DIY Dishwasher Soap Tabs
Easy Homemade Dishwasher Detergent Pods for Super Clean, Scent Free Dishes!
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I will admit it, DIY dishwasher detergent was something I thought I would never try. I assumed there was no way it would work. Boy was I wrong!
It may take a couple of tweaks until you find the exact ratios that work best with your water, as soft vs hard water makes a difference. But once you find that, all-natural dishwasher detergent tablets work wonderfully! And when you add a quick and easy homemade rinse aid for hard water spots to your load, you will never go back to buying the chemical and toxin filled dishwasher detergent pods you are used to.
Your bank account will thank you as well! Making your own costs a fraction of the amount of commercial brands.
I’ll never forget the time I bought some dishwasher detergent pods I’d never used before, but they were on sale. I figured, how bad can they be? It’s gonna save me like $10 bucks. So I gave them a shot. Well, that was a mistake. It ended up costing me money instead of saving me money! We couldn’t use them because there was so much chemical in them!
After the first load, the dishes may have looked clean (kinda), but the smell on them was so strong and repulsive that no one wanted to use the dishes that had been washed with it. It was terrible!! And it took several washes with a different detergent to get rid of the smell.
On the other hand, this non-toxic dishwasher tablet recipe leaves your dishes completely scent-free. No strong chemical smells, and absolutely no stinky dishes smell. You know the one I mean, where you don’t even want to use the plate, because it smells dirty still. This is probably my favourite thing about making my own dishwasher tabs at home.
I learned my lesson not to be cheap with my bad buy. I also learned that store bought tablets must have a huge amount of crap in them, that is very toxic and unhealthy for my family to be using.
Not to say that there are no good dishwasher detergent pods out there that you can buy in the store, there are, and I’ve used them for many years with great results. The thing is, no matter how great they work, they still are one of the most toxic products you can use in your house. And the price of the good ones keeps going up and up.
Once I decided to give homemade dishwasher detergent a shot, I was hooked! It is incredibly easy to make, takes only a few simple ingredients, and works surprisingly well.
Should You Use a Rinse Aid to Complete the Clean?
Great question, and it all depends on your water.
A homemade dishwasher rinse aid isn’t soap—it works by breaking the surface tension of water so it slides off your dishes more easily during the final rinse cycle. This prevents lingering droplets from drying into streaks, water spots, or that frustrating cloudy haze.
It’s especially helpful if you have hard water, since minerals like calcium and magnesium are the main culprits behind spots and buildup. By using rinse aid and washing on a high heat setting, your dishes dry faster, look crystal clear, and come out sparkling every time—without the need for rewashing.
It also helps in ensuring your dishes come out with a fresh clean smell! No more musty or earthly smells will be on your dishes……. you know the ones that make you gag trying to drink out of the cup or eat off of the fork…… you’ll even notice the dishwasher itself is cleaner.
Check out my recipe for a simple 2 ingredient rinse aid HERE:
How to Make Dishwasher Detergent Tabs
These DIY dishwasher detergent tablets are pretty easy to make. All you have to do is mix all your dry ingredients together until they are well blended. Then you add in your wet ingredients to help the powder form into tabs, and then press them into ice cube trays to dry.
Ok, let’s go over the ingredients and where you can buy them………
Washing Soda (Sodium Carbonate)
Washing soda is a powerhouse cleaner and one of the key ingredients in any DIY dishwasher detergent tablet recipe. It helps break down grease, food residue, and tough stains while softening hard water, which boosts the cleaning power of the other ingredients. This natural mineral lifts away grime, leaving your dishes sparkling without harsh chemicals — perfect for an eco-friendly dishwasher tablet that really works.
Borax (Sodium Borate)
Borax is a natural mineral salt that enhances the cleaning strength of your homemade dishwasher tablets recipe. It helps to disinfect, cut through grease, and neutralize odors inside the dishwasher. Borax also acts as a gentle whitening and deodorizing agent, ensuring your dishes and glasses come out clean, fresh, and spotless.
Dishwasher Salt
Dishwasher salt is a simple yet essential ingredient in natural dishwasher detergent tablets. It prevents limescale build-up and helps soften hard water so your detergent can perform more effectively. The result is streak-free, spot-free dishes every single time — no cloudy film, just a clean shine from your homemade dishwasher detergent.
Citric Acid
Citric acid is the secret weapon for sparkling dishes in your DIY dishwasher tablets. Naturally derived from citrus fruits, it works as a powerful de-scaler that breaks down hard water spots, mineral deposits, and stubborn residue. It also provides gentle antibacterial properties, making your eco-friendly dishwasher tablets both effective and non-toxic.
Lemon Juice
Fresh lemon juice adds a natural degreasing and deodorizing boost to your homemade dishwasher detergent tablets. Its natural acidity helps dissolve leftover food particles and neutralize odors, leaving your dishwasher — and your dishes — smelling fresh. Lemon also acts as a mild binder to help hold the tablet shape while giving that fresh, clean scent everyone loves.
Sal Suds
Sal Suds is a biodegradable, plant-based cleaner made by Dr. Bronner’s that works beautifully as a natural binder and surfactant in your DIY dishwasher detergent tablets. It helps the ingredients stick together while boosting the cleaning action — cutting through grease and grime for spotless, squeaky-clean dishes. It’s a safe, non-toxic addition that makes your homemade dishwasher detergent tablets as powerful as store-bought ones, but without any synthetic chemicals.
DIY Dishwasher Soap Tabs
Difficulty: Easy, Beginner36
Tabs10
minutes10
minutes20
minutesEquipment:
– 12 piece silicone bottom ice cube trays x 3 (buy in CAN or buy in USA)
– Air tight storage jar (buy in CAN or buy in USA)
Ingredients
Directions
- Combine dry ingredients into a medium-size mixing bowl.
- Slowly add the lemon juice and stir in until well blended.
- Add approximately 1 Tbsp of mixture to each ice cube mold.
- Press the mixture firmly into each mold with your thumb until it’s well compacted.
- Allow the pods to harden for at least 24 hours before removing them from the molds.
- Once hard, place the tabs in an air tight jar and store in a cool, dry place.
Notes
- Do not completely fill each mold. Too much detergent can cause white residue on glasses. Also it may be too big to fit in the detergent holder of your dishwasher.
- The Borax can be substituted with Baking Soda, although I find baking soda doesn’t harden as well for the tabs.
- Regular dish soap can be substituted for the Sal Suds if that’s what you have.
- If you want to just use a powder detergent, instead of the tabs, just omit the wet ingredients and store powder in an air tight container. Use around 1 Tbsp powder for each load.
If you loved this recipe, don’t forget to share it with a friend and save it to Pinterest so you’ll always have it handy. And if you want more simple, natural recipes, be sure to subscribe to my newsletter – I’ve got plenty more tips and recipes coming out on a weekly basis.
