These DIY dishwasher tablets are a great non-toxic alternative to store-bought tablets. Scented with essential oils and using everyday ingredients, these DIY dishwasher tablets will leave your dishes squeaky clean!

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Over the last few years, I have become a massive fan of making my homemade products as much as possible. It makes it more affordable to live a non-toxic lifestyle and most of the ingredients for my homemade cleaners I already have in my home.

It doesn’t take much effort to put good-quality, simple ingredients together and have a clean home without toxic chemicals. From homemade dish soap to homemade disinfectant cleaner, we have a simple and effective cleaning routine.

Why Make your own dishwasher tablets:

They are Economical:

Making your dishwasher tablets is inexpensive compared to buying non-toxic and store-bought brands of dishwasher pods. We use basic ingredients that are affordable and easily found at the grocery store.

They’re Eco-Friendly:

These DIY dishwasher pods have ingredients that do not harm our water or environment. These ingredients can even improve your dishwasher performance and won’t leave containments in our water

Dishwasher tabs are Made with non-toxic ingredients

Commercial detergents and dishwasher tablets have a plethora of toxins that are harmful to our environment and our health. You can still get clean dishes without using harsh chemicals to clean them.

Materials needed to make your DIY dishwasher tablets:

silicone mold or ice cube trays
Wooden spoon
Large mixing bowl
Air-tight container or a jar for storage

Ingredients:

Baking Soda (Sodium bicarbonate)

Baking soda is a natural cleaning agent that is responsible for removing stains and food from your dishes.

Washing Soda (Sodium Carbonate)

Washing soda helps remove greasy residue and grime from your dishes. It also helps break down mineral deposits, leaving you with shiny dishes instead of ones with spots.

Dishwasher Salt or Kosher Salt

Dishwasher salt acts as a water softener in your dishwasher detergent tablets. This salt is better to use than table salt or kosher salt because it dissolves easier in your dishwasher.

You will find online that it is not advised to use salt in your dishwasher unless approved. This is because fine salt can potentially clog your drains because it doesn’t dissolve as well during your wash cycles. Most table salts contain anti-caking agents which do not dissolve However, many natural products on the market use dishwasher salt, which is specifically made for dishwashers and is free of harsh chemicals.

Dishwasher salts help break down hard water deposits and act as a natural water softener in your dishwasher. If you use regular salt, you need to make sure that it is not fine salt and that it does not have anti-caking agents in it. An example would be kosher salt or coarse salt.

Liquid Dish Soap or Coco Glucoside:

A lot of my homemade products have coco glucoside in them. It is such a versatile ingredient that provides awesome cleaning power. However, if you don’t want to make the leap to buy a whole different product, dish soap works just fine in this case.

Coco Glucoside is an all-natural surfactant that is used in products like Dish Soap or Laundry Detergent. Surfactants are foaming agents that help to lift dirt, grease, and other stains off materials. It works great for dishes because it removes grease and set on food. It is a staple product in my home!

Essential Oils (Optional)

Lemon essential oil

Lemon essential oil will help to clean off bacteria from your dishes and aids in a natural clean scent.

See My post here on my favorite essential oil brands!

Distilled Water:

Make sure you are using distilled or ultra-filtered water to prevent molding of your pods.

Do these DIY dishwasher tablets work for hard water?

Yes! The ingredients in these dishwasher tabs act as water softeners which helps in reducing or eliminating the spots on your dishes!

How to reduce hard water stains on your dishes:

Adding one cup of vinegar to your rinse compartment:

White Vinegar acts as a natural rinse aid compartment in your dishwater, helping to prevent water spots on your dishes. I have had great success with using vinegar in my dishwasher and have had no issues with it ever breaking. Be advised some companies will say not to put vinegar in your dishwasher because it could potentially damage them, so do this at your own risk.

Adding Dishwasher Salt to your dishwasher:

Most newer dishwashers have a compartment where you can put dishwasher salt to soften your water. Consult your owner’s manual to see where to put dishwasher salt in your dishwasher!

How to use your homemade dishwasher detergent tabs:

You can put your DIY dishwasher tablets in your dishwasher detergent compartment, but I prefer to put mine in the bottom of the dishwasher. It works better if I do this!

You only need one homemade dishwasher tab for a load of dishes. However, if you use a smaller silicone mold, you may need to put in two homemade dishwasher tabs.

How to make your DIY dishwasher tablets:

First, we will start by mixing our dry ingredients.

Mix in a large bowl:

1 cup of baking soda
1 cup of washing soda
3 Tablespoons dishwasher salt

Add:

2 tablespoons dish soap. Mix to combine
Add in 20 drops lemon essential oil
Then mix in 1/2- 1 cup of distilled water. I need about 1/2 cup most of the time. You don’t want your mixture too wet otherwise they won’t dry enough.
Fill your ice cube or silicone trays with your mixture. You want to work quickly so your mixture doesn’t dry out before you get all of the mixture in the trays.
Let tabs completely dry before you take them out and store them.

How to store your DIY dishwasher tablets:

Once your dishwasher tablets have dried, remove them from your mold and place them in an airtight container. Store them in a cool, dry place so they do not get moisture to them.

How to use your DIY dishwasher detergent tablets:

You could put your DIY dishwasher tablets in your soap compartment in your dishwasher, but I think they work better if you throw one directly on the bottom of your dishwasher.

Final Thoughts:

This simple recipe for DIY dishwasher tablets will help you switch easily to non-toxic cleaning products without spending loads of money. If you try these leave a rating and review!