How to Make Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

Looking to make the switch to more natural products around your home? As our family has transitioned away from chemical cleaners and one by one made the switch to more natural products, this homemade dishwasher detergent has become one of our favorites! It’s inexpensive, easy to throw together, uses simple ingredients, and gets our dirty dishes even cleaner than store-bought detergents.

And as a busy mom, I love that it’s such a simple recipe. I can make a big batch at once and have it last for weeks! 

I hope you enjoy having your own homemade dishwasher detergent on hand as much as I do! 

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Why I Love This Homemade Dishwasher Detergent Recipe

Here are four reasons why I love this recipe:

• It doesn’t leave a film on our dishes. We live in the country and generally have hard water. We’ve struggled forever with having a film on our dishes that both makes them look less-than-shiny and also causes them to feel less clean than we’d prefer. As soon as we switched from regular commercial detergents to this homemade dishwashing detergent, each load of dishes started coming out shiny clean – no white film! 
• It’s inexpensive. At only $0.15 per load, this recipe is the least expensive option I’ve found for natural, non-toxic dishwasher detergent. Keep reading for an in-depth price breakdown and comparison! 
• Only 4 ingredients. This recipe uses only four basic ingredients that we always have on hand. It’s easy to whip up a batch whenever we need it, and it’s great to know exactly what’s getting on our dishes. If you’re looking for an easy DIY detergent, this is a good recipe to try! 
• Non-toxic. This dishwasher powder is made with safe and natural ingredients that I feel comfortable using to wash our eating utensils and dishes. Although borax and washing soda shouldn’t be ingested alone or come in direct contact with eyes, they’re much safer than the ingredients you’ll find in commercial dish detergent. Plus, their cleaning power is even better!

Supplies and Ingredients You’ll Need

Here’s what you’ll need to make your own dishwasher detergent:

• Borax. Borax is a naturally-occurring ingredient that’s used in many DIY cleaning products. It comes in a white powder and is also sometimes referred to as sodium borate. It’s excellent for removing mildew, deodorizing, and getting rid of stains. We’ve used borax for years in laundry soap and other natural cleaning products. Although it shouldn’t be ingested, it’s generally considered safe, even if it comes into contact with eyes and skin.
• Washing soda. Also called sodium carbonate, washing soda is the ingredient that breaks down hard water (water with a high mineral content), and lifts dirt from everything from fabrics to ceramic. (And if you don’t have any on hand, you can actually make your own washing soda with just one ingredient – baking soda!)
• Citric acid. Citric acid is a natural compound made from lemon juice and other citrus fruits. In cleaners, it works as a natural water softener as it helps to remove mineral deposits as well as inhibits bacteria growth.
• Sea salt. Sea salt is excellent for natural cleaning! It works as an abrasive while washing dishes, binds calcium and magnesium for softer water, and is totally safe.
• Measuring cups. You’ll need one-half cup and/or one cup measurements for this recipe.
• Glass jar or airtight container. I like to store my dishwasher soap in quart or half-gallon mason jars. But any pretty glass jar or container with a good, airtight seal will do!

Cost Breakdown

While store-bought natural cleaners are often thought of as more expensive than store-bought versions (and it’s true, sometimes they are), making your own homemade cleaners tends to bring down the price quite a bit (at least in my experience). In fact, many of our DIY cleaning products actually cost much less money than some of the local grocery store options for commercial cleaners that we’ve switched from!

Here’s the cost breakdown of this recipe:

• 1 cup borax – $1.48
• 1 1/4 cup washing soda – $1.13
• 1/4 cup citric acid – $0.50
• 1/2 cup sea salt – $0.57

This recipe washes about 24 loads, which means the total cost per load is $0.15

​For fun, I also found the total cost per load for some other cleaners!

• Great Value Dishwasher Detergent – $0.09 per load
• Cascade Dishwasher Detergent – $0.13 per load
• Seventh Generation – $0.44 per load
• Branch Basics – $0.38 per load

So, while this recipe costs a little more per dishwasher load than the cheapest options on the market, it’s significantly less expensive than comparable natural detergents.

I’ll share where I buy my ingredients next – maybe you can find even better prices near you! (If you do, let me know in the comments! I love knowing where to find the best deals!) 

Where to Buy Your Ingredients

Here are the best deals I’ve found on sourcing these ingredients. 

• Borax – Walmart
• Washing Soda – Walmart
• Citric Acid – Amazon (Here’s the citric acid I’ve found to be the best/cheapest option!)
• Sea Salt – Costco (If you use Azure Standard, they have even better deals on sea salt!)

The Most Important Detail for Making DIY Dishwasher Detergent

Okay, this part is VITAL! It’s the biggest mistake I’ve made in making homemade soap for the dishwasher.

​DO NOT LET IT GET WET! AT ALL! 

Once you make your powder and put it in your airtight jar, make sure that no water gets inside. If you’ve been washing dishes, dry your hands off before unscrewing the top of your jar and adding your soap to the dishwasher.

If your dishwasher powder gets wet, it will clump up and pretty much be unusable. And if it gets wet before you mix it well, that’s even worse, since you won’t get an even mix. 

(Pro tip – if it does clump, gently try to break it up. Don’t bash it with anything too strong while it’s in the glass jar – don’t ask me if I’ve tried this!)

​Some recipes call for essential oils. I have tried that before, and although it might seem okay at first, once you get everything mixed in the jar and stored, it causes major problems with clumping.

If you want to add some lemon essential oil or other scents, I would probably try to do it right when you add the powder to your load rather than incorporate it into the entire batch ahead of time.

How to Make Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

Alright, this homemade dishwasher soap recipe is so easy! Here’s how to make it:

1. In a glass jar, combine all four ingredients – your borax, washing soda, citric acid, and sea salt.
2. Shake the jar thoroughly to combine. A quart jar works well for this recipe, but you could also mix your ingredients in a large bowl and then pour them into a jar or other airtight container. 
3. ​Store in a dry area.

If you have a large family (or just want to cut down on your work load), you can double this recipe and store it in a half-gallon jar. 

The single recipe washes about 24 loads. If you double it, you should be able to get about 48 loads of clean dishes (and it only takes about 5 minutes of work to make!).

How to Use Your Homemade Detergent

To use your detergent, simply pour some of the powder into your dishwasher detergent compartment. I find that I usually use about 2 Tablespoons per load.

Keep in mind that different types of water and different dishwashers may not all work well with this recipe. If you have trouble, don’t give up. Try a different recipe until you find one that works well with your setup! Or, let me know in the comments and I’ll see if I have any suggestions to help! 

More Natural Cleaning Recipes

​Looking for more homemade recipes for easy natural cleaning products? Here are some of our favorites!

• Homemade Stain Remover for Baby Clothes (and other clothing, too!)
• DIY Carpet Cleaner
• DIY Toilet Bowl Cleaner
• Homemade Laundry Detergent. Homemade laundry detergents are a HUGE way that we save money on laundry! This recipe quite similar to the one we use. And it only costs a few cents per load. I’ve been making this for decades now!