Dishwashers. They are a tremendous timesaver for households with large families, and for peeps who are constantly on the go and simply don’t have time for hand-washing dishes.
The cost of commercial dishwasher detergent (especially those convenient little pods) and the toxic ingredients in most commercial packages, on the other hand, are not something to get excited about.
Why would you want to use toxic chemicals to clean things you put in your mouth and eat from? YUCK!
Never fear, your Fit Life Ninja is here with a simple and effective DIY recipe for dishwasher detergent pods.
These DIY pods, which only have 4 recognizable ingredients, will save you TONS of money and completely eliminate the toxic load found in most commercial detergents. SCORE!
THE DIY FORMULA
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Baking soda. I highly recommend investing a large bag, because you can use baking soda for TONS of cleaning and deodorizing purposes in your home.
- Salt. The only time I ever give the “okay” to use iodized table salt is for cleaning purposes like this. When it comes to cooking/eating, stick with quality Himalayan pink salt that’s derived from nature.
- Non-toxic dish soap with natural ingredients. I highly recommend using Dr Bronner’s liquid castille soap for this recipe, since you can use it for many other cleaning tasks in your home. You can find an awesome variety here on Amazon.com. For the purpose of washing dishes, the Citrus Orange formula is my favorite.
- Distilled vinegar. As with baking soda, I highly recommend buying a large jug of vinegar because you can use it for so many things in your home (like washing produce)!
- Silicone ice cube tray. You can find loads of silicone ice cube trays HERE on amazon. These trays will come in handy for lots of other things like making fruit-infused ice cubes or freezing oil and seasoning mixes for cooking.
~ MAKES 15 PODS ~
Measurements:
- 1 cup of baking soda
- 1/4 cup of salt
- 2 teaspoons of natural/nontoxic dish soap
- 2 tablespoons of white vinegar + a little more to reach the desired consistency
Directions:
- In a glass bowl, mix the baking soda and salt together.
- Add the non-toxic dish soap.
- Add 2 tablespoons of vinegar and mix everything together. Slowly add more vinegar until the mixture is moist, but still holds together with a paste-like consistency when you press it between your fingers.
- Place 1 tablespoon of the mix into each opening of the silicone tray and pack it down firmly.
- Place the tray in a room temperature spot like on the kitchen counter or in the pantry (not a cold place like the refrigerator). Let the pods dry completely for 24 – 48 hours.
- Gently remove the pods and store them in an airtight glass container like these or just use mason jars.
PREFER TO BUY OVER DIY?
If DIY just isn’t your thing, that’s okay! You can buy pre-made commercial dishwashing detergents that won’t harm your health.
The following list of products have received an “A” rating from the Environmental Working Group, meaning they have few or no known hazards to your health or the environment.
You can get them at a super discounted rate through Thrive Market – click HERE to check it out!
- Earth Friendly Products Auto Dishwasher Gel
- Greenshield Organic Automatic Dishwasher Liquid
- Seventh Generation Automatic Dishwasher Powder
- Seventh Generation Automatic Dishwasher Detergent Concentrated Pacs
Cheers to cleaning your dishes without toxins!
With love and gratitude,
Kandi
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