Easy homemade dishwasher detergent made with a just a few simple ingredients, and the best part is it works incredibly well! I will never go back to store bought detergent.
If you’ve been here for a bit, you’ll know that I’m on a journey to make my own products, including cleaning products, that work well but don’t come with super crazy ingredients.
This is for a powder detergent, but I do give a pod option for this same recipe so keep reading!
I found a homemade laundry detergent that I’m obsessed with and now I’m happy to say that I can add a homemade dishwasher detergent to the list!
I’m not going to lie, it took a few tries to find a recipe that didn’t leave any residue on my dishes. I wanted something that would clean my dishes, not leave an odor and not leave any residue.
You can thank me later for this recipe. *wink

Ingredients:
The ingredients you will need are relatively simple and easy to find.
- Salt
- Borax
- Citric Acid
- Washing Soda
The citric acid I used, is what I use when I can food. But citric acid is citric acid. It’s all the same.

How to make:
It’s such a simple, easy recipe! Dump it all in a bowl and mix.
- 1 cup Borax
- 1 cup Washing Soda
- 1/3 cup Citric Acid
- 1/3 cup Salt

How to use:
I use 1 tbsp per dishwasher load. I keep a designated tablespoon in my glass container that I store my dishwasher soap in and use that anytime I need to run my dishwasher.
I just add it to my little detergent compartment, close the lid and start my dishwasher as normal.
As a bonus, I do add in about 1/2 to 1 cup of vinegar to the bottom of my dishwasher (instead of a rinse agent) right before I start it. It helps prevent mineral build up, it’s a natural disinfectant, it helps with odors and my dishes sparkle when they come out.
Pods option:
If you’re looking for more of a pod option instead of a powder, you can add in 1/3 cup of lemon juice. Mix everything together and then immediately put it into your silicone ice cube mold.
Let it harden overnight. I would store them in the same glass container I have my powder in.
To use, just use one pod per load.
Your turn!
I believe that if you make this, and use it, you won’t go back to store bought detergent.
I did try a liquid detergent and while it cleaned good (I think HA), it also left a white film all over my dishes. The only way to get it off was to hand scrub them all. And I mean scrub. This recipe doesn’t leave any film on my dishes. I hope you love it as much as I do!
I also have an awesome laundry detergent that I use, you can find that here.
Thanks!
A big thanks for being here, learning alongside me. It’s so fun! I’m on Insta, TikTok and YouTube. Come say Hi!
