By Stacy Williams
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Cleaning products are expensive, but unfortunately they’re a necessary part of life. That’s why having a few homemade cleaner recipes on hand is a fantastic way to save money in your personal budget. These homemade dishwasher tablets are one of my favorites homemade cleaner recipes! They’re so simple to make and a boat load cheaper than the expensive ones that you buy at the store. If you’re looking for a liquid dishwasher detergent, our homemade dishwasher detergent will be a great option for you to try.
Homemade cleaner recipes can do quite a bit of good in your family budget. They can help you cut down on the amount of money that you’re spending so that you are saving money on groceries. They can help keep your family free of toxic chemicals which helps you be healthier. They are also much cheaper to make per unit which means that you need to stop buying and make homemade as many of them as you possibly can.
Homemade Cleaner Recipe – Homemade Dishwasher Tablets
I do want to address that these homemade dishwasher tablets do use Borax. Some of you might be concerned that it isn’t safe. It is perfectly safe when used in the dishwasher. Your dishwasher does at least two rinses on a normal cycle and will remove any residue from the Borax that you might be worried about. You can use any essential oil you want, but for homemade cleaning recipes, lemon, lavender or 4 thieves oil is usually best. They all have anti-bacterial, anti-fungal or anti-viral properties that help your homemade cleaner do what it is designed for. For this recipe, I generally use lemon essential oil since the recipe already has lemon juice in it. It doesn’t matter what brand of essential oil that you use as long as it is 100% pure oil and isn’t cut with anything. There is no grading system for essential oils and anyone can use the label “therapeutic grade” whether it is pure oil or not. Making sure that you’re using 100% oil is all that is really needed. I personally prefer Plant Therapy essential oils, but feel free to use what you would like. I like Plant Therapy though because I know they’re 100% pure.
You will need:
- 1 Cup Borax
- 1/2 Cup Epsom Salt
- 1 Cup Washing Soda
- 1/2 Cup Lemon Juice
- 10-15 drops lemon essential oil
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the Borax, washing soda and epsom salt. Use a wire whisk to stir the ingredients into each other and break up any clumps.
Once the dry ingredients are mixed well, pour in the about 1/2 of the lemon juice.Stir to combine well. If the mixture is too dry, add a bit more lemon juice and mix again. You want the mixture to be wet enough that it will clump together in your hand when squeezed. You don’t want it sopping wet so be careful how much you add at once.
Add in thelemon essential oil(or whichever oil you’re using) and mix again to make sure that the essential oil is evenly distributed.
When your mixture is the right consistency, use acookie scoop to form the mixture into individual tablets. If you don’t have a cookie scoop, you can use an ice cube tray or upcycle an egg carton to use instead.
Once you’ve got all of your tablets made, allow them to dry on a piece of parchment paper or a cookie sheet. Usually they’ll dry in 2-3 hours but if your home has a lot of humidity, it may take longer.
Store your homemade dishwasher tablets in an airtight container. Use 1 for each load of dishes that you wash. These will keep for around 1 month without losing any potency. If they dry out completely, they’re still good so don’t toss them. They’ll still work after that but may not work as well. If you want to extend the life of your homemade dishwasher tablets, store them in the fridge in a dark container.
