After making the decision to lead a more sustainable life, I gave up my beloved Electrasol tabs and started the search for an eco-friendly dishwasher detergent. The first one I tried was 7th Generation Free & Clear Automatic Dishwasher Powder. I hated it. It did not get my dishes clean and left them in a cloudy haze. So I moved on to BioKleen Automatic Dish Powder. I actually like this stuff. It has a pleasant smell and does a pretty good job of cleaning the dishes. There was some residue left after the final rinse, but I was willing to live with it. Then one day I ran out. It is not available locally. I had been ordering it online from drugstore.com or Amazon. Being unprepared, I picked up a bottle of Earth Friendly Products Wave Auto Dishwasher Gel at my local grocery store.
I LOVE it! No residue, clean dishes, available locally - yes! Phosphate free, chlorine free, caustic free - Yes! Plant based and totally biodegradable - YES! Yes! Yes! Yes! Packaged in plastic - yes. What? Packaged in plastic - Oh, man. It was damn near perfect. They even have a rinse agent I like, also packaged in plastic. Shucks.
All this plastic is wreaking havoc on our planet and on ourselves. Something must be done. Scores of people have decided to cut plastic from their lives. I, too, have committed to reducing the amount of plastic my family consumes. So it is with a teary eye that I must bid adieu to my new found favorite. It was fun while it lasted.
So now what? I know, I know. 7th Generation dishwasher powder comes in a cardboard box. See above. I hate it. As much as I want it to, it just does not work for me. Surprisingly, the answer lies just on the other side of the wall of my dishwasher, in the washing machine. Huh?
Adjust the quantity or baking soda ratio for hard water. I have also read recipes using washing soda instead of baking soda. I store mine in a glass pickle jar under the sink. No more plastic. I have been using this combination for several weeks now with no complaints. My dishes are clean, in fact I think they are cleaner now then when I was using actual dishwasher detergent, and there is no residue left behind. Once my rinse agent runs out I will switch to white vinegar to be truly plastic free.
All this plastic is wreaking havoc on our planet and on ourselves. Something must be done. Scores of people have decided to cut plastic from their lives. I, too, have committed to reducing the amount of plastic my family consumes. So it is with a teary eye that I must bid adieu to my new found favorite. It was fun while it lasted.
So now what? I know, I know. 7th Generation dishwasher powder comes in a cardboard box. See above. I hate it. As much as I want it to, it just does not work for me. Surprisingly, the answer lies just on the other side of the wall of my dishwasher, in the washing machine. Huh?
Borax and Baking Soda.
Just mix equal parts borax and baking soda. Add 2 tablespoons per load.
Adjust the quantity or baking soda ratio for hard water. I have also read recipes using washing soda instead of baking soda. I store mine in a glass pickle jar under the sink. No more plastic. I have been using this combination for several weeks now with no complaints. My dishes are clean, in fact I think they are cleaner now then when I was using actual dishwasher detergent, and there is no residue left behind. Once my rinse agent runs out I will switch to white vinegar to be truly plastic free.
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9 comments:
Does your white vinegar not come in a plastic bottle? I suppose you just get the small glass bottles? Or, er, do you make your own?
Sorry, I just saw your Life Less Plastic post -- obviously a gallon of vinegar goes a lot farther than one container of dishwasher detergent. Every little step, right?
Crunchy - Yes, unfortunately I am still buying vinegar in mass quantities which means it comes in a plastic bottle. I am searching for a glass alternative, but so far can only find it in small quantities.
I switched to 7th Generation powder a while back. At first I also had problems with its effectiveness. I put vinegar in the rinse, ran an empty load with just vinegar, and scrubbed the interior of the dishwasher with baking soda to eliminate any residue from my prior detergent. All that seems to have helped and I no longer have the issues with 7th Generation. Also I don't have very hard water so I am sure that makes a difference.
I am hesitant to use borax because I've heard bad about it and I just haven't had time to follow up with some research.
I use vinegar as a rinse agent and it works great - no spots on my glasses and no, my dishes don't smell like pickles after I open the dishwasher.
I mix a box of baking soda in with my powdered dish washing detergent. I found that it gives the detergent an extra oomph that gets my dishes clean. It's also a great way to reuse the box of baking soda I need to switch out from my refrigerator.
I'm hesistant about using borax to clean my dishes too. Many people using borax to kill ants, etc. and I'd rather not use something like that around my dishes.
I have been struggling with the green dishwasher detergents too. 7th Generation sucks so bad it hurts. The box mocks me every time I open the cleaning cupboard and reach for it knowing full well it has no intention of actually cleaning my dishes...just coating them in residue. I may just have to try the homemade kind when I run out. Or maybe we will see Greeen Sheeep cleaner on the market soon?
I washing soda and borax followed by a vinegar rinse a while back and at first my dishes were spotless. It worked great! But then after about 3 weeks, the results got really bad. I don't know what went wrong. I am back to regular old dishwashing detergent. My kid's pediatrician said that that dishwasher detergent is one of the most dangerous things in the house for kids to ingest. Yikes! I would love to get back to something more natural. Maybe I will give it another shot.
Caron in MA
Caron - I am curious what went wrong with your results? I have been using the borax/baking soda solution for several weeks now with no ill results. Should I be on the lookout for something?
If it doesn't work for you after another try, maybe you could give the Wave detergent a try. It is more natural than conventional detergents. No dioxin fumes to worry about the kids inhaling.
I was looking for this post to send to a friend who was asking about how to make dishwashing detergent. My son LOVES your header picture on this blog. He's only 2. He kept saying "Sheep. Two eyes. Sheep. Sheep. Two eyes." :)
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