You want to make your own dishwasher detergent that is completely natural? I love sharing how to frugally care for your family, so here it goes! This recipe is frugal and works beautifully. I have found that is washes away all film much better than my previous recipe that contained borax. It may be because this is a liquid detergent and dissolves more easily in the dishwasher.
1/2 cup Dr Bronner’s Sal Suds (a balanced biodegradable formulation of natural derived surfactants with natural fir pine needle oil)
1/2 cup water
1 tsp lemon juice
3 drops tea tree oil
1/2 cup white vinegar
Combine all ingredients and store in a covered container. A glass quart jar with lid works perfectly. Use approximately 1 Tbsp per load. Try experimenting with the quantities of soap depending upon the hardness of your water. In the NW, the water is very hard, so the 1/2 cup Sal Suds works for me.
UPDATE: I originally tried this recipe with Dr. Bronner’s Sal Suds and found it more concentrated and has a far more effective cleansing power than standard castile soap (and far cheaper as well – two 32 oz bottles for $16). Sal Suds works effectively for all household cleaning as well (including in homemade laundry detergent). It does contain Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS), but they give full disclosure of their ingredient as follows:
SLS -This surfactant cuts grease and dirt, generates copious suds, and biodegrades quickly and completely. SLS is made by combining a sulfate group with lauryl alcohol from coconut oil, then attaching sodium. If improperly formulated, SLS can irritate skin, but our superb formula uses coconut oil betaine and lauryl glucoside to counter this.
This recipe makes enough detergent for approximately 12-15 loads, costing $0.05-0.06 per load.
Dishwashing Soap
You can also use this recipe for dishwashing soap as well – simply dilute it with additional water. 3-4 cups of additional water should be about right. I add enough water to fill up a large 32 oz spray bottle and use that to spray down my dishes. You conserve a lot more soap by using a spray bottle!
Enjoy your clean dishes!
That’s my frugal tip for the day!
Can you tell me if the white vinegar is necessary or if any type would do the trick?? Thanks!
Hi, I see this is an older post but I have a question about it. Currently I make my own laundry and dish soap, however, the dish soap I made is just not cutting it ( I just use half baking soda and half washing soda with a few drops essential oil of whatever kind i have on hand) I see you wrote that ‘Sal Suds’ works better than castile soap? Does that mean you tried it with castile soap? All I currently have on hand is castile soap and we’re currently living in BC so I’m not sure where to find the other stuff and shipping from the states is a small fortune from most companies…just not worth it to ship only one item at the moment (and our local health food store only carries castile soap so I buy a gallon every couple of months)….can I use castile soap in this or will it get too soapy or just not work?
Thanks
It will most likely overflow because of the suds. You may want to try adding grapefruit seed extract to your mix. That seems to be the key I can tell from other natural mixes on the market.
Do you know if Sal’s Suds can be used to make hand soap too?
I wouldn’t recommend it as it is formulated for house cleaning purposes. It would be best to use the standard Dr Bronners Castile liquid soap for hand washing.
I used to use Method Dishwashing Tablets and loved them
Love your site. I tried the recipe using the Dr. Bronner’s Liquid Castile soap and got a whitel film as well. Will have to order some Sal Suds to see if it makes a difference. Keep up the good work
I made your recipe for the dw soap, and am loving it! My husband is wondering about whether or not any of the soap is left for the main wash cycle. We put the tbs in the wash compartment and a little bit in the pre-wash compartment. The liquid all runs out when closing the door, so apparantly none is left for the main wash cycle. Do you use the regular cycle on your dw or how do you deal with this? Our dw does have a quick wash cycle, so maybe that would be the route to take. Any ideas? Thanks!
I wouldn’t worry about it if your dishes came out clean. I honestly just throw the liquid into the container and call it good.
What is the typical shelf life for these products??
Thanks
Indefinite shelf life as far as I understand it.
Recently, I’ve been putting a cap-full of the Mountain Rose Herbs Castille Soap plus about 1/4 cup of baking soda in the dishwasher. It’s been working really well!
Hey Lindsay,
I was researching this same topic, and I found this forum (http://acadiana.momslikeme.com/members/JournalActions.aspx?g=504272&m=5704454&si=Comments&pi=1#7946750) where the original recipe was shared (I guess it came from the book, Natural Cleaning for Your Home. Is that where you go it from?). The original didn’t use sal suds, so I went ahead and used regular Dr. Bronner’s castile soap. Worked great. I do wonder if the sal suds “suds” up a lot more and that’s why you and the other commenter had issues with it foaming too much. Just a thought.
Yes, I had originally used the Dr Bronners and recommended that as an option here, but every one who tried it said it did not work, so I had removed it and stuck with the sal suds. The sal suds only cause problems if you put too much in the dishwasher. I found it to be more effective than the castile version.
That’s so weird, because it works great for me! No foaming issues either! Yeah! Maybe it’s the type of water I have, who knows.
What I think I am concluding with the homemade versions is that they work great for a short time and then they stop working so well…it’s almost as if the dishwasher gets a little build up or something from it and stops cleaning as effectively. I have been tried three different recipes over the last few months, and each worked for a period of time and then the next one worked for a similar time, etc. I would be curious to see how long it works for you.
Oh no! So does this mean that this recipe is no longer working for you? I was looking forward to trying it after a failed run with a homemade borax recipe.
Yah, it works great as a back up, but homemade varieties just don’t seem to work long term.
Bummer! I noticed that at one point you referenced using dishwasher detergent made from soaking soap nuts. I take it that isn’t working long term either? Guess I need to search out some frugal “green” store brands. Sigh…I was hoping one of my experiments would finally work.
Along these lines, if anyone has recommendations for a frugal eco-friendly storebought dishwasher detergent, please post! I currently buy a case of the Ecover dishwasher tabs when they are on sale – a few months ago, this came out to $0.18/tab with the 10% case discount at Whole Foods. I’ve been very happy with the Ecover but we do thoroughly rinse our dishes and silverware and do not dishwash our cookware. However, I’m always open to other suggestions, especially china-safe options…
My parents are in the market for a new, high quality dishwasher; any recommendations for that?
maybe if you run an empty load or two with vinegar (you can just stand up a cup filled with vinegar on the top rack, it would clean the dishwasher?
My hunch is that soft vs. hard water makes a HUGE difference, too (although I’ve yet to talk my mom into trying my HM stuff with her soft well water.)
I’ve given up on the HM DW detergents and am loving my Biokleen!
Katie
I was wondering if I’ll react to the Sal Sul’s because I am allergic to pine trees…some more than others, but I’m not sure which…I was wondering if anyone knew…
Well, it is not going on your skin, if you know what I mean. You are just using it to wash dishes and it should thoroughly dissolve before you eat of it.
Thanks! I don’t have a dishwasher right now…sigh…so I’m going to make the dishwashing soap…since I’m the dishwasher
and use gloves…I’ll tell you how it goes!!!
Lindsay,
Where have you found the cheapest source for Sal suds?
I have found Amazon to be the best price, but it definitely seems to fluctuate in price. I bought it originally for around $15 and currently it is $19. I guess you can just keep an eye on the price if it goes back down.
Sal Suds does use two ingredients derived from coconuts, but I guess I don’t know if it’s the oil or not. Alas, I tried this version of the recipe and had results similar to the comment above. It seemed like everything was greasy, even glasses that only had water in them, and there was a definite film/fog on my glassware. My poor husband is fed up with my experiments!
I wish this had worked; thank goodness it does okay as a dishsoap! Anyone know any other uses for Sal Suds, now that I have a whole bottle?
Katie @ Kitchen Stewardship
Actually the comments above are referring to using this recipe with castile soap. Since then I have eliminated that option and stuck with the Sal Suds. I am surprised to hear your problems though because it has worked wonders for me. I wouldn’t give up after one try. Your dishwasher may just need a good cleaning on its own…it may be backed up a bit from all the other detergents you have tried. I would strub it down with baking soda & vinegar and then put a bowl of vinegar in the top rack and run it through a cycle. That may be your solution. If your experiencing greasiness, you may want to dilute the recipe further. Add more water or use less in your dishwasher. But hey, if your husband doesn’t like your experimenting…don’t do it! It’s not worth it. You could also try the soap nuts liquid, I am liking that natural option the best! You can use the Sal Suds for homemade laundry detergent and all sorts of household cleaning.
Thanks for this – I’m trying this today and I’ve read through all the tips to see that even if I don’t have tea tree oil, it will still work. Looking forward to no bleachy smell when the dishwasher is running. The spraying dishes tip is awesome, too! Love your site, it’s on my blogroll, and I just followed you on Twitter.
Blessings!
HELP! I read this post this morning, went out and found the Sal’s Suds and mixed up a batch for my dishwasher (I’ve been wanting to find a natural substitute for years). Used 1 Tablespoon, and my dishwasher is overflowing with suds…like onto the floor overflowing. What did I do wrong? Thanks in advance!
You did not do anything wrong. This happened to me the first time as well. It may just be the initial run through the dishwasher or you may just want to decrease the amount you put in. After this happened to me, I put in a smaller amount or diluted it a bit more with water and then put it through again.
I used some of this in my mom’s dishwasher to test it out:
Mom: Sarah…what did you do to my dishwasher?
(And I’m thinking I’m in trouble – at age 20 nonetheless)
Sarah: Nothing…why?
Mom: Because my dishes have never come out this clean.
I’m not kidding. The whole conversation sounded like a television commercial. This stuff really works.
Hi I am running a load right now…mine turned out really liquidy- not gel-like at all. Is that how this recipe is supposed to be? Also- it separated while sitting on my counter and had almost clumpy jello-type stuff inside. Have you had this experience? Should it be refridgerated instead?? I’d be interested to see a photo to get an idea of the consistency…
Thanks!
Yes, it is definitely liquid detergent and not gel-like. I have not experienced it separating or being clumpy. It does not require refrigeration.
Hi Lindsay,
Hi! I just got a dishwasher! Yay! And for convenience of the moment we bought Cascade dishwasher powder. I am concerned about washing my dishwasher safe plastics in the dishwasher because they pick up the “aftertaste” of the dishwasher soap. I don’t like that taste and it can’t be good to be eating soap residues, right?
Does your recipe leave an “aftertaste” on the plastic dishes?
My dishwasher manuel says to rinse off any lemon juice from the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. With that being the case, should I OMIT the lemon juice from your recipe?
Thanks!
No, I have never experienced an aftertaste.
My husband really is scared for me to try this recipe in our dishwasher (we have hard water and I previously tried the powder mix that contained Borax and it left a yucky film that took a long time to remove) BUT I am so READY to save money and have something safer in our dishwasher, which we seem to use more now that we have a toddler. Any recent insight into how the detergent has been working for you (or other folks) would be appreciated…Any tips? Anything that might help me to convince my hubbie that it is worth a try…
Heather
heatherlbrandt (at) verizon (dot) net
We have hard water as well and I have really had the best success with Sal Suds in this recipe. I wouldn’t say that it works better than commercial products but it does the job effectively without the junk. I have been happy with this recipe.
Do you have to rinse every sign of food (think blueberry’s residue on a bowl or tomato sauce) before you wash in the dishwasher using this recipe? Just wondering how effectively it does the job…
I would say you need to wash them fairly well, but no, tomato sauce/blueberry residue will be removed just fine. If there is gunk stuck on the dishes, I definitely take want to use a good green scratchy to get it off. I find that I have to scrub my glasses and silverware the best, but that was the same when using commercial detergent as well. IT really depends upon your motivation. For me personally, I love the savings and safety of using my own homemade detergent that I don’t mind a little extra work.
Lindsay, I love your blog! I now live in the Midwest, but I am from Western Oregon, which makes your site even more fun for me!
I am completely with you when it comes to the savings and safety aspect of this recipe.
I’ve been using it for several weeks with fairly good success.
I have exactly the same issue – glasses and silverware! (But I’ve been just loading them straight in without any pre-scrub…)
So, what’s your technique? Do you run a bottle brush in your glasses and give the silverware a quick swipe as you’re loading, etc.? Please share…
My best tip here has been to use a green scratchy! It is the best tool in my dish washing. I just pre-scrub with the green scratchy and it usually works just fine.
i just wanted to mention to u all that at iherb u pay $8.92 per 32.oz bottle of
Dr Bronners sal suds!!! i hope this works for u all, i also buy Dr. woods castille soap from the same site at $6.72 or $7.10 depending on the scent, this castille works the same as Dr. Bronners which i have use for about 10yrs. now, works well on clothes, dishes, shampoo & the list goes on and on….yol
Wow – I never thought of using a spray bottle. Sometimes I use diluted dishsoap from my “handsoap” dispenser. Lately, I feel like we’ve been going through a lot more dishsoap than necessary. If I can find the ingredients I might try making this, but I’ll definitely try the spray bottle.
Dear Friend thanks for sharing this tip.But I am wondering being that sal sud’s is concentrated do you put 1/2 cup of ss in your diswasher cup thingy?
I don’t think half a cup would fit in mine??LOL Could you clarify that I read the 1/2 cup correctly.
Thanks Lady Lavender
No, you mix it with the other ingredients listed (water, lemon juice, tea tree) and then only use 1 tablespoon of this mixture per load. Does that make sense?
So, how long does this mixture keep? And what do you store it in?
ok, i just re-read your instructions above and I see now that you store it in a glass jar. Sorry I didn’t read thoroughly the first time.
I made this recipe as soon as I finished reading your post for the day. I’ve run the dishwasher through 3 cycles since then and each time I’ve had sparkling dishes. This is especially encouraging since I have an older, cheaper dishwasher. THANKS!
i’ll have to try this with sal suds. i made a similar recipe with regular castille a few months ago, and found a white film on all of my glasses. thanks for the info!
Apparently, the Target in our area has Dr. Bronner’s peppermint castile soap on sale. I was wondering if you thought that would be ok to use. I’ve never used any of Dr. Bronner’s stuff, or any kind of castile soap before, so this would be a totally new thing for me. I’m interested to see what you think. Thanks!
Lindsay- like you I use a bunch of glass jars, both for storing food and for other uses around the home. When you use one for something like homemade detergent, do you make a point to not let it get used later on for food storage? Do you think it matters?
I am not too concerned about using the same jar for other purposes. Maybe if it was some commercial detergent I would be concerned. Just clean it out well.
I was wondering if the peppermint castile soap would work too?
I have not tried it with the peppermint castile soap myself yet. I think it depends upon how old your dishwasher is. It will take some experimenting. From reviews, it appears that Sal Suds are more effective. Give it a try and let us know how it goes for you. If it doesn’t work in the dishwasher, you can always use it for dishwashing! I know from experience that that works great!
Yeah, I tried it with the peppermint castile soap and followed your directions precisely – and it made a nasty white film and didn’t clean at all. My dishwasher is new (used maybe five times).
I’m glad the Sal Suds works for you but I would definitely NOT encourage anybody to use castile soap for this.
I had the same problem with the white film on everything. I’ll have to try the Sal Suds instead and see how that works.
Hi, long time reader, first time commenter. ; )
I’m wondering if this recipe might work on glass shower doors? I’ve tried everything (baking soda, vinegar, and all store bought cleaners) on our shower doors and they are still nasty, filmy from our horribly hard water.
I don’t see why not! Give it a try! Sal Suds is a multi-purpose cleaner and works wonderfully around the house.
great recipe, thanks!
Is there any other ‘equivalent’ to the Sal Suds? Dr. Bronner’s tends to support and promote some really…. weird.. philosophies, and I try not to use their products.
Thanks!
I am also wondering about an alternative to the Sal Suds…we also aren’t desiring to support Dr. Bronner….anybody have any alternatives here? ( preferably not tooooooo expensive! )
Thanks!
If you read up on Dr. Bronner’s beliefs you will be surprised. He is actually referring to the 10 commandments when he says the “moral abc’s”…he was just very eccentric! :~)
I just realized (silly me!) that I actually used Dr Bronners Sal Suds in my concotion. It is actually far cheaper than his standard Castile soaps and works beautifully. That may very well make the difference. It has that extra boost of cleaning power. I’ll have to update that above.
Lindsay, you rock! Yet another one of your recipes I’ll have to try.
Hey – I never thought about diluting my dish liquid and spraying the dishes. I bet that goes a LONG way! Thanks for the great tip!!! I love those kind of frugal secrets-of-success.
Blessings!
Shannon in Texas
I’ve found that pouring white vinegar in the drying aid compartment helps to keep the filmy residue at bay…You may want to start with a small amount and increase from there.
Thanks for this recipe! I haven’t been using my dishwasher for awhile now because all of the store bought ‘green’ products didn’t work well in our dishwasher- they always left a film. But I am tired of handwashing all our dishes, and I’m sure it wastes more water than the dishwasher as well. I’m anxious to see how it works. We do have pretty hard water (in NW TN), hopefully it will work, but do you have any suggestions for changing the proportions for hard water if needed?
Oh my goodness! This was going to be my next “Tutorial Tuesday” tutorial! Do you mind if I link to you? Your “recipe” is slightly different than mine–uses the same ingredients but a different proportion so that it is almost a powdery substance. I think yours might be better since mine does leave a filmy residue…Thank you!
Sure thing! I have definitely found that the powder versions leave more of a filmy residue than the liquid version. Blessings!
Thank you so much for this recipe. I was hoping and praying you would post a recipe on your blog for a detergent that didn’t contain borax. With 2 kids with autism spectrum disorder I don’t want borax in our house.
What kind/brand of lemon juice do you use? What does the lemon juice do?
Lemon juice is a natural bleaching agent. I use a standard real lemon juice from the store.
Thanks for all the help! With the lemon juice, is it reconstituted lemon juice? Can I use the reconstituted kind?
Sure thing!
Hi,
Thanks so much for this recipe!I have a couple of questions:
Is this recipe save for ALL dishwashers? I will be getting a dishwasher, and wasn’t sure if I needed to check with the manufacturer about using home-made detergents.
Do you know if tea tree essential oil is safe for pregnancy? Let me clarify with the tea tree oil – the question is off topic, but I was curious as to its safety in lotions, soaps, etc.
Thanks!
Manufacturer’s will most likely recommend that you only use commercial detergents. That is pretty standard. But of course these commercial detergents are full of unhealthy ingredients, so it is your decision. I do not believe they will void the warranty, if that is your concern.
In regards to tea tree oil, it is perfectly safe natural product. They are very concentrated, so you need to use them with caution. This is the reason you only use a few drops in this recipe and others. The only concern here is that it is not recommended to ingest them, as they are for external use only. Tea tree is safe during pregnancy. Here is a list of those essential oils that should not be used during pregnancy.
Oh, thank you, Lindsey! I had just given up on homemade natural dishwasher detergents after reading about the dangers Borax on your blog (and seeing how badly my last homemade detergent cleaned my dishes!). I bought one bottle of Seventh Generation dishwasher detergent and was cringing at the price. Now this recipe is something I want to try! And I am so thrilled that I have all the ingredients already! Yahoo!
Sometimes I think you must be reading my mind. Just last night as I was loading the dishwasher, I said to myself, “self, there has got to be an easy homemade dishwasher detergent.” And here is your post. Beautiful. I will try this soon. You have a beautiful blog site that is wonderfully informative. Thank you for your work!
Do you think this would work without the lemon to clean china? You are not supposed to use citrus when dishwashing (dishwasher-safe) china but it seems EVERY dishwashing detergent on the market has some form of citrus or acid.
Yes! I definitely think this would work fine without the lemon juice. It is just an added booster!
Yay! I can’t wait to try it. I think I have all these things and no more nasty chemicals on my dishes!
Thanks! We don’t have a dishwasher but I look forward to trying it for handwashing. It is nice to be able to simplify by using basic ingredients for everything!
The Tea Tree Oil — are you using that for it’s antiseptic properties, or just for the smell?
Both! It can be illuminated if desired. You can replace it with any range of essential oils as well. Grapefruit seed extract is another excellent choice for its antibacterial properties.
Illuminated should be eliminated. Unless you mean the dishes should glow.
You could also added a few drops of grapefruit seed extract for it’s antibacterial properties as well.
I like the spraying your dishes individually as well. We’ll have to try that here since we are having to heat water manually and rinse, wash and rinse in buckets until our sink and running water is installed in the tent.
Keeping up with the dishes right now is a major issue. If we were to spray them down as they wait for washing that might help. Thanks!
Mommaof10
http://PlymouthRockRanch.com
Recording the Faithfulness and Provision of God for Future Generations
Thanks for the tip. I may try this after I use up my piles of electrasol…
Thank you, thank you!! I have almost all those supplies on hand, and I am in desperate need of dishwasher detergent….I was in great anticipation of this recipe
(not related at all…we love your pancake recipe!)
Hello! I sure have enjoyed your website. I appreciate all you do to help make us better homemakers:) I was wondering, where is the best place to get tea tree oil? Can I buy it in the regular supermarket? Or do I need to go to a specialty store or order online? Thank you so much!
Tea tree oil is available at most natural health food stores or in Fred Meyer’s Nutrition. I buy mine from Azure Standard (a health food co-op).
I bought my TTO at Target.
Which section of Target was the Tea Tree Oil in? I’ve never seen it there…
I’ve even gotten tea tree oil at Walmart in the vitamin section, and Kroger.
Would this work for hand washing dishes, too?
Definitely! I added instructions above.
I will have to try this. If it works and I can use it for both dishwashing and the dishwasher, that will mean less things under the sink!! I am always looking for ways to simplify and get more room.
For the dishwashing soap (not dishwasher), how much of the solution are you using before you dilute with the 3-4 cups of water in your spray bottle?
I really don’t have any exact measurement. I usually fill my spray bottle 1/4 way full with the soap mixture and then fill it the rest of the way with water. Pretty much any combination works well.
Thank you for the recipe. I’ve been looking for a recipe that won’t leave a film. I have read that you shouldn’t use soap or anything that suds in your dishwasher. Supposedly it is hard on the machine. Do you know anything about this?
I have not heard that…but I assume that might be the case while using straight soap as it would cause over-suding which makes it difficult for the machine. This recipe is definitely diluted well. I found that the borax mixture was hard on my machine more than anything.
Good Morning:) This is excellent of you to figure this out for us:) Thank you. I cant wait to give it a try!