Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

I did it! I made dishwasher detergent! Yay me! I know I'm way  more excited than I should be on this one but I'm finding making stuff on my own/"off the grid" is extremely satisfying, exciting and economical! I hmmmed and hawwwed over what recipe I would use and finally decided on one. I halved it to make sure it would work for us since different people report different findings. I think it really has to do with how hard or soft your water is and even what type of dishwasher you have.

What's the big whoop with conventional detergents?
Phosphates! "Once phosphates are discharged into the environment, they promote algae growth in local waters. These sudden blooms of algae trigger a process called eutrophication in which local waters become starved of oxygen and devoid of life. This issue is of special concern to anyone living near a lake or pond," writes Seventh Generation, a maker of phosphates-free soaps. You can read more about aquatic dead zones here

Phosphates used to be in laundry detergent but soap makers changed their formulation years ago. Now the same is finally happening with dish detergent with some companies voluntarily banning their use. Either way I still don't really trust big names. At the very least they all contain artificial fragrances which aren't very good to be breathing in. I even read a few articles that Cascade's new formulation is ruining some people's dishes and dishwashers! I dunno but making my own was so easy and cheap I don't think I'll be turning back!

Here is my recipe:
1 cup Borax (Can be found in the laundry isle at grocery stores. I got mine at London Drugs. It was 2kg for $6.99)
1 cup Washing Soda (Also found in the laundry isle. Again got mine at London Drugs. It is not the same as baking soda so don't subsitute it with that. 3kg for $6.49)
1/2 cup Citric Acid (Had a hard time finding this in Squamish. I got it in NB at a brew it store. Yesterday I came across is at Nester's though in the Asian spice section. 1kg for $10)
1/2 cup Kosher Salt (I used Sea Salt.... not sure if it would differ to use Ionized Salt or not...)
1 tsp White Rice (you don't need to do this but apparently it helps the batch from not clumping due to to citric acid. It won't hurt your dishwasher at all)

Use 1 Tbsp per load or adjust as per your need. Also fill the Jet dry compartment with white vinegar. It will act as a natural rinse agent... and no your dishes won't smell like vinegar after I promise.

There were some Dishwashing tabs onsale this week  at Save On... I did a little math and it works out to 24 cents a load.

This particular recipe will produce 48 loads and according to my excellent math abilities I figure it's about 4 cents a load. If you turn on your dishwasher once a day then you stand to save about $75/year or more depending on the type of detergent you use (green ones tend to be even more expensive) and if you normally get good sales. Not only that, it is non toxic and saves lots of plastic containers destined for the landfill. You can use the Washing Soda and Borax for many other household cleaning products including Laundry Detergent.... which I also made!

If you want to try some and you're in the area then come on by!

The e-BP. A glorious invention.

Just a quick  little green post to remind anyone with a smartphone that you can check into flights with your phone and then use it as your boarding pass! No more jumbling papers and wondering where you put your passes! Its really sweet though seriously. I finally got around to doing it and I will never go back. Plus you can check in 24 hours in advance now and choose your seat so when you get to the airport you just have to check your luggage if you have any. It's also even BETTER if you are travelling as a family and have multiple boarding passes for the kiddies too! Seriously do it you won't regret it! I haven't seen that many people using this system (compared to noticing that everyone around me seems to have a BB or iPhone so thought this was a post worth mentioning) There is also free Wifi in all Canadian Airports that I have been in so you can even do this on your iPod Touch!

Oh ya! Totally forgot to mention why this is so green! Approximately 4.5 million people fly every day! Think of all that one time use paper!

Hiatus Finished

Apparently I'm not a very good little blogger. Cardinal rule of blogging #1 is to post regularly but after starting work in Alberta and only having an iPad/no internet while I'm there things trailed off. Plus to be honest I have gotten very interested in reading many other people's blogs and they are just so damn good! Can sometimes be a bit intimidating. Oh well..... I have been doing lots of research lately and I have to start sharing some of these new revelations that have come into my life. Read on little reader.

Did you know that North Americans on average use 12 personal care products per day? I'm at about 9 before even getting to makeup. Did you know that MOST of these personal care products contain lots and lots of toxic chemicals?? You probably heard a little birdy saying that here or there... but you ignored it. I did for a very long time. They contain toxic chemicals that cause everything from cancer to reproductive problems. Sure you might not see the effects today or tomorrow and yes they only contain small amounts of these chemicals but I'm already sludging on 9 small doses of these chemicals every day! Thats before I count some of these products that I use twice!

So what do you do? You go into the drug store to buy new shampoo. You don't know what to think. You've never read labels on shampoo before. You don't know what all those big words mean. I know. I've been there already. Then you decide you want to be a responsible consumer, get away from all this crap, so you reach for the "Natural" or "Organic" or "Handmade" labelled (and more expensive) stuff thinking you're now on the right track! Nope discouraging I know. I've been there. These labels, although nice looking, generally mean didly squat. I'm here to help. Not only to just tell you to stop using this or that but to tell you of all the amazing options we do have out there! Many of them just don't have multi million dollar advertising campaigns... hence why you may not have heard of them...

Here is an informative video of my general opinion of today's cosmetic industry:
The Story of Cosmetics
In any case you will always have believers and non believers. No one wants to think that the shampoo they have been using for 15 years (I've seriously been using the same Redken shampoo for the last 12 years) is diluted toxic sludge! It's oh so sad but true. But I have good news. REALLY REALLY good news. There are tons and tons of fabulous, toxic chemical free products out there! Tons! I have more good news. Most of them don't cost any more than the regular stuff you buy!

I can't believe the amazing stuff I've found out there lately! Entrepreneurs are popping up everywhere! So amazing! Not only can you buy chemical free products, many of us now have the ability to buy locally, handmade, delicious products OR make our own! Products you could not only put on your body or face or your children's bodies but also products you could eat it you wanted to! (although I don't recommend this since they probably don't taste very good)

So I suppose this post could be viewed as a bit of a scare tactic. Lately I have been finding many scary facts about the world we now live in. I haven't been feeling more scared or secluded though. I've felt more empowered and fulfilled! Funny how that can happen. Since this post would be pages and pages long if I wrote everything I have learned in the past few months, I am going to post each type of product separately as to the options and companies I've discovered.

Ok here are a few more links:

Skindeep Database
This site is awesome. Run by the Environmental Working Group you can search their database for the very products you use everyday. Some I haven't been able to find but most are there for your viewing pleasure. See how your shampoo/skin cream/deoderant/whatever stacks up!

Dirty Dozen Chemicals
Take a look at the back of a few of your products to see if they contain one or more of these bad guys. If so, maybe consider switching companies when you finish off that bottle...

The Toxic Chemical Dictionary!
Chemicals listed from A to Z. Good guide if you cannot find a product on the skindeep database. You can evaluated it yourself. Also good for becoming better at reading labels yourself.

Once I had my revelation (which started with the discovery  of SLS by the way) I didn't go through my house with a garbage bag and toss everything out (although some might). I've just been finishing off my toxic sludges one at a time and then replacing them with Uber Chic and cool, toxic sludge free amazingness! Pass the message along to your family and friends! Information is power!