How to make Dishwasher Soap

When we think about the things that we can do to get healthier, any step we take brings us closer to our optimal health.  Many people don’t even know how harmful the commercial soaps can be for them. Those soaps usually contain many chemicals that are toxic for the body.  This could be the case of hand soaps, laundry soaps and dish soaps among others. Today I am going to focus on the soaps to wash dishes. 

When it comes to cleaning dishes, I truly believe that washing dishes by hand is the best way to get them properly cleaned.  This is because when we rub the dishes and cutlery using a sponge or a brush, there is no residue left on them. 

Dishwashers are not as effective, because they cannot rub dishes.  They only clean them through sprays of water.  So, commercial dishwasher soaps made for dishwasher machines need strong chemicals for optimal cleaning and to leave the dishes sparkling. The problem with that is that there is always a residue of these chemicals left in the dishes, which is hard to see.  One way to see that, is by putting some glasses washed and dried inside the dishwasher up to the light and looking through them.  Even if it is in small amounts, we end up ingesting the residues of those chemicals. If your health is in optimal shape, you might not worry about this.  But if your health is not in optimal condition, when it comes to toxic load, every little bit that gets accumulated inside your body counts and can make you feel worse.  

Now, here is a confession.  I do not like washing dishes by hand.  So for me, anything that comes into my kitchen has to be dishwasher safe….. OK,  OK, there are some exceptions to this rule, but they have to be things that are absolutely worth it for me because they make my cooking process easier and faster, and for this reason I would be willing to wash them by hand, like my high-speed blender or my food processor, which even though they are supposed to be dish-washer safe, I wash them by hand to avoid them to get damaged inside the dishwasher.

But going back to the point: for years I used commercial pods in my dishwasher.  A few years ago I got very sick, very quickly.  And when I hit rock bottom with my health, I found that that lifestyle changes were needed in my life to support my health. (You can find more about me here).  So among other things, I started to make my own dishwasher soap, and after many trials and errors, I came up with a combination of ingredients that work for me. At that time, when I was researching on this,  I was surprised on how little people knew about this.

In my experience, I’ve found that the best possible ingredients for a dish soap to hand-wash your dishes are:

1. Hot water: helps release dry food on dishes.
2. Mustard powder: it was the dishwasher detergent years ago, when not many chemicals were used in cleaning products. It removes grease and food effectively, and does not leave any toxic residue in the dishes.  Mustard powder is also inexpensive.
3. Baking soda: helps dirt and grease dissolve in water, and sprinkled on a dishrag, it forms a mildly abrasive scouring powder.
4. Vinegar: its acidic nature helps kill bacteria, and is so powerful that it can dissolve mineral deposit, dirt, grease, and grime.

But the dishwasher needs something different and stronger to leave the dishes clean.  Most commercial dishwasher soaps contain harmful chemicals that are damaging for our body.  Many of them even display the word DANGER in the package, and people still buy them and use them.

These ingredients have worked for me to make my own dishwasher soap:

• Washing soda: it is a good all-purpose cleaner, and helps dissolve grease and clean. It has a good rating from the Environmental Working Group.
• Baking soda: see above.
• Epsom Salt (USP): helps with the stains left by the hard water. I find that the salt helps the dishes dry without leaving an annoying film on them, especially on glass. Many people use regular table salt. I don’t. I chose to use Epsom salts, and use the ones that are deemed to be safe for human consumption.
• Citric acid. It helps avoid the hard water deposits from settling in your dishes, providing help with the grease.

As for dishwasher soap, below is the recipe I’ve been using for a while. It has worked great for me.  Just remember that some adjustments might need to be made depending on the type of water you get at home (for example, if you get hard water). This dishwasher recipe makes just over 20 Tbsps of soap, which will be enough for 10 loads.  You can adjust it to make more.  Here is how I make it.

POWDER DISHWASHER SOAP  (for 10 loads)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 C Washing Soda
• 1/2 C Baking Soda
• 1/2 C Epsom Salts
• 1/8  C of Citric Acid

1. Combine all the ingredients in a tightly sealed container.  
2. Mix them well with a spoon or a spatula, or close the lid and shake it well, so all the ingredients get well mixed.

Make sure the container is properly labeled, for your family’s safety, and store it out of the reach of children.