DISHWASHER POWDERED SOAP

I hate spending my hard earned money on "unfun" things!  I'm pretty sure no one likes buying toilet paper, laundry soap and cleaning supplies just to name a few.  Until recently, I felt like I really didn't have an option on these things.  It led me into mounds of research for a better alternative to spending all my money on these "unfun" things.  One of the ways I have been cutting back on spending money on these things is by making my own items.  I know to some it might seem like I've gone off the deep end but really, I have found it's cost effective, you waste less product and resources (so it's much greener), most of the time they are more natural products and homemade solutions tend to work much better than their store bought expensive counterparts.  Here's my version of homemade powdered dishwasher soap.

Dishwasher Powdered Soap
1 Box of Borax
1 Box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
24 Packets of Unsweetened Lemonade (Kool-aide sized)
3 Cups of Epsom Salts
1 Container of Lemi-Shine

Mix all of the above ingredients really well and store in a container of your choice.  To use simply add 1 tablespoon of the mixture into detergent section of your dishwasher and start the cleaning cycle.  For best results use with white vinegar in the rinse aid section or add 1 tablespoon white vinegar before starting.

Obviously, it will take you a long time to use up this entire recipe since you only use 1 tablespoon per load.  This mixture will start to get hard overtime and that is okay- you just have to break it up when you go to scoop it.

*Note: Vinegar and the citric acid in the lemi-shine and lemonade packets helps fight and remove hard water stains and deposits.  Vinegar is also a great rinse aid to leave your glasses sparkling.

I got my container that you see in the above picture from Wal-Mart.

-Mallory Mudd Pomerville