Household chemicals are an integral part of our Everyday life. They make our life cleaner, save time on cleaning, leave a smell of freshness after their use. But is everything as great as it seems at first glance?
After all, we do not think about what is included in the various powders and gels for cleaning. Are they really harmless to our life and health? After all, they basically contain surfactants, well corroding fat and softening water.
There are numerous discussions and disputes about the impact of such substances on human health. Let's try and figure it out Is there any harm here and how to minimize it.
In addition, we will look for harmless ways of washing dishes in the dishwasher, so that there is an effect and cost savings as an additional bonus. After all, everyone knows that a dishwasher is a very useful thing, but also expensive to operate, since purchased products for it are not cheap.
Sections of the article
About the dangers of household chemicals
Can't imagine life modern man in everyday life without the use of a mass of household chemicals. It includes many harmful substances, which not only harm fragile ecosystem, but also have a very detrimental effect on human health, leading sooner or later to chronic diseases person.
Manufacturers claim that the amount of harmful substances in household chemicals is minimal, but they “forget” to mention such a fact as the cumulative effect of all components, which inflicts real harm health.
Only 3% of the population carefully study the composition of purchased household chemicals and buy hypoallergenic products, 50% know that these products are harmful to health, but choose them because of their effectiveness and time savings, 50% do not think about this and trust the ubiquitous advertising of manufacturers.
If you take care of your health and want to minimize the impact of hazardous chemical compounds, buy the safest household chemicals, carefully read the composition and instructions.
The most hazardous chemical compounds commonly used in products household purpose, are:
- Chlorine, organochlorine compounds - in cleaning products, detergents Oh.
- Phosphates and phosphonates - in washing powders.
- Surfactants - in detergents and cleaners.
- Formaldehyde - in dishwashing detergents, carpet cleaners.
- Hydrochloric acid (hydrochloric acid) - in cleaning products.
also in cosmetics- Shampoos, creams, decorative cosmetics have a lot of substances that adversely affect health, which manufacturers are silent about.
One of the studies by American scientists found that the abuse of household chemicals and cosmetics affects on women's reproductive health, disrupting the functions of the endocrine system and bringing menopause closer.
Chlorine and its compounds found in many media:
- bleaches - ACE (chlorine-containing bleaches) detergents for dishwashers and manual dishwashing (Prill),
- disinfectants - Whiteness, Comet (gel or powder with chlorinol), Domestos (a very highly concentrated agent, practically a "poison" for the respiratory system, you can not use it in everyday life),
- mold control agents.
Since 1987, certain chlorinated compounds have been banned or restricted in the European Union since 1987 because they can cause:
- hypertension,
- anemia,
- diseases of the cardiovascular system,
- contributes to the development of atherosclerosis of blood vessels,
- affect the condition of hair and skin,
- cause allergies, up to bronchial asthma and emphysema,
- contributes to the activation of pulmonary tuberculosis,
- increase the risk of developing cancer,
- reduce immune defense by suppressing T and B lymphocytes.
Surfactants (surfactants) Today it is contained in all cleaning products - soap, washing powders, dish and room cleaners, etc. Why do they clean surfaces so well? They contribute to the combination of water molecules with fat molecules, so these substances break down and protective human sebum.
According to the standards established by GOST, the protective layer of the skin after using such products should independently recover up to 60% within 4 hours after the use of surfactants, but this does not happen.
All surfactants are divided into:
- Anionic surfactants (a-surfactants) are the most readily soluble in water, cheap, effective and most harmful to nature and the human body. They are able to accumulate in a significant concentration in the body.
- Cationic surfactants - they are less harmful and have bactericidal properties.
- Non-ionic surfactants - decompose by 100%.
Anionic surfactants are often contaminated with nitrosamines, which are carcinogenic and are not listed on the label.
Majority modern means household chemicals have a high concentration of anionic surfactants. With frequent and abundant use of them in everyday life, this leads to:
- Severe degreasing, dehydration of the skin, which leads to its premature aging in combination with phosphates, which contribute to a more intense penetration of a-surfactants through the skin, they are absorbed into the bloodstream, reducing immunity.
- Anionic surfactants accumulate in organs: in the liver - 0.6%, in the brain - 1.9% of the total amount of surfactants that have got on the skin and other organs. These substances have a toxic effect: they disrupt the functions of liver cells, which leads to an increase in cholesterol levels and, as a result, the risk of heart attacks and strokes increases, in the lungs they can cause emphysema, hyperemia, and disrupt the transmission of nerve impulses to the central nervous system and peripheral nervous systems.
- The risk of developing allergic reactions increases. When using any detergents (both for washing dishes and for washing clothes), surfactants penetrate and accumulate in the body.
Even 10 times rinsing of dishes hot water does not release it from chemical compounds.
In order to somehow reduce their harmful effects, you should purchase funds with the amount of a-surfactant not more than 5%.
Source: zdravotvet.ru
How to make do-it-yourself dishwasher tablets?
Tablets for dishwasher with your own hands? Why not! You will need the most elementary components to make a cleaning agent that is not inferior in effectiveness to its store "colleagues".
Whoever has this miracle unit knows that without tablets it is impossible to thoroughly clean dirty dishes. It is quite natural that the more often the equipment is used, the more "improvised means" it consumes. Unfortunately, they cannot be attributed to the cheapest products in the category of household chemicals.
But there is good news: for those who want to save money, there is a way out - homemade pills dishwasher. How to make them with your own hands? There is nothing difficult in this.
What will be needed?
Contrary to popular belief, making dishwasher tablets does not require any complex, “secret” ingredients that are inaccessible to the layman. We need a set of simple and well-known products, namely:
- 2 glasses baking soda;
- 1 glass of salt;
- 1 glass of water;
- 1/2 cup citric acid;
- it is also necessary to prepare containers for ice - plastic or silicone.
Manufacturing process
To get started, you need change consistency parts of the soda prepared by us. Sprinkle 1 cup of baking soda on a baking sheet and place it in an oven heated to 200 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes.
Stir occasionally so that the baking soda doesn't burn or stick to the metal. After removing from the oven, it will be more loose and matte, which will make it excellent base for homemade tablets for dishwasher.
Pour the heated baking soda into a bowl. Send the remaining soda, salt and citric acid there. Stir lightly with a spoon, then add a little water. The substance will begin to foam, so subsequent portions of water must be added when the foaming process stops. This is necessary so as not to provoke leakage of the entire mixture outside the vessel. Mix well. Put 1-1.5 teaspoons of the mass into ice molds.
It is necessary to quickly distribute the resulting substance among the containers, since it tends to thicken rapidly.
Leave for 30 minutes. After this time, remove the handmade dishwasher tablets from the molds and transfer them to an airtight jar. Use them as needed.
Source: assol-club.net
Making dishwasher capsules
The most popular forms are capsules or tablets, they are quite expensive. One wash will cost about a dollar. However, not everyone knows that it is possible to prepare a dishwasher detergent. on their own Houses.
To prepare the capsules you will need to take:
- baking soda (150 g),
- Epsom salt (aka magnesia - 500 g),
- borax (sodium tetraborate - 200 g),
- lemon juice (replaced with a similar acid).
Preparing the capsules is quite simple. To do this, all dry ingredients are mixed, and then lemon juice is added. Everything needs to be mixed. The mixture will begin to sizzle, as there is a reaction with the acid, but such a process ends quickly.
The resulting mixture is poured into ice molds. Forms are removed to a place where air humidity is almost minimal until they are completely dry.
After the product dries, it is allowed to use it in the dishwasher.
Thus, with the help of magnesia, borax and soda, expensive capsules can be replaced. A liquid agent is prepared in the same way, only the tablets are diluted with water.
In fact, the previous recipe can be attributed to the preparation of tablets. However, you can also add a glass of powder for a simple wash. It is only worth carefully examining its composition for the presence of substances hazardous to health. Best to use baby powders.
Source: nisorinki.net
A couple more simple pill recipes
Most people agree that powder and soda are optimal. Soda, in addition to removing some of the pollution, softens the water, which helps other substances work better.
Recipe #1
My first recipe was as follows: the composition included seven parts of the usual powder and three parts of soda. Not food, but calcined. As a binder - ordinary water from the filter. I used a cookie cutter and made pills in the form of bears.
Basic components + 20 minutes and you have 30 tablets. Mix powder and soda. Add dishwashing detergent for foam and bonding.
After kneading, we fill out the form, it turns out almost like a real manufacturer, if you level it. Dries up in a matter of hours.
Recipe #2
Baby powder - 8 parts, soda - 1.8 parts and dishwashing detergent - 0.2 parts, as a binder. I used baby powder, since it is less aggressive in composition, it contains substances that clean proteins well, but at temperatures up to 40 degrees.
In our dishwasher, the mode for such tablets is called Eco and is marked with a scale of 35-40 degrees. The manufacturing process is identical to recipe No. 1.
Do homemade pills wash well?
The first composition proved to be normal, but slightly worse than cheap tablets. Not all places were washed well enough. I see the reason in a very strong defoamer in powder, which did not allow the dishes to be covered with foam and interact with dirt. Or maybe the crockery was placed crookedly.
That is why in the second option dishwashing detergent is added, quite a bit, because too much foam is dangerous for the dishwasher or washing machine. After that, the result is completely satisfactory.
All sorts of secrets and little things:
- Too large forms of tablets may not fit into a special compartment.
- For large tablets, there is either a platform or a hanging cage.
- If you are too lazy to knead, you can pour a dry mixture, but it is very dusty.
- When kneading, use gloves and a mask - soda is very aggressive for mucous membranes and volatile.
- If you go over with soda, the tablet in the hopper may not dissolve well.
How much do homemade pills cost?
And here is the most interest Ask- is it worth the bother? 16 grams of a regular tablet from an unknown manufacturer costs 9-10 rubles.
- 400 grams of soda costs 20 rubles.
- 400 grams of baby powder 45 rubles.
- 10 ml. dishwashing detergents - 1 ruble.
Total: powder and 80 grams of soda (1 to 5) = 49 rubles and 5 rubles for dishwashing detergent + your personal 20 minutes.
The output is 500 grams of finished tablets or 31 pieces, which is equal in cost to 54 rubles / 31 pieces = 1.75 rubles. Quite an economical option.
Advantages and disadvantages
- Cheap, very cheap!
- The composition can be adjusted to suit your needs and pollution.
- It is clear how the dishes are washed.
- Waste of personal time.
- Not exactly aesthetic.
- You need to choose your composition.
- Manufacturers of dishwasher tablets are going bankrupt and crying.
The choice is yours - believe that the composition of the tablets includes magic granules, and colored powder is better than white - do not waste time - take it ready.
IN Lately it has become fashionable to try to use as little as possible household chemicals that contain aggressive substances, for example, laundry detergents or various detergents and cleaning products. In addition to the fact that they harm our health, the cost of such funds is often too high. However, is it really possible to make your own dish detergent so that it is as effective as a store-bought one? Can it be used in dishwashers, and will such a tool not harm the condition of the unit or human health? Experienced housewives and resourceful consumers will answer you that all this is quite possible to implement, and at low cost and effort.
Most of the gels and various powders with which we wash dishes in dishwashers contain so-called "surfactants" (surfactants). It is they who allow the powders to form foam. In addition, powders often contain different kind acids that can corrode fats, as well as water softeners, bleaches, thickeners, and other ingredients, the full names of which, in fact, are quite difficult for the layman to pronounce.
How do these substances affect the human body? Opinions are divided on this matter. However, it is really true that in a small amount of harm they do not carry, and sometimes they are found even in the composition medicines or food.
But is it possible to do without them and make your own detergent that will be used when washing dishes in the car? In order to do this, use the following recipes.
Method 1
Prepare a solution of soda ash and peroxide in a glass of hot water. Take 1 teaspoon of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide. The resulting solution is dishwasher safe as well as healthy. You may not be able to clean fat burnt on the pan with it, but you can easily wash ordinary dishes, such as plates, forks and spoons.
Method 2
- Another recipe involves the preparation of a detergent based on mustard powder. As you know, mustard can perfectly foam and remove fats.
- To make dishwashing liquid, mix half a cup of mustard powder with half a cup of borax.
- Add 1 glass of soda (necessarily calcined).
- Store the resulting product in a dark room in an opaque bottle.
Please note that some consumers do not approve of this recipe, since mustard may not dissolve well in water and not be washed off completely, and dishwasher parts may become clogged with powder. However, opinions are divided on this matter, as some praise this method of preparing detergent. Be very careful with mustard if you are prone to allergic reactions.
This mustard-based product can be used both in the case of washing in a dishwasher and by hand.
Method 3
This method will help you save more on dishwashing detergent costs than it will reduce the impact chemical substances. However, the proportion of surfactants in cooking is so insignificant that it cannot significantly affect your health (of course, if you do not have a tendency to allergies).
If you carefully analyze the composition of detergents in dishwashers, then the following conclusion suggests itself. By simplifying the composition of the powder, you can make your own similar at home. However, you will not reduce its effectiveness. To prepare 1 kilogram of powder, you need to take the ingredients in the following quantities:
- Surfactants - neonol and sulfanol (25 grams each).
- food or soda ash in the amount of 950 grams.
Surfactants are readily available and are essential for the product to lather easily. But it is soda that is the basis of the mixture, since one serving of the resulting powder (about 30 grams) will contain only 1-1.5 grams of neonol and sulfanol. You will not be able to add such a negligible amount of surfactant as 1 gram when washing, so soda is used for the base.
However, such a powder can only be used in case of washing in soft water, since special salts for dishwashers are required for processing dishes in hard water.
You can find many other ways to make homemade detergents online, but most of the time they are good for washing dishes by hand, not in dishwashers.
How to prepare dishwasher tablets?
In addition to powders and solutions, you can also prepare dishwasher tablets with your own hands. As you know, it is the tablets that are considered to be the most popular dishwashing detergent in the car, and at the same time their cost is much higher compared to other products. Tablets are constantly advertised as the most effective method washing dishes. However, it is not at all necessary to buy what manufacturers offer today. You can make your own tablets at home, no worse than purchased ones.
Recipe 1
- Take laundry detergent (about 350 grams).
Its composition will not differ much, in fact, from the products used in dishwashers. Except that there is no soda.
- It is also necessary to take soda ash (150 grams).
It will help remove dirt and also make the water softer.
- In addition, you will need water as a binding ingredient.
- Mix the dry part of the composition, and add water little by little.
- At the exit, you should have a thick mixture, which should be filled with ice molds.
In a few hours you will be able to get the finished product when the tablets harden.
- Keep the form small and similar to the pills that are sold in the store.
This is due to the fact that one tablet must be placed in the appropriate place in the dishwasher.
Recipe 2
- Take a baby laundry detergent (it will be less aggressive) in an amount of 80 grams.
- Mix it with 18 grams of soda and 2 grams of regular detergent.
- First you need to mix the powders, and then add the gel (or liquid).
- The mixture that you have turned out is also placed in an ice mold.
These recipes may not be very environmentally friendly, but their application will significantly save your potential costs.
Advantages and disadvantages of application
The advantages of using these hand-made products are as follows:
- Such powders and tablets are much cheaper than those that can be bought in stores. The cost can be less than 10 or even more times!
- You can adjust the composition of home-made products yourself. For example, if the features of your dishwasher require it, you can put less or more of a particular ingredient.
- In the case when you prepare the remedy yourself, you know its composition by 100% and you don’t have to worry about your health.
However, homemade powders or tablets for dishwashers have, among other things, disadvantages:
- It is necessary to spend a certain amount of personal time for cooking (however, in general, this is no more than half an hour).
- These tools do not look as aesthetically pleasing (although this is not a significant minus, and you can personally correct this issue, so its solution depends entirely on how hard you try).
- By doing small experiments, you will need to determine how much product goes into one wash. Thus, you may be faced with the fact that it will go much more than purchased. But remember that the cost of a homemade powder, for example, is relatively very small, and this does not matter at all.
To start cooking or not - you have to decide for yourself. To make sure this is necessary, you can read consumer reviews and their suggested recipes, for example, on a forum dedicated to this issue. For the most part, there you can chat with live real people and avoid intrusive advertising from household chemical manufacturers.
Finally done. Scandals on the topic “whose turn it is to wash the dishes” will no longer be. The place in the kitchen allocated for the dishwasher is occupied, the master left the service center, having connected everything and saying which a good choice You made. You yourself are bursting with how prudent you are, how many programs your beauty has. You are not afraid of a mountain of dirty dishes.
Dreams Come True
Stop! What about the manager in the supermarket household appliances and the master during installation talked about detergent for the dishwasher? And something else about the fact that it is categorically not recommended to use detergents for manual dishwashing in a dishwasher - they foam abundantly and can harm the machine.
Read the instructions
To get started, re-read the instructions, specify what types of detergents are recommended to be used in specific model(type, class) dishwashers. It turns out that it would be nice to know the degree of hardness of the water in your system.
According to the strength of the action, dishwashing detergents are divided into groups. The composition of the first (strongly alkaline) includes caustic silicates, phosphates or carbonates. They come with whitening ingredients. Is it chlorine or oxygen. Dishwasher detergent with such caustic ingredients is used to wash dishes heavily soiled with fat or protein. But for thin, fragile dishes and dishes made of silver, cupronickel, aluminum, the use of such products is not recommended by manufacturers, and this must be indicated on the label of the product. You need to pay attention to this if your grandmother's silver is dear to you. Strongly alkaline products with oxygen oxidizing components are milder and are used more often. The composition of weakly alkaline products includes biologically active substances. They are called enzymes. These are amylases, proteases, lipases. They complement and reinforce each other. A slightly alkaline professional dishwasher cleaner is best used at a water temperature of forty-five to fifty degrees, when the washing properties of enzymes are ideally manifested. These are gentle dishwashing detergents made from different materials, while being quite effective.
One tablet is enough
Today's best dishwasher detergents come in powder, gel, or tablet form. The most affordable are powders. It is economical to purchase immediately packaging more than a kilogram. For one cycle, about twenty-five grams of powder is enough, so a large package is enough for forty cycles. Now more and more concentrated and low-abrasive powders are produced. Their costs are even lower. In order not to violate the recommended doses, the manufacturer encloses a dispenser for dishwasher detergents with the powder package. The gels do not contain any abrasive ingredients. Therefore, they are chosen by housewives for washing dishes made of glass, porcelain, without fear of the formation of microcracks on their dishes. Gels do not oxidize metals, soften water and are considered the safest for unit parts. And increasingly, for ease of use, liquid dishwasher detergent comes in organic packaging in the form of balls that are placed inside the machine. This achieves the best washing effect.
In terms of convenience, tablets are ahead of everyone. But in terms of the cycle it turns out more expensive. Moreover, in short washing programs, the tablet does not have time to completely dissolve, and often you have to choose full cycle washing. Tablets are available in single-layer, multi-layer and three-in-one types, i.e. detergent, rinse and softening components in one tablet with different speeds dissolution. Despite the mentioned costs, tablet detergents for dishwashers have the best reviews. Moreover, now the tablets are produced with dosing strips so that they can be divided to wash different amounts of dishes.
It's good to rinse
Housewives who have chosen not tablets, which already contain rinsing agents and who want to see glassware without streaks and white spots from powder or gel, should definitely stock up on liquid rinse aid. It is needed to make glass items squeaky and shiny by washing dishwasher detergent off them. This is achieved by the non-ionic components of rinse aids. The rinse aids themselves are harmless to health, especially since they are completely removed during the rinse cycle. But if allergy sufferers live in the house, after completing the wash cycle, it is imperative to start the extra rinse mode. Almost all modern cars have this mode.
Be sure to salt
The best washing results can be achieved in soft water. There are five levels for determining the hardness of water. The levels show the possible amount of lime in the water. Some manufacturers include a hardness tester with the dishwasher. The degree of hardness above the second level requires the use of special regenerating salts when washing. Otherwise on internal surfaces machine accumulates white lime scale. And dishwasher detergent remains on the dishes, especially noticeable in the form of stains on the glass, which should be transparent. For softening salt in the department for funds there is a fairly roomy box. It is usually loaded with the entire kilogram package of regenerating salt. It is consumed gradually, and when it runs out, the indicator on the panel will inform you about it. By buying two-kilogram packages at once, we save money, because they are cheaper than small packages.
Purity requires sacrifice
Like any appliance, a dishwasher requires careful maintenance. So that it does not get dirty so quickly, it is better to pre-soak very dirty dishes, frying pans, for example, rinse the remains of fatty food on the plates under running water. Every twenty cycles dishwashing utensils it is imperative to degrease with special gels or powder. Three to four times a year, after degreasing, you need to clean the internal parts from scale. Only by following these rules, you can keep the machine in working condition for a long time.
Beware, expensive
Eats such dishes when you need to choose detergents especially carefully. For fragile crystal, faience, glaze, silverware, aluminum utensils, you need to buy special means. And even if the reviews for the selected detergents for dishwashers are the most positive, it is better to set a gentle mode with minimum temperature water heating and washing time is minimal. And cut the detergent in half. After the cycle is completed, take the dishes out of the machine immediately. It is better to completely abandon the dishwasher if the packaging glassware there is a symbol that prohibits washing it in the unit. It is forbidden to wash small items in the car, they can damage the equipment; chopping wooden planks; cutlery with handles made of wood, bone, porcelain or rusted steel; dishes with a non-heat-resistant coating or plastic; old glued dishes; copper or tin utensils. And I think you yourself will not put Gzhel or Khokhloma in the car.
And here it is better in the old fashioned way
But on the question of how, and most importantly, by what means to wash children's dishes, you can discuss. There are mothers who categorically wash children's dishes only with their hands without any detergents, be sure to pour boiling water over them, dry them in a microwave oven or a cabinet for sterilizing children's dishes. You can call them fanatical, but our grandmothers and partly mothers were like that. And there are those who do not refuse the pleasures of civilization, and in the matter of choosing detergents. If the question is how to replace the detergent for the dishwasher, the experience of our grandmothers and mothers will help here.
Grandma's Secrets
You can make detergent tablets at home from safe baking soda, borax, salt, lemon. Soda, salt and borax are well mixed in a large plastic container, adding a little lemon juice. The mixture will sizzle a little at first. A dense and thick mixture is placed in plastic molds and left to dry completely in the sun for several days. Using such tablet molds, you can not be afraid of warnings that more than fifty percent of harmful substances enter our body from household chemicals. And that the dishes must be rinsed up to twenty-five times. Not a single hostess and not a single car does this.
Modern manufacturers of detergents are people too. They also want the health of their children and themselves. Therefore, if you are not financially constrained, then choose organic natural remedies for the dishwasher - certified powders, gels and tablets, rinses, degreasers safe for people and nature. Well-established, according to consumer reviews, brands such as Sodasan, Klar, AlmaWin, Opm Gruen Green.
In the work of which I am satisfied with everything. Usually I wait for the time when in the store (and we sell them only in the store of one chain) they are discounted, and I buy 3-4 packs at once in order to forget for a while that I need them: there is, and good. Sometimes they end earlier than expected, and wakes up in me craving for handmade products. And this is where the experiments begin...
The decision to experiment with pills came to me for the reason that I already three years for washing I use homemade gel which pleases me immensely. Firstly, without fragrances, and the linen does not smell of chymosis, which irritates me. Secondly copes with pollution. Third, the composition is pleasant: water, soap and soda ash. Fourth In addition to washing, they can clean a bunch of everything.
And so, armed with a bunch of articles by Internet craftsmen, I tested several common recipes, but I’ll tell you what conclusion I came to in the end! In all cases, salt and rinse aid were additionally used, the washing mode was auto.
First What came to my mind when thinking about an alternative to PMM tablets is, of course, my universal gel (30 g per cycle). The result is disgusting - do not try: there is a whitish coating on the dishes, which had to be washed by hand.
But I decided to show how he good at ordinary life : I specially waited for the oven door to smoke a little, smeared it with gel, covered it with a film so that it would not dry out, and went to do other things for 3 hours. Then I walked with the hard side of the sponge, and that's it! In addition, the gel is also good because it is washed off quite easily, unlike industrial products.
Second homemade pills are next from borax and baking soda in a ratio of 1: 1 plus 20 grams of dishwashing detergent for every 100 grams of the mixture and water to the desired consistency. The consistency should be such that the paste is not very wet, but it can already be molded. The paste must be distributed into small molds (I have 15 ml hemispheres, in grams the tablet turned out to be about 16-17). Leave for several hours until completely dry.
After washing with these tablets, the situation was better, but a slight coating was also present, so these tablets go on a long journey of non-use.
Third and fourth option very similar to each other. The mixture is prepared in the same way as in the previous version: the dry ingredients are mixed, dishwashing detergent is added (20 g for every 100 g of the mixture), everything is rubbed, and water is gradually introduced until a paste of the desired consistency is obtained. The paste is distributed in molds, where it must dry completely.
Third option: 50% soda ash + 30% oxygen bleach + 20% laundry detergent + dishwashing detergent and water for the binder. Here it is worth paying attention to the composition of the powder and bleach: the simpler it is, the better. The basis is soda ash or washing soda (sodium carbonate), washing powder is our surfactant, and it is better if it does not contain optical brightener. In my powder, salt comes first, and this will work to soften the water, and the powder itself is therefore less aggressive. The EDTA component (aka Trilon B) also works to soften water. Fragrance minimum. Oxygen bleach plays the role of an oxidizing agent, its composition is sodium percarbonate and TAED (to activate the bleach at low temperatures). It is better if it does not contain surfactants and optical brighteners.
If the composition of the washing powder already contains oxygen bleach, then better fit fourth option - 50% soda ash + 50% washing powder + dishwashing detergent and water for the binder.
The third and fourth options do their job quite well, where there can be small pollution somewhere (for example, protein rims on pans after boiling meat), but this kind of pollution sometimes remains after industrial products. These two options can be considered quite viable in the context of "at worst", but I still like mine better. industrial tool. And if you rate, then option 3 and 4 work for 4 or 5-, and industrial in half concentration (half a tablet per cycle instead of a whole) - for 5.
In order to save money and control the composition of household chemicals used, do-it-yourself dishwasher products are becoming more and more popular. Based on the basic ingredients, dozens of detergent options can be prepared, different in their properties, form and active substance. Using soap or mustard powder will help you get gentle, and washing powder - tablets that are almost identical to store chemistry.
If the main goal of making dishwashing detergent is to create a harmless composition, the recipe should be based on ingredients such as soda, soap, mustard powder and salt.
There is no need to write off funds that have been proven for centuries. By correctly combining the right ingredients, you can achieve a strong cleaning effect.
Mustard Dishwasher Gel
To prepare this tool you will need:
- soda;
- mustard powder;
- ordinary dishwashing detergent.
The recipe is very simple: you need to mix soda with powder in equal proportions and add a little dishwashing detergent.
This recipe has its pros and cons. Although mustard powder is excellent at removing even tough greasy stains, it is possible to clog the dishwasher due to its rough texture. Do not use mustard powder in its pure form without the addition of liquid detergents or washing powder.
Soap based gel
To prepare a soap-based gel you will need:
- 1 liter of boiling water;
- 50 g of soap chips;
- 50 g of soda ash;
- 3-5 drops essential oil for flavor (optional).
In boiling water, first add chips, then soda and oil, dissolving until a homogeneous consistency is obtained. If necessary, you can replace soda ash with food, but the cleaning effect of this will decrease.
If you have hard water at home, you can slightly modify the recipes with soda, doubling its amount.
Tablets with soda and salt
Do-it-yourself dishwasher tablets are prepared from:
- 2 cups of baking soda;
- 1 glass of salt;
- 1 glass of water;
- 1/2 cup citric acid;
- forms.
You need to mix all the dry ingredients and carefully start pouring in water, as the product will begin to foam. Spread the resulting slurry into a mold for ice or cookies. The time of complete solidification is from 30 minutes to 2 hours.
Gel with soda and borax
The advantages of this method are the absence of harmful chemical ingredients, the availability and minimal amount stains on dishes due to borax. For cooking, you need two ingredients - and borax.
In equal proportions, we mix borax with soda and get a kind of gel for washing dishes.
To enhance the washing effect, you can add a regular dishwashing detergent in the same proportions.
When using household detergents, it is recommended to add an acidic natural rinse aid. For example, for 0.5 liters of water - 2 tablespoons of citric acid or vinegar.
Analogues of expensive detergents
A homemade remedy is a great alternative to expensive household chemicals. Adding regular washing powder to the recipe will help make effective pills that are no different from store-bought ones.
Classic pill recipe
If the goal is to achieve maximum similarity with store-bought tablets, the following ingredients are best suited:
- 350 g of washing powder;
- 150 g of soda ash;
- water.
First you need to mix the dry ingredients, then gradually add water until a thick slurry is formed. Spread the prepared mixture in an ice or cookie mold, leaving to harden for several hours. After some time, take them out of the molds: homemade ones are ready.
Hypoallergenic tablets
Baby powder contains less aggressive substances in its composition. Thus, at home, you can make hypoallergenic and safe tablets that combine all the properties of purchased ones. To prepare the product you will need:
- 80 g;
- 18 g of soda;
- 2 g of ordinary detergent.
The preparation is similar - mix the dry ingredients, add the liquid ones and arrange them into molds.
Detergent with mustard powder
The proportions are one to one. Let's take:
- mustard powder;
- washing powder (regular or children's);
- soda.
It is very important to remember to add special or regular salt when washing. Salt reduces scale and prolongs the life of the dishwasher.
Expensive household chemicals is not always unique in its composition. If necessary, you can use improvised means. Soda has excellent cleaning properties, borax adds shine, mustard powder is able to wash even old dirt, and washing powder is almost a direct analogue of dishwashing powder.
But you need to remember: what is suitable for hand washing may not be suitable for the dishwasher. Some substances can clog it, so it is recommended not to violate the technology for preparing detergents.
