How to Make Castile Automatic Dishwasher Soap

Store-bought automatic dishwasher detergent contains harsh chemicals such as sodium silicate, chlorine bleach and even caustic potash -- or potassium hydroxide -- all of which are harmful to your health, as well as to the environment. While organic dishwasher detergents are available, they are often expensive or difficult to obtain. Castile soap is made from olive oil and other natural ingredients -- providing an effective, yet gentle, cleaning solution for everything from skin to laundry. You can mix castile soap with lemon juice and vinegar, to make a solution that cleans dishes and glassware in your dishwasher as effectively as any commercial dishwasher detergent.

1/4 cup liquid scented or unscented castile soap
1/4 cup water
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup vinegar
2 drops tea tree oil (optional)
1/4 cup table salt (for hard-water areas)
1 pt. or larger mixing vessel
Funnel
1 pt. or larger squeeze bottle
Liquid dishwasher detergent dispenser (optional)

Instructions

- 1
  Add 1/4 cup of castile soap to your mixing vessel. Then add 1/4 cup of water, followed by 1 tsp. of fresh lemon juice. Add two drops of tea tree oil, if you wish, and then add 1/4 cup of vinegar. Stir with a plastic spoon or mixing stick. Add 1/4 cup of salt, if you live in a hard-water area, and stir again.
- 2
  Pour the solution through a funnel into a squeeze bottle, and tightly close the bottle cap. Shake the solution well.
- 3
  Fill your dishwasher with dishes, utensils and glassware, as usual. Pour 2 tbsp. of the mixture into your dishwasher detergent dispenser. Use a special liquid detergent dispenser, according to manufacturer directions, if your built-in dispenser is meant only for powders. Use lemon juice or natural citric acid in place of a chemical rinse aid, if you wish.
- 4
  Run the dishwasher through its normal cycle, as usual.

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