Dishwasher Tablets Recipe

Some time ago I shared, via a video over at the Household Logistics Youtube Channel, the steps and recipe we had used as a household in order to make homemade dishwasher tablets.

You can find the link to the actual video here, if you would like to see each step involved in a video format.

I did not at the time actually share, via this the Household Logistics Blog, the actual ingredients and recipe in written form, so I thought I would do so now. We ourselves need to make another new batch of tablets, so it seems like as good a time as any to put it all together (both the list of ingredients and necessary list of directions), for everyone's future reference.

So here it is, the recipe for our homemade dishwasher tablets..... I hope it may be helpful & budget-friendly for your household also.

Homemade Dishwasher Tablets Recipe

Ingredients:

2 cups of Washing Soda
2 cups of Kosher Salt
2 cups of Baking Soda
1/2 cup Citric Acid

Method:

1. Place two cups of Washing Soda into a large glass mixing bowl.

2. Add two cups of Kosher Salt and then stir these two ingredients together with a wooden spoon so that they combine.

3. Add the Citric Acid next. Mix all the ingredients together thoroughly (you may find the mixture begins to froth, this is normal).

4. Finally add the Baking Soda and mix all ingredients thoroughly again with the wooden spoon in order to combine.

5. Test the binding ability of the mixture by trying to form small balls or hand shaped tablets. It is important that the mixture is able to bind together.

6. When it is ready, you can then create dishwasher tablets using a mould (If you do not wish to make tablets, you can simply store the resulting dishwasher powder in an airtight container, as is).

For those wishing to make actual tablets, I found ice cube trays provided a good mould for making individual tablets and ones that proved to be just the right size for our dishwasher's dispenser.

7. Place spoonfuls of the mixture into the ice cube moulds and remember to press the mixture down firmly (this will help it to bind later as it dries). It is important to make sure each and every tablet is compacted well, otherwise it will potentially just crumble and break.

Please note: How long each tablet takes to air dry will depend on air humidity. It can take up to 12 hours or even longer to air dry them completely. I personally chose to use a kitchen food dehydrator to speed up the drying process and the following steps will explain how this was done.

How to dry the tablets using a kitchen food dehydrator:

1. After making sure each and every tablet is compacted down well, they can be carefully removed from the ice cube trays in order to place them in the dehydrator. The tablets are still not dry, so do handle them with care.

2. Space the individual tablets out on the dehydrator tray so that they do not touch each other.

3. Once they are all on the dryer trays, they can be loaded up and the drying process can begin. The tablets can then be dried at 55 degrees celsius ( 131 Fahrenheit) for 4 hours. You can check the tablets after a couple of hours to see what works best for you.

4. Once dry, the dishwasher tablets are ready to be used or put into an airtight storage container.

How to use the dishwasher tablets:

The dishwasher tablets are now ready to be used. You can also add a little white vinegar as a rinse aid should you wish to do so each time. Do check what is best for your particular dishwasher.

To see the process of the making this recipe step by step, if that will help further explain how this was done, do feel free to check out the video over at the Household Logistics Youtube Channel. The link is here.

Happy Homemaking, Everyone!