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Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

Sat, 14 Sep 2013 19:15:27 +0000

When owning you own a dishwasher you will come across the problem of buying cleaning and enhancing products such as tablets or rinse aid. As you may already be aware, buying rinse aid, tablets, salt and cleaner can be costly especially if you require buying all 4 products. However maintaining a well operational dishwasher you will require at least 3 of those 4 products as rinse aid is more to enhance the cleaning by removing streaks. You may be tempted to skip adding salt or tablets when you run out, however, in doing this you can create lime scale or not get good results which you effectively do not want. This is why the cleanliness and upkeep of any dishwasher is a vital factor.

A good way of avoiding to skip adding detergent is by making your own homemade dishwasher detergent. Of course this costs you time in looking out to buy the products as well as making the detergent, but knowing the best way to do this actually does not take long to do while saving you money and still getting good results from your dishwasher. It is in fact that making homemade dishwasher detergent is more eco-friendly then a lot of branded detergents! The branded detergents will have many extra chemicals which are all added to make a superior detergent which sometimes is going an extra mile too far in our opinion. If you have bought detergents in the past or still do think about the amount of plastic bottles and non-environment friendly packaged products you have had to throw away. With homemade detergent you will decrease that drastically.

Ingredients in Making Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

So getting onto the ingredients used to make the detergent, there are 4 main ingredients that you will require to make this detergent recipe. They are described below with relating links(Image Links) if you choose to purchase them or not. Alternatively you can check out your local stores to see if they have them in stock.

Borax – Natural mineral and a salt

Kosher Salt – Large grain salt, however you can use normal salt though Kosher is known to be more effective.

Washing Soda – Good for cutting through grease.

Citric Acid – Extract from citric fruits that helps give a more fresh smell, does not have to be used.

All of these ingredients we are using to make cleaning powder and even if they do say they are natural they should not be inhaled or ingested. Some are actually used in recipes and food but we recommend you do not inhale or ingest. Also always keep out of reach of children and pets like you would with all other chemicals and cleaning products!

Equipment

As far as the equipment goes for making the recipe you do not need much. What you will need is measuring cups or spoons, a bowl or container big enough to fit the mixture.

Creating the Detergent

The method of creating the recipe is all pretty much straight forward. It simply consists of measuring each ingredient, placing them into a container and mixing them all up together. So the measurements:

Borax – 1 cup
Washing Soda – 1 cup
Kosher Salt – 1/4 of a cup
Citric Acid – 1/8 of a cup

Add all of the measurements into a bowl and mix them together, ideally just place them straight into the bowl you will keep the mixture in. And before you know it you have made your very own homemade dishwasher detergent!

When using the detergent simply put one tablespoon of the mixture into the tablet comportment where you would insert pre-made dishwasher tablets.

Items to Point Out

Now before you go and make the recipe there are something to mention before you make it:

Firstly there are many similar recipes for this detergent and all can actually be working recipes that have probably worked for at least one person out there. However you need to experiment for yourself! If you try this recipe and it works for you a few times then great keep at it and don’t change it unless you think you can make it better.

Secondly problems can occur because everyone is using with different dishwashers that all may be using different water types! Depending on your area you may have soft water or hard water in which may need the recipe to be adjusted slightly. In the video below you will see a very similar recipe which actually uses baking soda also…this is to combat the hard water source that they have. So maybe that recipe will work better. Apart from water this recipe may just not work for you so try adjusting it on putting a little more research on the homemade dishwasher detergent.

Thirdly the ingredients can be substituted like the salt mentioned earlier but also the citric acid can be replaced a non sweetened drink mix such as lemonade. Now if you wish to have more fragrance to the dishwasher you can use essential oils which will give a nice smell to your dishwasher but this is optional so experiment!

Fourthly to remind you that even though these ingredients may say they are all natural they do contain some negative points when ingesting or inhaling whether they be very minimal negatives or not and always keep out of reach of children!

Similar recipe:

Choosing the Right Dishwasher for You

Sat, 14 Sep 2013 15:17:42 +0000

There are many factors to consider when picking out the right best dishwasher that is going to suit you. In a nut shell this article will describe various factors that you should be looking out for specifically when purchasing a dishwasher. However the following factors can be useful knowing about for other appliances. Here are the factors you will find about in this article for choosing the best dishwasher:

Dishwasher Load Capacity – Amount of items that the dishwasher can wash per cycle
Energy Ratings – The meaning and value of energy ratings (EU Energy Ratings).
Noise Levels – A quick description of noise levels and what to look for.
Dishwasher Type – picking the right type of dishwasher.
Dishwasher Flexibility – Adjustable baskets and holders.

Dishwasher Load Capacity

Dishwasher load capacity, this can be a big factor when choosing any dishwasher model as you need to know the amount of dishes and utensils you will require to wash. You can really give an estimated guess to the load capacity by amount of items through the amount of people who will be using the dishwasher or the number of people who of which are in your household. Of course if you regular do the washing up then you will have a good idea of the quantity you wash.

Finding out about the load capacity of any dishwasher is relatively easy, whether you are ordering online or physically viewing the dishwasher in retail store. The load capacity is a main point and should always be stated on the information of the dishwasher whether it’s in the manual or where ever. If you don’t happen to see the load capacity ask any staff or contact the seller, as you should always be able to get this information.

Energy Ratings

One big area of all dishwashers and in fact for most appliances now is the amount of energy that they produce and how well they can carry out the tasks using minimal energy. Dishwashers all come with an energy rating which helps you reduce costs in the long run. Energy ratings can be anything from A+++ to D which is the worst; these ratings described are EU energy ratings. In different areas dishwashers and appliances can be given different energy ratings.

When you are selecting or reviewing a dishwasher by energy rating keep in mind that the better energy rating they produce is more likely to increase the initial value of the dishwasher. As a tip be sure to get a minimum value of A or A+ as these energy ratings are becoming common in good dishwashers and more modern dishwashers. See the image below.

If you are curious about the running cost of your dishwasher there is a good dishwasher energy calculator that can help you see what your estimated costs will be. You can find it here: Dishwasher Energy Calculator.

Noise Levels – Finding the Quietest Dishwasher

Noise of the dishwasher is in fact a big concern for many mainly from previous experience of dishwasher models. That’s why some people may be on the hunt for the quietest dishwasher, although today with the increase in technology and knowledge the modern day dishwashers are getting better and better in controlling the sound output. This is one reason that newer models of dishwashers should be the first port of call.

In your search for the quietest dishwasher the target of your search will arise in decibel output of the dishwasher. However there is one major point to make you aware of when using the measurement of decibels (dB). When you are using dB it is not like a measurement of say Centimeters where 20 cm is double the value of 10cm as dB is not a linear measurement which means 20dB is not double 10dB in the value output of the sound. Now yes this is very confusing and misleading…this is why when you are looking into sound levels there are can be various perceptions from different individuals which may say the dishwasher is noisy or quiet. Not only is there various perceptions of the noise but even the room where the dishwasher is installed can enhance or decrease the sound levels! But we won’t go into this further at the current point, in the near future we will create an article for the sound levels of a dishwasher that will go into further detail.

To give you a tip, if you currently have a dishwasher in your home and your are going to be replacing that dishwasher with another in the same place then check out its dB rating as a measurement of its noise levels to “you”. With knowing its dB you can get an indication that if you get a dishwasher with lower dB it should be quieter…but as described this may not be 100% accurate. Also aim for a dishwasher that has a decibel rating of 45-49 or lower, 40 dB ratings are known to be quiet where 50dB+ are known to be noisy.

Selecting the Type of Dishwasher

Of course you will have already have some sort of idea of what type of dishwasher you will want to get, whether its portable, freestanding or built in or perhaps a countertop dishwasher. Selecting the type of dishwasher can also bring in multiple factors, for instance, when purchasing a portable dishwasher it’s not going to manage to wash as much items as say a full size dishwasher however it is going to let you move it around easy. Space is large part of selecting the type of dishwasher as you want something that is going to fit into your kitchen, maybe you have a space already set for the dishwasher and you’re going to want it to fit in place. You can find out more about dishwasher types and their positives and negatives from our other article, you can see it here: Dishwasher Types.

Dishwasher Flexibility

When it comes to the flexibility of the dishwasher this is relating to the baskets and placement holders for the dishes and utensils. Having good flexibility allows you more ease of placing/fitting dishes inside getting the most out of your dishwasher. Some examples would be having removable baskets and cup holders to allow larger items into the dishwasher, movable baskets in where maybe the top basket will move upwards so that the bottom basket can fit in larger items. Overall it’s quite simply the ability to increase space when it’s needed but also to place back any dish or utensil holder when you need to wash them.

Summary

Described above are some of the most common and our recommended factors you should look into before buying a dishwasher. Of course there are certain criteria for everyone and certain features that you will possibly require more for instance child safety although many dishwasher manufacturers will already look into this. Overall it’s about getting the right balance that is going to suit you, if sound is a real issue then look at sound levels as the starting factor and work from there…it’s all about getting the right balance.

Dishwasher Types

Wed, 10 Jul 2013 19:38:48 +0000

One aspect to selecting a dishwasher from your home is that of dishwasher types. Today you will find a range of models of dishwashers from large to small, each having their own unique benefits and negatives. Every dishwasher type is there for your convenience to suit your requirements for your home. Within the article below you will find out about a range of dishwasher types:

Portable Dishwasher
Full Size Dishwasher
Drawer Dishwasher
Slimline Dishwasher
Table Top Dishwasher

Easy to Move Dishwashers – Portable Dishwasher

The use of dishwashers may vary, for instance, there are times that one may be forced to move their dishwasher from one location to another. This necessitates that one should then find a portable dishwasher to provide them with the option of being able to move their dishwasher in any position that they like. Portable dishwashers are made to be compact and are not as heavy to allow users to be able to move their equipment to any location of their choice. At the same time, they are built having standard sizes. This indicates that the amount of space that is used up by such movable dishwashers is minimal. Therefore, anyone who has limited space in their homes may consider the option of a portable dishwasher considering the ease with which they can move the dishwasher.

Some other models of portable dishwashers are made such that, they are to be placed on kitchen counters. This is to facilitate easy usage since it is easy to work from the kitchen counter. In some cases, one may find a portable dishwasher designed in the same way as a microwave to allow the dishwasher to be easily fitted in the kitchen. This is the convenience that one gets to enjoy with portable dishwashers.

Dishwashers for Large Families – Full Size Dishwashers

In the cases where someone has a large family such that they would need a large enough dish washing machine to clean their utensils, the full size dishwasher would be the choice to go for. This is because; the full size dishwasher has the capacity to wash more dishes at a given instance. Therefore, from its use it would be easy for anyone to have their dishes cleaned irrespective of the size of their family. This particular dishwasher machine is made having up to fourteen machine settings.

These are the settings that are used to assist the users to choose the settings that would facilitate the washing of their machines. At the same time, they serve to provide convenience to the users since different users may use different settings for their dishwashing. The full time dishwasher is made having the capacity to wash dishes for up to three meals. This is the kind of help that one would get once they acquire such a dishwasher. And from that, one would see that they would not be troubled by the burden of having to clean their dishes every time that they are done with their meals.

Drawer Dishwashers

Drawer dishwashers are a more recent design of dishwasher. These dishwasher types currently come in two formats, one drawer or double drawer dishwasher. With the traditional dishwasher you require to drop the load door down and pull out the basket or holders for your dishes and utensils, where with the drawer dishwasher it is designed like the name says like a drawer. You can simply pull the drawer of the dishwasher outwards without having to pull any baskets or holders out. Of course this makes it a little more efficient however with this design you end up with a little less space within the dishwasher, especially for height where larger dishes may be a little more restricted. Manufactures did realize this particular problem and you can get large versions but of course this takes up a little more space than the conventional dishwasher.

With the two drawer dishwasher you can get more efficiency and have the choice to separate loads. So for instance if you started up one load of dishes but missed out dishes or utensils to be cleaned then you can quite simply put them in the second drawer and set it off on a completely separate run with even separate wash cycle. Double drawer dishwashers also give you quite a lot of space for all your dishes and utensils, in fact nearly as much as a full size one.

With drawer dishwashers there are also some factors to point out. There have been some issues with safety as in children where you may think they can simply pull a drawer open while it’s in operation. However there are some drawer lock features which will lock while the dishwasher is in operation which restricts drawers to be opened. It is a good idea to ensure the dishwasher has this feature if it may be an issue for you. Older models of drawer dishwashers where known to be low quality or contain lot of problems mainly being leaking, although this was mainly in the older models where the dishwasher was recently on the market. Of course like everything it takes a little time to iron out all the problems and with the newer models these problems have been looked into and sorted out. The problem is that you may now read some bad reviews on these dishwashers due to that and these great dishwasher types have gotten a little bad reputation. The other bad point was that of not so good customer service but with all the complaints with the older versions you would expect less service available to you all the time.

Slimline Dishwashers

The slimline dishwasher models where created for limited kitchen space. This recommends this specific type of dishwasher for small families or couples who do not regularly require the amount of dishes to be washed that traditional full size dishwashers can wash. Slimline dishwashers are similar in appearance to the traditional dishwasher however they are less in width which gives it the slimline look. These dishwashers can be freestanding or built in.

Table Top Dishwashers

Space can be limited at times and with the lack of space the table top dishwasher come into place. Although you have minimal space you may still need an appliance to wash your dishes and that’s where these types of dishwashers come in handy. Compact dishwashers are often known as table top dishwashers as these types can be as little as 50×50 centimetres in size.

Table top dishwashers do come with their negatives, the amounts of dishes you can place in the dishwasher are limited and amount of place settings are minimal. However they are great for limited space areas, caravans and mobile homes and used as portable dishwashers so you can use them where you can set one up.

Setting up a table top dishwasher is relatively easy; all you require is somewhere to drain the water that the dishwasher dispenses such as a sink, a tap or water source that the adapter can fit and an electrical source. When buying the dishwasher ensure it comes with the adapter and hose to allow you to connect it up.

The Essentials Of Any Dishwasher

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 09:35:42 +0000

With every dishwasher it is important to look after and maintain it well so it can not only keep its efficiency high but also have a high lifespan. Some dishwasher brands are not cheap and by not looking after them effectively it will only cost you money in the long run. Understanding your dishwasher is important and many owners do not fully understand the many factors. Therefore they tend to run into problems or do not actually know the effectiveness of certain elements.

Dishwasher Salt

The most important element is the dishwasher salt, by not having any salt you will be eventually damaging and reducing the efficiency of your dishwasher. If you notice your dishwasher is not cleaning as well as it has done in the past, ensure you check the dishwasher salt levels. At least once a month should you ensure that the salt is capped so it isn’t running out!

So how does it help? All dishwashers contain a water softener segment which uses the salt to keep it efficient, what this is actually doing is removing the harder particles (calcium and magnesium) in the water that can produce lime scale and clog up any spray holes in the dishwasher. Before the water runs into the actually dish washing section it builds up at the bottom where the water softener takes place and makes use of the salt.

Results – Therefore having dishwasher salt contained within the dishwasher at all times ensures the water is ‘soft water’ to decrease the chances of lime scale and clogs in the spray holes and tubes. From this you will experience possible dirty dishes, defiantly less efficiency, increase in energy costs and dishwasher rinse aid will not work effectively giving more streaks on your dishes and glass ware.

Important – You should never use any other salt then specified dishwasher salt, by using other salts such as table salt will actually do the opposite and help make the water ‘hard water’. This is due to the particles in the salt. Granular salt is the specific salt as it is very pure and ideal for dishwashers. If you are unsure always check with the manufacturer, Finish is a highly recommended manufacturer. View our recommended Dishwasher Salt products here: Dishwasher Salt.

Dishwasher Rinse Aid

What is dishwasher rinse aid? Rinse aid is in fact used very little within your dishwasher and typically used at the end of a cycle during the hot rinse stage. It will help prevent streaks on your dishes and glassware by causing less droplet clusters and helping items dry more efficiently.

Dishwasher rinse aid is therefore essential to get a more gleaming and shiny result as well as drier dishes and glassware.

Dishwasher Cleaner

Over time and usage of any dishwasher will create a build up of grease and unappealing smells. This certainly does not create a great atmosphere, especially in any kitchen! This is where dishwasher cleaner is essential by helping remove those smells but also keeping your dishwasher hygienic and clean. With grease and dirt build ups it can block filters, pipes and spray jets which will definitely cause damage and produce dirty dishes… So don’t let that happen, get dishwasher cleaner! We recommend such dishwasher cleaner as: Dishwasher Cleaner

Dishwasher Tablets

The main aspect for dishwasher tablets is to help with he actual cleaning of your dishes. They should be helping to soften stains and remove grease and not only helping your dishes but keeping grease from blocking pipes and spray jets also. There are many brands of dishwasher tablets and particular brands may act different with your dishwasher brand or even just with your own experiences.

From some previous customer experiences they see the prices of dishwasher tablets are too expensive which points them towards the cheaper range. The important aspect here is how they not only clean your dishes but also keep your dishwasher clean and protected. By using the cheapest selection of dishwasher tablets you may be causing damage to your dishwasher! These tablets may contain sand which may harm dishes and your dishwasher…However it is all about trial and error along with researching and knowing the contents of the tablets. We do recommend finish dishwasher tablets as they have proven to be effective overall: Finish Dishwasher Tablets

Importantly there is also at times mix up with 3 in 1 tablets…these tablets do contain salt, rinse aid and dishwasher cleaner. However even though they contain dishwasher salt you still need to add salt to your dishwasher! This is because the water softener requires salt to maximize efficiency and when the salt is in the tablet it does not get to the water softener. 3 in 1 tablets are more effective in cleaning and rinse aid is not required if you have 3 in 1 dishwasher tablets.