A few years ago I saw a TV show about people in the Pacific Northwest who have become smugglers because phosphates have been outlawed in their area. Phosphates are found in just about every commercial automatic dishwasher detergent but are very harmful to the environment. In the areas where phosphates were outlawed, only phosphate-free detergents could be sold / purchased. The program interviewed several people who were making long trips "across the border" to other areas where they could buy traditional detergents. They would bring them back in, sometimes in large quantities to sell to friends and neighbors, creating a black market for Cascade. They claimed the phosphate-free varieties just didn't get their dishes clean enough and they were forced into a life of crime. Oh, how I scoffed at these people. How bad could it be? Didn't they have anything better to do with their time? So maybe the dishes didn't sparkle exactly the same, aren't the fishies worth a little less shine?
At the time, I couldn't find any phosphate-free options in our area, so I didn't have to prove it to myself. I did check regularly, though, wondering why even at Whole Foods I couldn't find a greener automatic dishwasher detergent. All kinds of other green cleaners were available, even at my regular grocery, including liquid dish soaps, but no detergent for the dishwasher. When I finally found one, I snatched it up immediately, ready to prove to myself that these people were just nuts to waste their time and risk fines and other penalties for a little Electrasol.
It didn't quite work out that way. No problems with the first couple of loads, but then the glasses started getting cloudy. I could live with that, but then some things just didn't get clean and had to be run again or hand washed. I stuck with it, though, until I started to get a black mold or mildew in my dishwasher. That, I could not live with. So I went back to the bad stuff until I found another phosphate-free brand. That one ended just the same, though. I tried 6 or 8 brands over the course of a few months - every single one I've been able to find around here - and they all had the same end result. Some were better than others, but none worked for me long term. I began to see how one might be motivated to setup a smuggling operation.
I started researching alternatives and found a few make-your-own recipes. The first batch I made was tossed out after the first load. I had to hand wash everything because it left a really nasty film on every dish. The second recipe was better. It handled the glass and earthenware just fine, but still left a similar film on plastic. About 6 weeks ago I found a recipe that I am cautiously optimistic about. Enough so that I am going to share it here. It seems to work better than any of the other options I have tried, though not quite as well as my favorite bad stuff. Here's the recipe:
1 cup Washing Soda (NOT baking soda, though Arm and Hammer makes the most common washing soda as well)
1 cup Borax
1/2 cup Kosher Salt
1/2 cup Citric Acid
Just mix everything together in and airtight container. Use about 1 Tbsp per load, a little more for heavily soiled or extra large loads.
If you've tried my laundry detergent recipe, you have Washing Soda and Borax already. Kosher salt is cheap and easy to find at the grocery store. Citric Acid may be harder to find, but my local grocery sells it in the same area as other supplies for canning fruits and vegetables. The site where I found this recipe noted that you can use Fruit Fresh instead, but that did not work as well for me and it isn't pure citric acid. Others have said that unsweetened lemonade powder works as a substitute (no sugar or artificial sweetner), but I have not tried that.
I came across a couple other tips to improve the effectiveness of this or other phosphate-free detergents. First, put white vinegar in the rinse agent dispenser to help the soap rinse cleaner. This works if you stick with the bad stuff, too, and is cheaper and greener than other rinse agents. Also, make sure your hot water is really hot. I have mixed feelings about suggesting that you turn up your water heater because of the energy consumption, but it will help make sure your dishes are clean. I am hoping that any energy impact is more than offset by the eliminated chemicals.
Now, I have to admit that I still have a box of the bad stuff and use it occasionally - maybe once or twice a month. I'm working on giving it up completely, but I'm still afraid that at some point I'll start seeing the cloudy buildup or mold/mildew again. Some sites I've read suggest that mixing 1/2 cup or so of the bad stuff into a batch of homemade detergent will give you a bit of both worlds - a greener way to clean with that extra sparkle. That's my next plan if this one starts to go bad.
So how does this balance for me?
Heart/Body/Mind: I definitely feel better in my heart about having fewer chemicals on my dishes, and I would not be surprised to learn that the chemicals in most detergents are bad for your body.
Time: It takes a few minutes to make, but I can skip the detergent aisle when I'm shopping.
My Wallet: The homemade detergent is much cheaper than the bad stuff and white vinegar is cheaper than rinse aid as well. Even using a little of the bad stuff from time to time, I'll be saving money.
The Earth: Fewer chemicals and less packaging is a good thing!
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