[MedicalConspiracies] Homemade dishwasher detergent (OT)

Homemade dishwasher detergent

This is our recipe:

1/2 C baking soda
1C borax
1/2 C salt
1/4 C citric acid powder
20-30 drops Citrus Oils, or as desired.

Mix everything, then add oil as desired.
I use orange oil, the type one would cook with, not the type one would use
in perfume. We store it in a glass jar and add a little less than a
tablespoon to the detergent dispenser before every load. We rinse with
vinegar in the rinse dispenser.

I get citric acid from the health food store in a 5 pound tub. I think the
last time it was 12.50 or so. I use it to make quite a number of household
cleaners and things for the bath like bath fizzies. I'm maybe 1/2 way
through my tub and have had it for a few years. Smaller containers are in
most pharmacies, but if you have a friend who is a soap maker, he/she may
have some they'd be willing to share. Follow the same proportions for a
smaller batch.

We had to get a new dishwasher when the (very) old one bit the dust a few
years ago, and the man from the appliance who delivered it said that the
advice he gives everyone is to under-use detergent on all appliances.

He said that if you cut back 1/3 to 1/2, the dishwasher & washing machine
will last a lot longer. I've since read that this seems to be true.
For the dishwasher's sake, go easy on the detergent:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/13/your-money/13shortcuts.html?src=me&ref=your-money