Ever since I started thinking about the chemicals in my home, if not before, I've been disturbed by the thought that my dishwashing liquid is full of chlorine.
When I was in 9th grade, my science teacher told us a story about when he used to work at a facility that housed chlorine gas, and how he was told that if he ever saw a green cloud creeping along the ground and under the door, he should run for his life. Ever since then, I've imagined chlorine as a scary monster or alien being, creeping along trying to kill me and those that I love. Yes, it won't kill you in small doses - NOTHING will kill you in small doses - but still, who wants to ingest a poison?
You can't avoid chlorine in your water unless you buy a very high-grade filter or a distiller, which I am not currently able to do, but I can sure as heck-fire avoid putting it in my dishwasher. Especially when your dishwasher isn't working super-well, it's nice to know that you're not eating off a chlorine film at every meal. Organic detergents can be pricey, and you never know how "organic" they really are, since the term is not regulated in anything other than food, but the stuff I use is known to be safe, non-toxic (well, you shouldn't eat washing soda, but it's not nearly as toxic as chlorine), and inexpensive.
SO.... here's the "recipe" (do not actually mix these together or you'll end up with nasty goo) for natural, poison-free, clean dishes:
*1 T Washing Soda (Arm and Hammer makes it, but it's different from baking soda - it's in a yellow box in the detergent aisle at Fred Meyer)
*1 T Simple Green (I use the lemon kind because we like that scent better for our dishes - Linens N Things carries it)
*White Vinegar
Put the washing soda in one of your dishwasher dispenser holes and the Simple Green in the other. Put white vinegar in the Jet Dry dispenser (otherwise you'll end up with white film all over your glasses).
I've been very happy with this and have seen NO NOTABLE DIFFERENCE between using this and liquid Cascade. Maybe they don't rinse QUITE as clearly (the vinegar really helps), but I'm not trying to impress anyone, just to take good care of my family. And now, when I unload the dishwasher, I can feel good about what I'm doing for them!
8 comments:
That's a great tip! I will definitely try that as soon as I find another store that carries my fave ingredient: Washing Soda. It is sooooo hard to come by anymore. I used to buy it all the time at our grocery store and then they stopped selling it.
Thanks!
That's a great tip! i will try it.
Thanks, I hope to be able to try that. I love looking for natural alternatives to everything, and most of my household cleaners are more on the natural side. It's the dishwashing detergent and laundry detergent that still aren't b/c like you said they can be sooooooooo expensive!!
remind me again which ingredient goes in which dispenser? i can't ever remember if the washing soda goes in the main and the SG goes in the pre-wash or vice versa...?
I was told to put the simple green in the dispenser that closes and the washing soda in the open one. But, since my lid for the closing one is not water-tight, I do it the opposite way and have great results.
Does this mean that the Washing soda is non toxic after the rinse cycle?
thanks
Yes. In fact, Washing Soda is essentially non-toxic, but it is caustic - that is, it can damage and irritate your body. This is only a problem in very concentrated amounts, though. Diluted, Washing Soda is harmless, and, according to Wikipedia, is actually used in Ramen Noodles!
thank you jenni :)
Post a Comment