Homemade Dishwasher Soap

Like everyone else, I like to save a little money. A little over a year ago, I started making homemade laundry soap and it has saved us so much money. Because the laundry soap was a success, I wanted to branch out and try other money-saving ideas. After some research, I decided to try dishwasher soap. I found a great recipe online and after a trip to the local Wal-mart for supplies, I was ready to go.

What you need:

1 box of Borax

1 box washing soda (Arm and Hammer, yellow box, NOT baking soda)

3 cups Epsom Salt

24 packs of no sugar added lemon drink powder

BIG container to hold it all

Washing soda and Borax were in the laundry aisle, Epsom salt  was in the first aid section.

This was in the kitchen section, cost about 5 bucks. 

What you do:

In a VERY large bowl mix together all ingredients. I added a little of each at a time and stirred with a wooden spoon. Once it is mixed, transfer it all to the storage container. Use 1 tablespoon per load. 

My mixing bowl. Ironically it is too large to fit in the dishwasher. 

Ta Da! Soap! 

From start to finish, this only took about 10 minutes. Most of that time was spent on opening all those packs of drink powder. 

And here is the math. 

Borax-$2.98

Washing Soda-$2.77

Epsom Salt-$2.86 (plus there is enough from this bag for the next batch)

Lemonade powder-12 cents a pack-$2.88

Total=$11.49 per batch 

This made about 19 cups of soap so at 1 tablespoon per wash, that's 152 loads of dishes. It comes down to 7-8 cents per load. I compared with the brand I usually buy (a generic brand). It was 20-25 cents per load, so the savings here is pretty exciting. I also like that it makes so much, so I won't have to buy it that often. 

I just washed my first load of dishes with this and they came out really clean. 151 loads to go! I did read several different accounts that suggested to add some white vinegar as a rinse aid. Apparently this keeps the spotties away. 

What is your favorite money-saving idea? I am looking for more things to try!