DIY dishwasher detergent - no Borax

Update:  I've been making this D/W detergent for a long time now and it does the job so I won't be going back to store brands! Ever!

Let's give this a try. I made it pretty quickly and just as we are almost out of our usual Kirkland liquid from Costco. I like the stuff but this is cheaper.  It's powder so I'm not giving it a whole lot of hope but we'll see....fingers crossed.

Small batch:

1 1/2 cup Arm & Hammer Super Washing soda
1/2 cup kosher or sea salt (***I now use Sea Salt from Big Lots - $1 a box)
1/2 cup Baking soda
4 packets of crystal light lemon *(Update:  I now use Country Time from Big Lots.  Works better and Cheap! ) 1/2 Cup
1 teaspoon of whatever rice you have on hand.

Mix, shake, do a little dance.

I am using a snap-lid plastic container, the one that the lid snaps down on all 4 sides and has a vent in the lid.  I leave a scooper in the container.

Old: * You need citrus in the concoction. Top on the list is Lemi Shine (a dishwasher addictive) but I couldn't find it.  Food-grade citric acid also works or even unsweetened lemon kool-aid.  I opted for Crystal Light. Oh and Dishwasher Magic, while it's active ingredient is Citric Acid also has ingredients not consumable.  The stuff is to be used when the D/w is empty.

You can also use white vinegar right in the rinse agent dispenser instead of the blue stuff.

2 Tablespoons per load and you don't have to use the soap dispenser. You can simply add it to the inside of the door before closing.

p.s. Borax is rad for clothes but not for consumption so this is why I use this recipe.

p.s.s. It will start clumping so I have been adding a teaspoon of rice right into the mix which has helped a lot with clumping.

Zucchini bread

Our garden yielded some MASS size zucchini so what better recipe to start with?  Zucchini Bread of course!

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 eggs
1 cup applesauce (or vegetable oil)
2 cups sugar (I used 1 cup of palm sugar and 1 cup of brown sugar)
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 cups grated zucchini
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:

1. Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

2. Mix flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl. Set aside.

3. Cream eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in mixer set on medium.  Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture slowly and mix well. Add zucchini and nuts on slow speed until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.

4. Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.

Gettin' started

Yummy!!

Cloth Diaper Laundry Detergent

Now that King is about to be potty trained I find out how easy laundry supplies are to make.  Go figure.  Arm & Hammer Super Washing soda became a staple in our house when I read all the great things you can use it for from removing labels on jars (awesome, since I am a jar hoarder), musty smells from tubs and sinks, cleaning old pots and pans, and on and on.  So it was perfect when I discovered that it is one of the main ingredients in making your own laundry detergents.  Everything you need is right on the laundry detergent  aisle of the larger grocery stores.

 

For Cloth Diapers

Big batch:

• 3 Boxes Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (55 oz each)
• 2 Boxes 20 Mule Team Borax (76 oz each)
• 1 Large Tub OxiClean Free or “Baby” (96 oz)

Small batch (above image in jar with red 3):

• 1 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
• 1 cup 20 Mule Team Borax
• 1/2 cup of OxiClean Free or “Baby”

I make the small batches since I have one kiddo in diapers.

I use a funnel and cute jar and pour each item in one at a time.  I also add 12 drops of an essential oil in the jar on top (this batch was sweet orange oil) and mix it all together with a chopstick. I cook a lot with heavy duty chopsticks and have a bag of bamboo sticks that are great!  I usually shake the jar too. :)

1 - 2 Tablespoons per load depending on how badly soiled or size of load.

=======================================

Hope this helps!