reader comments

  1. Gravatar Nikia Nikia:

    And what smell will be from mustard + soda?

    • Gravatar Natalya Natalya:

      There really won't be a smell. Just do not immediately open the mmm.

    • Gravatar Sergey Sergei:

      Mustard will clog your dishwasher.

  2. Gravatar Beco Beko:

    Mustard will clog all nozzles and ruin the machine. You can not use it !!!

    • Gravatar Yuri Yuri:

      It's true. Case says man.

  3. Gravatar Natasha Natasha:

    I liked the pill prescription 🙂

  4. Gravatar Anonymous Anonymous:

    When and how many percent - essence or acetic acid? And in what proportions for rinsing the dishes pour vinegar into the dishwasher?

  5. Gravatar Anonymous Anonymous:

    I don’t remember about sulfanol. But neonol is forbidden to use for washing dishes, since when it is heated, one of the decay products is phenol, which is recognized as a carcinogen.

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