Dishwasher powder recipe + Intro

[Guest guest]

Hi all. I just joined the group. My husband, son, and I live in

Connecticut and are interested in all things green. We also follow the

Weston Price whole foods diet. I'm an author and I just published a

book called " Green Up Your Cleanup. " I just wanted to comment on the

dishwasher recipe. You want to avoid mixing citric acid and baking

soda -- they react strongly to one another and are commonly mixed to

create " bath fizzies " (fun in the bath -- not so fun for your

dishwasher!). I'm guessing the pressure could damage the seals on your

dishwasher over time. Here's my recipe, which is pretty similar (minus

the baking soda):

1/4 cup citric acid

1.5 cups borax

15 drops essential oil (optional)

Put in a plastic container with a tight-fitting lid (otherwise it will

turn rock hard). Shake each time before use. Use about 1 tablespoon

for each load (more if you have hard water).

 

Hope this helps!

Jill

 

, cyndikrall wrote:

>

> Barbara sent this to me today, thought you all might enjoy seeing it.

>

> Cyndi

>

>

>

> In a plastic container with a firmly fitting lid, mix:

>

> 1 cup borax (20-Mule-Team Borax)

> 1 cup baking soda

> 1/4 cup salt

> 1/4 cup citric acid

> 30 drops citrus essential oil--I use orange

>

> Put all of it in the container, shake it up. Use 1 tbl per

> container in the dishwasher. You will need to rinse dishes before

loading

> as this nontoxic recipe will not melt off the chunks of food like

store bought

> toxic powders will.

>

>

>

>

>

> **************Gas prices getting you down? Search AOL Autos for

> fuel-efficient used cars.

(http://autos.aol.com/used?ncid=aolaut00050000000007)

>

[Guest guest]

Hello Jill, and welcome! Thanks for the introduction!

 

I think the small amount of mix used in the dishwasher would not harm the dishwasher. The baking soda and citric acid are used together deliberately to form a mild amount of suds, and I'm guessing, to make sure the baking soda dissolves completely. The limited amount of carbon dioxide created would not do anything to cause a buildup of pressure. At only 1-2 tablespoons per load, there's no way it could do any damage.

 

I'm not a chemist or anything, but the combination might be used to help dissolve food off of plates. It sounds like a stronger combo than plain citric acid, to me anyway. I'm sure your recipe works too. I've seen many different recipes online-I've been compiling them to create a file for us at the homepage, one of these days when I get around to it, lol.

 

Please feel free to tell us more about your book and your recipes! Are they all "tried and true" things you use every day???Cyndi

 

In a message dated 6/28/2008 8:45:43 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time, farscaper writes:

 

 

 

 

Hi all. I just joined the group. My husband, son, and I live inConnecticut and are interested in all things green. We also follow theWeston Price whole foods diet. I'm an author and I just published abook called "Green Up Your Cleanup." I just wanted to comment on thedishwasher recipe. You want to avoid mixing citric acid and bakingsoda -- they react strongly to one another and are commonly mixed tocreate "bath fizzies" (fun in the bath -- not so fun for yourdishwasher!). I'm guessing the pressure could damage the seals on yourdishwasher over time. Here's my recipe, which is pretty similar (minusthe baking soda):1/4 cup citric acid1.5 cups borax15 drops essential oil (optional)Put in a plastic container with a tight-fitting lid (otherwise it willturn rock hard). Shake each time before use. Use about 1 tablespoonfor each load (more if you have hard water). Hope this helps!Jill

 

Gas prices getting you down? Search AOL Autos for fuel-efficient used cars.