If you’ve ever tried making homemade dishwasher detergent and been disappointed with the results, chances are you were closer to a great recipe than you thought! Most do-it-yourself formulas use the same basic ingredients, but there’s a trick to getting natural cleaning recipes to work.
You see, cleansers like washing soda are considered a base, while buildup removers like citric acid are, well, an acid! While both of these components are essential to a good recipe, they neutralize each other if used at the same time. Many homemade recipes mix them together, when really they’re best left separate.
Here’s an analogy: Hot water is soothing and relaxing, while cold water is refreshing and invigorating. However, when you mix the two together you end up with tepid water and lose the benefits of both.
What makes a good dishwasher detergent recipe?
Most commercial detergents use at least 50% washing soda in their formulas, with the remaining ingredients usually being water softeners and rinse aids.
Unfortunately, the extra ingredients in most popular detergents – this one, for example – get an “F” from the EWG for things like developmental and reproductive toxicity, respiratory concerns, environmental toxicity and carcinogenicity. That’s not a problem that goes away when our dishwater flows back to the municipal treatment plant – many of these chemicals are not filtered out when the water is processed and sent back into our homes.
The reason companies use these chemicals is because they’re not acidic like most natural rinse aids and therefore won’t neutralize the washing soda. However, there’s another way to use washing soda without giving up a natural rinse aid, and that’s to introduce your cleanser and rinse aid during different points of the wash cycle so they don’t cancel each other out.
This detergent recipe calls for pure washing soda as the primary cleansing agent, which should be followed by one or both of my natural rinse aid recipes.
Really, just washing soda?
If this is what you’re thinking, you’re not alone. Other homemade recipes contain ingredients like borax, kosher salt, epsom salt and baking soda, which can make them seem more legitimate somehow. Truth be told, though, all three of these ingredients do the same thing as washing soda – raise pH and soften water – just less effectively.
The only exception is borax, which in addition to helping raise pH also combines with washing soda to create hydrogen peroxide. However, you can get the same effect – only stronger – simply by using a natural oxygen bleach in your formula. This can be helpful if you’re still experiencing hard water deposits after using this detergent plus one or both of the rinse aids.
For instructions on adding oxygen bleach to your recipe, see the troubleshooting section at the bottom of this post.
What To Buy If You Don’t Want To DIY
I often get questions about what store-bought options I recommend for different products – even one-ingredient recipes like this one. When I set out to find a store-bought alternative to this dishwasher detergent, I thought for sure the best option would be another powdered detergent. Turns out, though, that this liquid gel is one of the highest rated for both safety and performance.
For a rinse aid, Eco-Me is made with just four ingredients – vinegar, citric acid, coconut-derived soap and plant-derived solubilizer. The soap and stabilizer both score a “1” with the Environmental Working Group, which is the safest rating possible, and vinegar and citric acid are what I use in my homemade rinse aid.
Important: Read Before Transitioning To Homemade Dishwasher Soap
Before using this recipe for the first time, it’s important to clear away mineral deposits and/or other residue from your dishwasher. Otherwise, the citric acid will loosen them and they will redeposit on your dishes.
To prepare your dishwasher, place 1/4- 1/2 cup citric acid in the bottom of your empty dishwasher and start a cycle. Allow it to run for 3-5 minutes and then turn the dishwasher off. Let the water/citric acid solution soak for 3-4 hours and then allow the cycle to complete.
Homemade Dishwasher Detergent Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups washing soda (If you want to make your own, here's how to make washing soda from baking soda)
- 15-30 drops grapefruit essential oil (optional)
- 5-10 drops lemon essential oil (optional)
Instructions
To Make:
- Combine your ingredients and stir until there are no clumps. Pour into a mason jar or other airtight container and add a clay pouch to absorb moisture if desired. (This is only needed if you find that your dishwasher detergent is clumping. See the FAQ section below for details.)
To Use:
- Use approximately 2 tablespoons per load, or a little more for extra dirty dishes. See notes for details on which compartment to use.
Notes
- My dishwasher has a pre-rinse compartment that releases the first round of powder into the dishwasher. That's where I put my dishwasher detergent.
- The main detergent compartment pops open later in the cycle - that's where I put my rinse aid.
Frequently Asked Questions
My dishwasher detergent is clumping. What can I do?
Add two tablespoons of bentonite clay in a pouch or small sock. This prevents the dishwasher detergent from clumping in high humidity areas. It’s placed in a pouch because it’s not meant to mix with the formula, just absorb excess moisture. However, it’s very rarely necessary. I never use the clay in my home and I have no issues with clumping.
I tried the DIY dishwasher detergent and I’m still experiencing hard water deposits. What do I do?
Instead of 4 cups washing soda, use just 2 cups washing soda and add in 2 cups powdered oxygen bleach that contains no fillers – I buy this brand on Amazon. It says it’s 99% pure oxygen bleach (Sodium Percarbonate), but it’s totally pure, non-toxic sodium percarbonate with nothing added. The other 1% is moisture.
Do you need to use a rinse aid or will it work to just use the washing soda?
This recipe seems to work well even without the rinse aid for some people, but personally I have found it to be essential.
Do you recommend putting a cup full of white vinegar in the top rack before starting a load of dishes?
It might be fine, but there’s a possibility that the vinegar could spill out at the same time the washing soda is released, which would neutralize both of their benefits. For that reason I opt not to use this approach.
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This is a great blog. I came across it via wholesome mama blog and I’m loving it!
i do dishes the old fashioned way, by hand, do u have a recipe for regular dish soap?
Just wondering whether the essential oils are just for scent or for disinfecting as well. I’m severely allergic to the citrus oils (although not the citric acid used in the rinse aid). If its just scent I’d probably use lavender. If disinfectant, I’d probably add some bay, thyme, rosemary, and/or sage.
They’re helpful as a degreaser but not necessary. I often use just washing soda and it works beautifully. 🙂
I have your ebook on cleaning products (which I love) – does home-made washing soda (baked baking soda, your recipe for laundry detergent) work as well as buying it? Thanks!
Can I use “Super Washing Soda”?
Yes 🙂
Great! My other dish detergent recipe contained epsom salt, washing soda and lemon juice. I’m about out, so I’ll try this simple recipe. Simple is always good. I also took your advice on laundry detergent, using hot water since my homemade stuff has borax in it. and started using Oxi-Clean. Another blog had recently posted an article about how homemade detergent doesn’t work (they were trying to sale some expensive, “natural” detergent, no thanks!) Thanks for the encouragement to not give up on homemade and telling me what really works! Our clothes have been looking and smelling cleaner:)
Hi Heather, I have a big box of Arm & Hammer all natural super washing soda already on hand. The box doesn’t say anything about using it in the dishwasher but for using in the washing machine and cleaning around the house. Will this work as a good substitute for what you use? I just hate to buy more of something I already have. Thanks
Yes you can, I use the same Arm & Hammer washing soda in my dishwasher detergent recipe.
Do you need to use a rinse aid or will it work to just use the washing soda?
In my experience you really need the rinse aid as well 🙂
How do you make the rinse aid?
You can find the recipe here: https://mommypotamus.com/natural-dishwasher-rinse-aid/
I was just about to ask the same question – thanks for the link!
I’ve been using this and the rinse-aid recipe for about a month now and it works beautifully. Much better than a previous homemade recipe I had found. There is no left-over residue as before, and this recipe is really simple. Thankyou so much for sharing it! 🙂
When using this and a diluted vinegar rinse aid my dishes come out with a powdery film on them. Any advice you can give me to remedy this?
Have you tried this homemade rinse aid?
Thank you Heather, I have been using the rinse aid you suggested for a few weeks now and it really does make all the difference in the world. I have not used any essential oils in either the detergent or the rinse aid yet my dishes are clean and film free. Thank you again for another super simple recipe to help detoxify my home!
So glad it has worked well for you, Tonya!
This recipe works great in my dishwasher! I’ve tried 3 different recipes, and this is the best. I don’t even have to use a rinse aid. My dishwasher is running better since using this recipe and is cleaner inside that it’s been in a long time. Thank you, Heather, for researching on best safe products and for your great website!
I made a 1/2 batch of this last night (2 cups washing soda, 15 drops of grapefruit EO, and 5 of Lemon EO). I used 2T in my dishwasher per the instructions and woke up super excited to unload my dishwasher this morning, only to find every single one of them covered in a white film that I cannot get off. I have run it 2 additional times with no detergent, only using the seventh gen (brilliant shine rinse) because I still have some. So I’m wondering what can I do? Why did this happen? How can I get this off without manually scraping every single dish?! ?
Ack, I’m sorry to hear that! I wonder if the washing soda reacted with detergent residue that was on the dishes or perhaps the water?
You have to run a load with a few cups of vinegar to get the gunk off. Adding citric acid to your rinse will definitely help So you don’t have to do vinegar again.
What is a clay pouch?
To make one, add two tablespoons of bentonite clay in a pouch or small sock. This prevents the dishwasher detergent from clumping in high humidity areas. It’s placed in a pouch because it’s not meant to mix with the formula, just absorb excess moisture. However, it’s very rarely necessary. I never use the clay in my home and I have no issues with clumping.
I was told my new dishwasher has to have enzymes in the detergent; will this work? Will it harm a stainless steel lining? I switched to using your recipe in the old dishwasher and it worked really well – til it malfunctioned and flooded our kitchen!
HELP!!! I made this detergent, and was so excited to use it – only to find my dishes [and the dishwasher] covered in a white powdery type of residue after using it. I have run it again, three more times. It’s still there. I used the remainder of the seventh generation rinse aid I had on hand, just water, and oxy on the 3 washes after. What happened? Is there anything I can do to fix this?
The same thing happened to me. I think our glass dishes are etched by the washing soda and I am afraid they are permanently damaged. This would be the first and last recipe I will try from this blog.
In her homeaid rinse aid post, she mentions preping the dishwasher first because deposits may be loosened and redeposited to dishes. I wonder if this is what happened?
You need to run citric acid or vinegar in the dishwasher to remove the builduo. Running it with the dishes will help get the hard water sum off too. Use a few cups of vinegar once your dishwasher gets going. If that doesn’t do it I’ve read to use a whole gallon, I inever had to though.
Heather:
You’ve mentioned here, and an a email you sent tht you use only washing soda in your dishwasher.
You email also contains a link to where to buy washing soda.
Do you know that you can make washing soda?
Just spread baking soda on a foil lined cookie sheet and bake at 400 for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Voila = baking soda becomes washing soda. Even better, baking soda has many other uses and is inexpensive when bought at Costco — about $12.00 for a 13 lb bag.
Can you use OxiClean brand oxygen bleach on a dishwasher; or does it need to be like the one that is linked?
Based on the MSDS sheets I’ve found, unscented Oxyclean is not just washing soda: it’s a mix of washing soda (sodium carbonate), sodium percarbonate and powdered hydrogen peroxide. I am not sure if that combination is dishwasher safe, but you could check with them and see.
Hi
I have tried your recipe with washing soda and citric acid as the rinse aid but my cups are not coming out clean as they still have tea stains. What can I do for that? Do you have any suggestions?
I suggest replacing half of the washing soda with powdered oxygen bleach for extra cleaning power.
Best simple one that works well is 3 parts Baking Soda (Turns to washing soda, CO2) and Sodium Percarbonate (Turns to washing soda, and H2O2 ‘hydrogen peroxide’) with about 10 drops of Dawn liquid.
You can tell it really works, because once you have used it a few times, you will realize you have not seen the inside of your dishwasher that clean in years…
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! It is my go-to for dish washing. It works like a charm, smells beautiful, easy on the budget – what’s not to love?
Thank you for the wonderful recipe. It appears that your purpose is to help people live more holistically, self sufficiently and free from the corporate box. Can i ask, no beg, that you not promote Amazon. Too many do not understand how they take (or we give it) that lifestyle away from us. Be well. It’s worse than promoting Walmart
Heather, we live in Arizona and have both a soft water tank and water filter tank which makes our water very good. What would you suggest we use in our dishwasher instead of store bought?
Hi Cheri, I’ve never lived in an area with soft water and therefore haven’t tested any recipes under soft water conditions, so unfortunately I’m just not sure.
I have extremely soft water and find that I can just use less of the homemade recipe. I use about a teaspoon and a half of the dish detergent which is a very similar recipe to the one given here. Try a much smaller amount and play around with it until you decide on the right amount for your softened water.
If anyone has any advice I need it. I tried this recipie (after cleaning out my dish washer). I then added the powdered oxygen bleach. I then tried the rinse aid. Then I tried more vinegar to re-clean the dishwasher and then added it to loads of dishes to try and salvage them. I need suggestions. I can not get the resulting film off of a single one of my dishes and they feel and look terrible even after several rounds of hand washing. Im a) very angry that several of my dishes are seemingly ruined and b) very frustrated that I bought all the ingredients to make these and now all that money and material is wasted. If anyone can offer any help to salvage my dishes or what to do with the pre-mixed dishwasher powder I’m desperate for it.
I would try powdered barkeeper’s friend. It gets hard water residue off of glass and is great for many cleaning applications
How does this work when the inside of the dishwasher is stainless steel?