DIY Dishwasher Pods

Over the past year I've been working on eliminating toxins from our home, and the first area I started in was cleaning supplies.

When we bought our house last summer it had a dishwasher. And can I let you in on a little secret?, if there was one appliance in the kitchen I could live without, it's the dishwasher. Maybe it's just me, but by the time you rinse all the dishes, load them and unload them, I could have already washed and dried them by hand. But, my husband likes having one, and I suppose it is nice to load it all day and just run it once at night rather than washing dishes 2-3 times a day, but honestly, I'm still not convinced it isn't more work.

That being said, one of the first DIY's I tried was dishwashing pods. These come together so easy, and are actually fun to make!  The original recipe I referred to use an ice tray as the mold, but they were far too big for our detergent compartment, so this time I got out one of the store bought pods we've used in the past, and using it as a model, I shaped this batch myself. I keep them stored in a large mason jar along with a jar of vinegar. I have the instructions written on the top of the lid. These pods work wonderfully, and I love that our dishes are being cleaned without all the toxins you find in most store bought brands. I'm including the recipe below in case you want to give them a try.

What about you? Are you growing more conscientious of the toxins in your cleaning products? Have you made any of your own, and if so, please feel free to share the recipes! I'm growing my database of DIY's and I'd love to find more!

DIY DISHWASHER PODS

1 cup of washing soda

1 cup of baking soda

¼ cup of citric acid

1 cup of kosher salt

1 cup of water

Essential Oils for scent (optional, but I use peppermint!)

Large bowl

Spoon

2 ice cube trays (optional, you can shape them by hand!)

In a large bowl, stir together the washing soda, baking soda, citric acid, and salt. Add the water to the dry ingredients in the bowl. The mixture will start to bubble and fizz. Wait about 1 minute for the bubbles to reduce, and then stir to thoroughly combine. Scoop 1 tablespoon of the mixture into each mold of an ice cube tray. Use your fingers to flatten the mixture into the molds.

Let the trays sit overnight.

When the tablets have dried, give each tray a twist to help release them. Then turn the tray over, and tap it against the counter until the tablets pop out.

Store the tablets in an airtight container.

Pop one tablet into the detergent dispenser in your dishwasher along with 1 tsp. vinegar in the rinse compartment, and run on regular cycle.

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