How to replace dishwasher detergent?
More and more housewives in our country are starting to use a dishwasher, appreciating the convenience and saving of time and effort that the “iron assistant” provides. At the same time, using a dishwasher generates additional costs, because you need to constantly buy salt and detergent, and all this is very expensive. This raises the question among housewives: is it possible to replace the detergent with something cheaper, but equally effective, and if so, with what? We will answer the question in this article.
What dishwashing products does the manufacturer offer?
Currently, you can find hundreds of different types of dishwasher detergents in stores. But even if you choose the cheapest ones, with constant use of the dishwasher, there will be $20-30 additional costs for the purchase of detergents per year. And we also need dishwasher salts, which should also be considered absolutely necessary consumables, because if you don’t pour salt into the machine, it will quickly break down.
Manufacturers create and sell detergents in three main forms:
- powder;
- gel;
- pills.
The most popular and effective are tablets; they dissolve gradually layer by layer, providing excellent dishwashing quality. But you will also have to pay twice as much for this quality. If you actively use the dishwasher, you will need approximately $60 worth of tablets per year. Agree, this is an amount that will make some people think. The price of the gel is intermediate between tablets and powder, but powder is the cheapest option.
For your information! When making calculations, we based our prices on the cheapest tablets, gel and powder as of spring 2016.
If you use powder or gel, then in order to ensure that there are no streaks on the dishes, you need to at least sometimes use dish rinse aid. Accordingly, we will have to add another $1000 per year to the $30 for mouthwash.
We draw a conclusion. The minimum cost for store-bought dishwasher detergents per year will be $20-30, plus about $10 for salt, plus 1000 rinse aid. The result is $40-50 per year. On average, a family of 3 people spends approximately the same amount on electricity in 6 months. It’s a bit much, but what can you do, because you can’t use a machine without salt and detergents. You can try to look for a replacement for store-bought detergents, but there are nuances here.
Homemade dishwashing powder: pros and cons
As we know, “the need for invention is cunning,” our thrifty housewives got out of the situation here too, coming up with their own recipe for dishwasher powder. They claim that a homemade detergent will cost you no more than $7 per year. To prepare homemade detergent we need:
- soda ash or baking soda;
- ordinary dry mustard;
- The cheapest powder for washing white clothes.
The components should be mixed in the following proportions: soda - 100 g, mustard - 30 g, powder - 30 g. The resulting dry mixture should be stored in a tightly closed glass or metal container, in a cool, dry place. The mixture can be stored without problems for 6 months. Before washing the dishes, household detergent is poured into the powder compartment, and then you need to run the washing program as usual.
What are the benefits of homemade detergent?
- Price. Homemade powder is very cheap and not at all burdensome for the family budget.
- Environmentally friendly components. Cheap store-bought powder contains a lot of harmful chemicals; homemade powder is completely environmentally friendly.
- Easy to prepare and store. You can prepare the product yourself, very quickly and without straining.
- The components of homemade powder are easily available and are found in every home.
Homemade powder has a lot of advantages, many are especially attracted by its cheapness, but there are also disadvantages that you should definitely pay attention to. Powder and mustard have a negative effect on the dishwasher. In the process of testing the homemade powder, it turned out that after the third wash, the nozzles of the dishwasher impellers became clogged with mustard, and they had to be cleaned with a toothpick.
In general, the product is tolerable; if you alternate it with store-bought tablets or gel, it can be used for washing. The quality of dishwashing is not bad, but to avoid leaving streaks on plates and cups, you need to use rinse aid. You can use the home remedy all the time, but in this case you need to clean the dishwasher regularly - about once every 4-5 dishwashings.
Important! If you regularly use homemade powder, it is better to reduce the concentration of mustard in it to 20 g.
Looking for a replacement for dishwasher rinse aid
If replacing the powder is not as smooth as described above, it has disadvantages, then it is quite possible to find a cheap and completely safe replacement for a store-bought rinse aid. The recipe is this: take 100 g of water, add 50 g of any dishwashing detergent and 30 g of ethyl alcohol to it, mix everything carefully and you can use it. Under no circumstances should you shake the rinse aid; if you leave it for a while, you need to carefully stir it again before using it.
By the way, housewives who use homemade dishwasher rinse aid claim that in some cases it can replace washing gel (if the dishes are not too dirty). It turns out to be a two-in-one product, both a rinse aid and a detergent.
Important! You should not increase the concentration of dishwashing detergent in relation to water; the homemade rinse aid will begin to foam strongly. To prevent the product from foaming, you can add more alcohol.
How to make homemade dishwasher tablets?
We found out how to replace the powder and rinse aid, all that remains is to figure out the dishwasher tablets. Is there an effective replacement for pills? Let’s say right away that you won’t be able to prepare modern 3-in-1 tablets at home, which dissolve layer by layer during the entire washing program, and maybe it’s not necessary. But it is quite possible to create a replacement for simple classic tablets (such as Finish Classic). What should be done?
Preparing the ingredients for future tablets:
- 200 g soda ash;
- 100 g of ordinary borax;
- 100 g Epsom salt;
- 100 g freshly squeezed lemon juice.
It is easy to prepare tablets from these components. First, pour soda, borax and salt into a bowl, mix everything. Then, continuing to stir, gradually pour in lemon juice. The mixture will start to sizzle, but don’t stop stirring and pouring in the juice.
As soon as the mixture stops sizzling, take the ice trays from the refrigerator and put the resulting mass into it.Next, we need to take the molds with the mixture out into the scorching rays of the sun; in extreme cases, we can put them on a hot radiator, but the sun is better. As soon as the mixture dries, you can take out the finished tablets. The tablets should be stored in a dark, dry place away from small children. This product is ideal for washing dishes; simple cheap tablets can be easily replaced with it.
In conclusion, we note that homemade detergents can be a good replacement for store-bought powder, gel, mouthwash or tablets, and such products will cost very little. However, you should understand that using such products for your expensive dishwasher, you are taking a risk. And the manufacturer of dishwashers strictly prohibits the use of homemade detergents. In general, the choice is yours!
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If you add the cheapest white laundry detergent to your homemade powder, what is the most environmentally friendly product??? Just wash with soda ash without any powders, it will also wash everything off for you, but then you won’t eat the rest of the washing powder off your plate!
A dishwasher powder recipe using regular laundry detergent is not only not environmentally friendly, but also stupid. As for rinse aid containing dish detergent, it is worth remembering that the rinse aid is the last one in the dishwasher cycle, so it is not washed off with anything later.It’s idiotic to wash off washing powder with dishwashing detergent. It is worth using baking soda instead of dishwashing powder and table vinegar to neutralize alkalinity at the end, instead of rinse aid.
In general, Tanya and Lena cleverly noticed these nuances! Thank you.