The dishwasher is a great convenience, which certainly takes away a good deal of daily household chores. On the other hand, the dishwasher also needs a certain amount of attention or, at the very least, a specific detergent, be it powder, capsules, or tabs.
When this ends, you suddenly find yourself washing by hand (or venturing out to immediately search for the missing detergent).
However, it is not strictly necessary to always buy dishwasher products or at least reduce hand washing when they are not available.
In fact, it is possible not only to clean a dishwasher in a natural way but also to make various types of detergent for dishwashers at home that are as effective as they are ecological. Let’s find out how.
Homemade detergents
Homemade detergents do not require particularly elaborate ingredients and it will probably be possible to produce at least one only with what is available in a normal kitchen and thus be able to continue using the dishwasher even in an “emergency”.
They are also, as already mentioned, ecological and self-produced detergents, which therefore can also be interesting as occasional substitutes for the more classic powders or tabs.
Homemade lemon detergent
One of the most readily available recipes on the internet is that of homemade lemon detergent. The one proposed here is the most refined version with high cleaning power and a certain safety of use, both by hand and in the dishwasher.
To make about half a liter of homemade lemon detergent you need:
- 8 lemons
- 800 ml of water
- 300g of fine salt
- 200ml of vinegar
The first thing to do is to boil the lemons until they are very soft. It is possible to check their cooking as with a potato, by piercing them with a fork and checking how easily the teeth enter.
Once well softened, the lemons must be cut into small pieces and deprived of seeds, so that they can then be blended until a homogeneous mixture is obtained.
If it is not, it can be filtered with a large mesh strainer (important to avoid clogging the dishwasher ) and pour it into the 800ml of water, then add the remaining ingredients. At this point, it is time to boil the mixture by mixing it with a wooden tool until it reduces to the amount of about half a liter of detergent.
The detergent thus obtained can be used immediately and can be easily stored for a few months.
Homemade tablets
For those who prefer tablets, it is possible to make a home version from the following ingredients:
- 300g of baking soda
- Demineralized water
- 1-2 tablespoons of liquid castile soap
- About 20 drops of orange or lemon essential oils
To make the tablets, the ingredients must be poured into a bowl and mixed well, with the exception of the water which must be added gradually, just enough to mix all the other ingredients.
The resulting mixture should be poured into a silicone ice cube mold (or similar) and allowed to dry for a few hours before taking the tablets out and using them.
Emergency dishwasher detergent
This detergent is in fact an adaptation of detergents that you normally have at home to a format suitable for a dishwasher.
This does not mean that these are not solutions that work very well.
To make a mixture from dish detergent you need:
- A teaspoon of dish soap
- A tablespoon of fine salt
- A spoonful of baking soda
To make a similar mixture from Marseille soap instead:
- A glass of baking soda
- Half a glass of liquid castile soap
In both cases, you just need to mix the ingredients very well and you can immediately use the mixture in the dishwasher.
Can I Use Laundry Detergent in My Dishwasher | Video Explanation
What if I want to use a common hand-washing detergent?
The short answer is that you should never use ordinary dishwashing detergent in the dishwasher. The main reason is that a hand dish detergent generates a lot of foam, by the standards of the various detergents, at least, and therefore the risk of finding the kitchen completely flooded by a blanket of foam is very well justified.
The complete answer is that if you had absolutely nothing available and it was still necessary to wash the dishes inside the dishwasher, you can also use the dish soap exactly as it is on sale, with the small precautions of pouring very little ( a teaspoon) and set the cycle as long as possible to clean up the foam well.
Hi, I’m Jennifer Lawrence, Went to Calhoun High School (Georgia) my goal is to make the kitchen fun by providing a mathematical and logical component to our approach to cooking good food. I look not only at delicious recipes but also at kitchen tools and gadgets to give you the tips and tricks we hope you will find useful. Read More Here
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