Doing dishes is a fact of life. In fact, if you save money by eating at home regularly (you should!), you might have to do more dishes than the average household. But running your dishwasher can be pricey. Here are some great ways for saving money on dishwasher detergent and simple hacks to keep your machine running efficiently.
Make Your Own Dishwasher Detergent
I’ve been making this simple four ingredient recipe for YEARS. The amount it makes actually lasts for years, too (I’ve only made it twice over the last four years). Simply combine 1 Box of Borax, 1 Box of Washing Soda, 3 Cups of Epsom Salts (found in the pharmacy), & 24 Packets of Lemonade Mix (unsweetened). Combine the ingredients in an air tight container. Typically, I layer the ingredients so that they’re easier to mix. Be careful not to get the mixture wet because it will clump and harden. I only use about a teaspoon of the detergent per load. Which means it lasts an eternity, no matter how many dishes you do. It doubles as a fantastic scour for tubs, sinks, and showers, too. For a few tips & tricks on making the detergent, read this post. By the way, you can also clean your dishwasher by using a packet of lemonade in the detergent compartment and running it through a cycle. The principle ingredient is citric acid which cuts through stains and grime.
Swap White Vinegar for Rinse Agent
Once again, I love white vinegar. There’s simply nothing this miracle cleaner can’t do. I use straight up white vinegar in the rinse chamber in lieu of a rinse agent. It does an awesome job of keeping dishes sparkly! In fact, if your glassware is beginning to get spotty, try running a cup of white vinegar in the top rack with your glasses. It gives a little extra cleaning oomph.
Check Out Lemi Shine
I love a little product in the dishwasher aisle named Lemi Shine. You’ll find both a regular use product and a “machine clean.” Both are great and worth a try if you have hard water. Instead of adding the suggest amount, I simply sprinkle a small amount in the bottom of my dishwasher before running a load of dishes.
Know Your Best Cycle
Have a dishwasher built before 2012? You can save time, power, water, and ultimately money by running your dishes through on the “Quick Wash” cycle. I also find that my dishes are less spotty when I utilize this feature on my dishwasher. Have a newer dishwasher? The “Quick Wash” cycle might actually use more water and cost more! Be sure you know which is most efficient!
Maintenance & Replacement
Be sure that the arm of your dishwasher functions properly. For years, I was incredibly frustrated with our dishwasher only to find that a small clip had broken and the arm was not spinning properly. Be sure items remain clear of the heating element. Don’t be afraid to call a repair man if a problem seems continual. It might actual be an easy fix. If it’s not, ask the repairman which dishwashers he repairs the most so you’ll know what not to buy. If you need to purchase a replacement, I highly recommend purchasing a scratch and dent dishwasher. Never gone that route? Be sure to read Tips for Buying from a Scratch and Dent Store.
Have a great tip for saving money on dishwasher detergent or prolonging the life of your appliance? Leave it in the comments!
Gain inspiration to pay off debt! Check out Inspiration to Pay Off Debt: 30 Days of Encouragement from the Queen of Free on Kindle or Pre-Order Slaying the Debt Dragon: How One Family Conquered Their Money Monster and Found an Inspired Happily Ever After (due out November 2014).
This post contains an affiliate link. That means when you get a great deal or maybe even something for free, you also help our family pay off our mortgage early. And for that, we royally thank you!
Sahara says
If you have an Energy Star dishwasher built after 2012, I would like to point out that the “Quick Wash” feature actually uses *more* water than the Regular & Heavy Wash cycles, and that’s how it gets the dishes done faster (and often cleaner!).
That is because dishwashers built since January 2012 must use about 9 percent less
electricity and 27 percent less water to meet the EPA’s
(voluntary) Energy Star standard. With those new requirements to use less water, dishwasher manufacturers have compromised and made the regular cycles longer so as to still get the dishes just as clean.
Queen of Free says
Wow! What a great tip! My dishwasher is older than the hills so I had no idea. I’ve amended the post to reflect your tip. Thanks so much for the input.
Sahara says
You’re welcome! Our dishwasher just kicked the bucket so we’ve been learning all sorts of stuff! I loved your Scratch and Dent post.
solidgoldeats says
Hey Cherie – does this work in High Efficiency washers? I was told to only purchase detergent with the HE symbol on it (which is almost all detergent nowadays). I would LOVE a substitute like this!
Queen of Free says
Hmmmm. I think so. I know a similar recipe for laundry detergent works fine in HE washing machines. I’ll do some research. I would say definitely stick to the 1 tsp. smaller amount if you want to give it a try. I can’t find anywhere on the numerous recipes I’ve looked at that have said don’t use it.