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DIY Dishwasher Tablets

non-toxic, effectively clean dishes in your dishwasher without the harmful chemicals
Servings: 16 tablets

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup Borax
  • 1/2 cup epsom salt
  • 1 cup washing soda
  • 1/2 cup lemon juice
  • 8 drops essential oil like lavender tea tree, lemon, thieves, or any mix

Method
 

  1. Mix dry ingredients together.
  2. Then slowly add in the lemon juice and incorporate it well before adding more juice. Juice will cause a fizz which is why you need to add it slowly often and mix well.
  3. Next, add in your essential oil drops and stir in well.
  4. Pack mixture into ice cube tray tightly with fingers.
  5. Let cubes sit for 8 hours.
  6. Lastly, pop out the cubes and store in an air tight container.

Notes

Makes 16 cubes using a traditional ice cube tray. I place the cube on the top rack to allow it to full dissolve during the cycle. Also, the cube will not fit in my dishwasher’s dispenser. 
It is possible you could get a smaller ice cube tray to experiment with this recipe. Perhaps it’ll then fit into your dispenser cup.
Rinse aid: use white distilled vinegar for a rinse aid especially if you have hard water. SEE BLOG POST FOR A RESEARCH ARTICLE ON HARMFUL RINSE AIDS!
It’s actually way better to use fresh lemon juice. I’m sure there is a science behind it, one I’m not prepared to research or share right now but I do know bottled lemon juice works well too. 
Occasionally a dish or glass will have a white residue on them if I do not open the dishwasher to allow that final air drying stage after shaking the racks to allow water puddles to run off. I am okay with this as this is a salt-based detergent and contains no harmful chemical residue. I will simply rinse this particular dish by hand.