Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

Since I had plenty of Borax and Washing Soda left over from my Laundry Detergent, I figured why not try Dishwasher soap.  Check out this recipe...

1 Cup Borax
1 Cup Washing Soda
1 Packet Lemonade Crystal Light (for the citric acid, and the smell)

I tried a batch without the crystal light, and used straight citric acid instead.  I got cloudy dishes still. I was pretty bummed, because the citric acid was not cheap, which somewhat defeated the purpose in doing this.  I just made a batch of this with the crystal light, so I will let you know how it works.  My glass dishes were fine, it was the plastics that were cloudy. I wish I could say I just wont use plastic anymore... but that isn't realistic with 2 boys... 3 including my husband.

Again, you only need to use 1 Tablespoon, so this should yield 32 loads.  So, assuming you run your dishwasher once a day, this will last you 1 month.

Cost Breakdown:
Washing Soda (55 oz) = $3.24. 1 cup/8 oz = $.47
Borax (76 oz) = $2.98. 1 cup/8oz = $.31
Crystal Light (6 packets/box) = $2.48. 1 packet = $.41
Cost/Load: $.04
Total Cost: $1.19
1 load per day = .04*31= $1.24/month

Compare to Cascade All in One Detergent:
48 packs for $12.97 = $.27/load
1 load per day = .27*31= $8.37/month

Savings: $8.37 (cascade)  - $1.24 (homemade) = $7.13 Savings/month