Mom 4 Real

How to clean, cook and create.

  • HOME
  • About Me
  • Cleaning Recipes & Tips
  • Food & Cocktail Recipes
  • Ask Jess Q&A

DIY Liquid Dishwasher Detergent

by Jessica 18 Comments

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

Share with your friends!

  • Share
  • Print

Making your own DIY Liquid Dishwasher Detergent is so easy to do with a few ingredients and essential oils. It will leave your dishes sparkling clean, and you’ll never have to buy the chemical filled, store bought dish detergents again!

DIY liquid dishwasher detergent in a jar

This post contains affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase using one of my links, I will receive a small commission.

What’s in Homemade Dishwasher Detergent?

  • 1 cup of Kosher Salt ( Purchase HERE )
  • ½ cup of Borax ( Purchase HERE )
  • ½ cup of Washing Soda ( Purchase HERE ) or Make Homemade Washing Soda HERE!
  • 1 cup of water
  • 15 drops of Grapefruit Essential Oils ( Purchase HERE )

How to Make Dishwasher Detergent

Step 1 – Add 1 cup of kosher salt, ½ cup of Borax, and ½ cup of washing soda to a large bowl.

homemade liquid dishwasher detergent dry ingredients

Step 2 – Add 1 cup of water.

adding water to homemade liquid dishwasher detergent recipe

Step 3 – Add 15 drops of grapefruit essential oils.

adding grapefruit essential oils to DIY dishwasher detergent

Step 4 – Mix well and store in an airtight container between uses.

homemade liquid dishwasher detergent

How to Use Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

Add 1-2 tablespoons of homemade liquid dish detergent to your dishwasher’s soap dispenser and run as usual.

homemade liquid dishwasher detergent being added to dishwasher

Homemade Dishwasher Detergent Video

Want to see how I make my Homemade Liquid Dishwasher Detergent in video form? Check this out…

Homemade Dishwasher Detergent Recipe

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon

Homemade Liquid Dishwasher Detergent


★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

  • Author: Jessica
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

Description

Making your own Homemade Liquid Dishwasher Detergent is so easy to do with a few ingredients and essential oils. It will leave your dishes sparkling clean, and you’ll never have to buy the chemical filled, store bought dish detergents again!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup of Kosher Salt ( Purchase HERE )
  • ½ cup of Borax ( Purchase HERE )
  • ½ cup of Washing Soda ( Purchase HERE ) or Make Homemade Washing Soda HERE!
  • 1 cup of water
  • 15 drops of Grapefruit Essential Oils ( Purchase HERE )

Instructions

  • Add all dry ingredients to a large bowl.
  • Stir in water.
  • Add 15 drops of grapefruit essential oils.
  • Mix well.
  • Store in an air tight container.

Use 1-2 tablespoons of homemade liquid dishwasher detergent per load.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @mom4real on Instagram and hashtag it #mom4real

Love this recipe? Be sure you pin it to your favorite Pinterest board below!

homemade liquid dishwasher detergent with essential oils

Love this easy cleaning recipe? You may love these too…

3 Ingredient Homemade Liquid Hand Soap

This 3 Ingredient Homemade Liquid Hand Soap Recipe is amazing and smells so good! You’ll never buy that expensive store bought stuff again ;)

how to remove stickers in seconds

Want to remove those annoyingly sticky price tags, labels and stickers from items in seconds? Check out my Sticker Removing Hack HERE!

bathroom cleaner

Ditch the store bought, harsh chemical cleaners and make this DIY Bathroom Disinfectant Cleaner for your bathrooms!

« DIY Fall Air Freshener With Essential Oils
Easy Instant Pot Mac and Cheese »

Comments

  1. Maureen Elsey says

    at

    I like all your homemade recipes but I was wondering why so many different essentials oils? Do they each have a different significance to what you are using them for? Would using only one or two make a difference? Do they have an unlimited shelf life? I am hesitant to buy too many as I don’t want to waste the oils or my money on a large amount if I am not going to like them. Right now I have tea tree oil and lavender, would these be a good substitute for many of your recipes? Please feel free to respond to my personal email, thank you for all your time to perfect these recipes.

    Reply
    • Jessica says

      at

      Hi, Maureen! I totally get what you are saying. Tea Tree oil is great for some cleaning recipes, but not for all of them. Lavender is used mostly for scent, but has antibacterial qualities as well. As for all of the citrus oils, you can mostly switch them out with each other…they are amazing cleaners and help cut through grease and grime. If I had to pick which oils were my favorites to have, I would go with Tea Tree, Lavender and either Lemon or Orange. Hope this helps!

      Reply
  2. Brandi says

    at

    I’m concerned about the chemicals in Borax. I usually substitute washing soda for Borax. Can I just omit the borax in this recipe? Or should I use one cup of washing soda? Thank you for all your advice and recipes. I started using all natural products in 2018 as a New Years resolution. Your website has been a terrific resource for this new life style.

    Reply
    • Jessica says

      at

      I completely understand. Try substituting baking soda for the borax. Leaving it out completely may change the texture of the detergent. Hope this helps!

      Reply
  3. Cynthia Hamrick says

    at

    Hi! I really enjoy the emails with all the sage advice and recipes

    My question about the dishwasher recipe concerns salt: will it cause any rust? My dishwasher is stainless steel on the inside and I always thought salt was corrosive. Thanks.

    Reply
    • Jessica says

      at

      Hi, Cynthia! I use it all of the time in my stainless steel dishwasher and have had no problems at all. The salt does help to remove food particles from dishes though. Hope this helps!

      Reply
  4. Myrto says

    at

    Hey Jessica, just wanted to ask if I can replace the grapefruit essential oil with lemon, because I absolutely adore its smell. Thanks a lot, our house is a better place to live in with all your ideas and advices!

    Reply
    • Jessica says

      at

      Absolutely! They have very similar properties, so it’s a great substitution! Hope you love it!

      Reply
  5. Carol says

    at

    Great recipe! One question though, I use my silver plate cutlery everyday and put them in the dishwasher. I had read that you mustn’t use anything with citrus as it tends to cause tarnish on silver. Can I use this recipe without citrus oils of any kind and would you suggest another oil in its replacement? I have found some natural diswasher detergent without citrus and have been okay with that. I’d love to try your recipe though! Thanks, Jessica.

    Reply
    • Jessica says

      at

      Hi, Carol! I don’t see why not. The citrus oil is a big help with lifting grease, but I’ve used detergents without it before and had no issue. Hope this helps!

      Reply
  6. Jeniphir says

    at

    This recipe worked out FABULOUSLY ! I have been wanting to break free of commercial dish tabs forever and this did the job! I used lemon EO and will use this from now on! Save my money for more important things ! THANK YOU for the post!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Jessica says

      at

      I’m so glad you love it!! xoxo, Jess

      Reply
  7. Francie Tabor says

    at

    Could you use Epsom salt instead of kosher?

    Reply
    • Jessica says

      at

      For this recipe, I wouldn’t.

      Reply
  8. Melissa says

    at

    Can you use sea salt instead of kosher salt?

    Reply
    • Jessica says

      at

      Yes ma’am!

      Reply
  9. Tonia J Hutt says

    at

    Hello Jessica, I was SO excited to make this and see how it works. I made it last night and went to use it this morning and unfortunately it hardened. I can’t even get to the bottom to stir it. Seems very strange. Only thing I changed from your directions was I used sea salt instead of kosher salt. Have you heard of this happening before? Thank you for any guidance you can provide.

    Reply
    • Jessica says

      at

      I’m not sure why that would have happened…I don’t think there is a huge difference between sea salt and kosher salt. I’ll ask around and see if anyone has had this happen before.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

I’m Jessica, a mom on a mission to show other women that you can live well without breaking the bank. I like to share the thrifty, creative ways that I make changes in my home in the hopes that it will spark the creativity in someone else! I love to share DIY projects, crafts, simple recipes and cleaning tips too! Read More…

Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2021 · Foodie Pro Theme by Shay Bocks · Built on the Genesis Framework · Powered by WordPress