Those dirty dirty dishes!

We dealt with Wicked Laundry a couple of weeks ago (ok - so it was two weeks ago!).  I did not hang laundry out this week and still we got a foot and a half of snow over the weekend!  March - in like a lamb and out like the Abominible Snowman I guess!  What does that have to do with dirty dirty dishes you ask?  Everything - My boys were supposed to travel this weekend to the cabin for some guy time and leave me alone in my house for some cleanup time!  I just want it clean for 5 minutes in here and not have someone walk across it with the boots and shoes on.  And when everyone is stuck in the house for the weekend they create a ton of dirty dirty dishes! 

Because of the Abominable snow, my people were not able to go to the cabin and leave me alone! 

Dont get me wrong, I love my people, but when I'm expecting to just get to do my own thing and not have to do umpteen loads of dishes, it gets a little frustrating!    So, because I dont like commercial  detergents, and I don't feel like they work well anyway, I made my own dishwasher detergent!  Its not far off from being laundry soap, just one or two ingredient changes and you have it! 

 

 

Dirty Dirty Dish Detergent

1 C. Borax

1 C. Washing Soda

1/2 C. Baking Soda

3/4 C. Kosher salt - I use coarse salt

3/4 C. Citric Acid powder (in the health section at Kroger/Fred Meyers)

Mix it all up and store in a very airtight container.  It may clump a little while in storage, but use your scoop and smash the clumps out - its no worries.  Use about a Tablespoon of product per load, depending on your water and machine.  I have to use a little more due to having hard water (lots of minerals in it) so I use about two tablespoons and I am good to go.  No weird smells on the dishes, dishwasher stays clean, and I dont have to worry that it is going in the lake since its eco-friendly!  I also sometimes throw about a half cup of vinegar into the bottom of the dishwasher before I run it if I have dishes that are really gunky!

 

This recipe can also be used to clean your sinks and bath tubs - just like a soft scrub cleanser!  Sprinkle it in and rub out the stains and gunk! It works great as toilet cleaner as well!  Put 1/8 C. in the toilet and add some orange vinegar, let sit for a few minutes and scrub with your toilet brush!  Beauty! Stay tuned for a soft scrub/hand cleaner recipe in a future blog!