Great Cakes Soapworks

After visiting Sam’s Club and discovering that they no longer carry the Member’s Mark brand of dishwasher detergent, I decided to make my own. I had heard of people doing this – especially other soapmakers. I googled a few recipes, and decided to use this one, since I already had all the ingredients:

2 cups borax (20 Mule Team)
2 cups baking soda
4 tablespoons citric acid (or you can use 2 packets of sugar free KoolAid lemonade)

Mix and use 2 tablespoons in each load – one in the open box, and one in the closed box. Use white vinegar instead of rinse aid.

I had about half a cup of store bought dishwasher detergent left in the bottom of the box, so I just mixed it in. While I was in Walmart this afternoon, I browsed the plastic food storage containers, and found the perfect one:

16-cup capacity with pour spout, by Mainstays

I read about some people having problems with white residue, so I’ll be anxious to see how it works for us. It sounded like the people who had the most problems had hard water. We have a water softener, so I’m not anticipating any issues. I just ran the first load this evening after dinner, so I guess I’ll find out! My main motivation for trying this is the money I’ll save. It won’t hurt that it’s a “green” choice as well. I’ll probably be kicking myself for not trying this sooner – it was SO easy to make!

Update: For more information, see Part 2

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