Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy Natural Dishwasher Detergent

Of course, everyone likes to save a penny or two, which this recipe is great for. But I also love to not use chemicals to clean my dishes. So this recipe was sent to me by a friend and I had to give it a try. All of the ingredients I already had on hand, so that made it even better. I was already making a homemade powdered dish washing detergent, but I loved that these became cubes. Pop them in and turn it on.
You can't get easier than that!

So here is what you need:
Borax
Washing Soda (NOT baking soda but washing soda, sold in the laudry isle)
Espom salt
Lemon juice
Ice cube trays
Mixing bowls - 2 to be exact
Wooden spoon
Measuring cup
Measuring spoon

In a large bowl, place 1 cup of Barax, 1 cup of Washind Soda and 1/4 cup espom salt and stir well.
Once they are well incorporated, working in batches, take one cup of the mixture and place it into the other bowl and add 4 tablespoons of the lemon juice. It will fizz up a bit, so don't worry.

Mix well. You want a damp and sticky mixture, but not a soupy mixture. When it is done. it should look like this:

Now, lay out your ice cube tray and start with a small amount of mixture and press it into the bottom of the tray. You do not want any air pockets, so by adding a little but at a time and pressing it down, you get a nice, compact cube.

Continue until you fill your tray or run out of mixture. The repeat the process again. Logically speaking, this is done in batches, so if you fill your trays and have left of powdr, you can store it in a baggie or container, but once the lemon juice is in the mix, it will get hard as a rock! Lesson learned.

Once you have your tray or trays filled, set them in a dry location. I set mine outside, as it was a crisp and sunny day. Allow to sit until they are completely dry (timing depends on weather and temperature and humidity and such). When they are dry, pop them out of the ice cube trays and voila!

You really can't get much easier then that, now can you?
To store, I keep them in a ziploc bag. I use one cube per wash cycle.
Things you can add: Essential oils for extra disinfecting, like Tea Tree. Lavender for a soothing scent, anything you like. I add 20 drops into the mixture when I add the lemon juice.
For additional sanatizing and to help with spots on glasses, I add white vinegar to my 'rinse aid' compartment.
We also live in the country and our well watr is highly mineralized, so I need to use Lemi-Shine in my dishwasher as well.

Have fun and enjoy making a safe, natural and economical alternative to commercial detergents!

Life's a Feast!!