We found ourselves in this very situation and being the person I am, I couldn't take that as a final answer. I could run the machine without detergent and hope for the best, or I could do a little research and see what might work while not destroying our almost brand new dish-washing machine. Okay, we might have done the dishes by hand a few times, but with two very needy small ones the chances of an adult being able to stand in front of the sink for 30 minutes at a time was pretty slim while they're awake, so it didn't happen often!
We're a rural home, with well water that is run through a softener prior to being delivered to taps and appliances. I should get a kit to confirm the hardness at the tap and when I do, I'll update this section of the review.
I allowed the oatmeal caked dishes to dry on the counter for 60 minutes before loading them into a half-full dishwasher and running the normal cycle, using a Whirlpool Gold Series dishwasher on the normal cycle with no other settings enabled. 1 tablespoon of the DIY recipe was used in the dispensing compartment. I used Seventh Generation rinse aid in the rinse compartment.
Recipe #1: Borax, Baking Soda, Citric Acid
- 1 cup Borax powder
- 1 cup Baking Soda (I prefer Arm & Hammer)
- 1/2 cup Citric Acid (Amazon or a home-brew supply store)
A lot of people swear by this recipe, but honestly I find that it leaves some residue on the dishes. I think the Borax either isn't dissolving completely or is causing the build up. I don't think I'll use the recipe frequently and I'll probably have to run a cleaning cycle between this test and the next recipe.
I ran this a second time with a full load of dirty dishes and I had to run about 15% of the pieces a second time because they weren't properly cleaned. Additionally, the dishes came out smelling 'burnt' for lack of a better descriptor, so in this second run I used some *Lemon essential oil, which helped.
*We prefer this particular brand because of their green footprint, fair trade and sustainable growing practices, and that all of their oils are guaranteed organic. We've looked at a lot of companies in the past 3 years and we feel this one is the safest, most ethical, has the best money back guarantee and has the best customer service. We would also be honored if you were to enroll for a wholesale membership on our team!
Recipe #2: Borax, Washing Soda, Citric Acid, Salt
- 1 cup Borax powder
- 1 cup Washing Soda (I prefer Arm & Hammer)
- 1/2 cup Citric Acid (Amazon or a home-brew supply store)
- 1/2 cup non-iodized salt (cheapest on Amazon if you have Prime)
- 3 drops *Lemon essential oil in the dishwasher detergent cup
Hands down, the winner! This came out smelling much better than recipe #1 above and did a far superior job of removing stuck on oatmeal! Proof is in the pictures! Cost, about 5 cents per load.. compare that to Cascade Platinum at $9 for 20 loads!
*We prefer this particular brand because of their green footprint, fair trade and sustainable growing practices, and that all of their oils are guaranteed organic. We've looked at a lot of companies in the past 3 years and we feel this one is the safest, most ethical, has the best money back guarantee and has the best customer service. We would also be honored if you were to enroll for a wholesale membership on our team!
Recipe #3: 3 Drops Dish detergent, Baking Soda, Salt
- 3 drops Seventh Generation Natural Dish Liquid, Free & Clear
- Fill dishwasher detergent cup 2/3rds full of Baking Soda (I prefer Arm & Hammer)
- Fill almost full with non-iodized salt (cheapest on Amazon if you have Prime)
This one left residue on the dishes and just didn't get them scrubbed as clean as the previous two recipes. Not recommended!
Conclusion:
Recipe #2 not only smelled great, but was easy to mix, stays in powder form a long time (others tended to clump in humid weather, even in a sealed tupperware container) and did a fantastic job of cleaning the dishes.
I'd definitely recommend using a commercial rinse aid, I know a lot of people who swear by vinegar, but when you put something that strongly acidic into your machine, you risk causing damage to seals and might end up seeing problems with leakage much earlier than you normally would. I run a vinegar wash ONLY when I need to clean it and I never put it in the cup dispenser or rinse aid compartment. I throw it directly in and run the machine immediately.
Cheers, and enjoy the cost savings and knowing that there is nothing better than homemade!
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