DIY Dishwasher Pods Using Essential Oils
Have you ever looked on the back of your dishwasher pod container and seen a warning like this? This, to me, is very scary. This warning is even for “free and clear” dishwasher pods.
Dishwasher pod warning on the back of Cascade Free & Clear lemon essence container.
i don’t know about you but I’m not going to use any products anymore that tell me to call a poison control center if swallowed. I’m not sure what “free and clear” means on the container but it certainly doesn’t mean free and clear of chemicals if they have to put a warning like this on the back of the container. Knowing all of this, I decided to make my own dishwasher pods. This gives me peace of mind knowing they are free of chemicals and it also makes me happier knowing the homemade pods cost a whole lot less than the ones at the store.
Here’s a simple DIY recipe for making your own dishwasher pods using essential oils. I have been using this homemade recipe, and I can’t believe how clean my dishes come out. Here is a picture of my dishes after I used the homemade pods. You can see from the glass dish how clean they got (no film, either). The dishes literally sparkle! And, not only are the dishes super clean but this recipe saves me a lot of money. It costs about me 3 times as much at the store. (I did some calculations, and it costs me 10 cents a pod for homemade ones verses 31 cents a pod at the store.)
(Dishes after using homemade dishwasher pods made with essential oils.)
DIY Dishwasher Pods with Essential Oils Recipe (Makes about 44 pods)
Ingredients:
1 cup washing soda (soda crystals)
1 cup citric acid - food grade
1/2 cup salt (I use regular salt)
1/2 cup white vinegar
10–15 drops of food grade essential oils - making sure it says “100% pure” and no chemicals are added)(You can use whatever kind you want but I personally prefer orange or lemon.)
A silicone “tray” to hold the pods. (You can use an ice cube tray or “candy trays”. It really doesn’t matter. The silicone ones make it easier for you to pop them out when they are dry, though. You’ll need to check the size of your dishwasher “pod compartment” to see what size it is and then find the size of the silicone tray that would hold them. I went to Michaels when I first did this and looked at the trays. I guessed at what I thought might work and thankfully, it did. Here’s a picture of the exact trays I use. If you want to buy this exact one, you can buy it at amazon. Just click on the picture.
Instructions:
Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the washing soda, citric acid, and sea salt. Mix well until there are no lumps.
Add Essential Oils: Add the essential oils to the dry mixture. Stir thoroughly to ensure the oils are evenly distributed.
Incorporate Vinegar: Slowly drizzle in the vinegar while stirring. The mixture will fizz slightly—that's normal! Keep mixing until you achieve a damp, crumbly consistency.
Mold the Pods: Pack the mixture tightly into the silicone trays (or any mold of your choice). Press down firmly to ensure they hold their shape. It will look messy. It’s just a messy process.
Drying: Allow the pods to dry for at least 24 hours. Once dry, carefully pop them out of the molds.
Store: Store the finished pods in an airtight container away from moisture. I put mine in a glass mason jar with a lid.
This is how mine look when I make them. Yes, it’s a mess but it’s worth it in the end. Just scrape around the pods to make it as neat as you can. Also, I use a small spoon to pick up the “extra mixture” that didn’t make a full pod and either make a “new pod” or pack it into one of the other pods.
See how the pods looked below after I “cleaned them up”.
Yes, pods are still messy but a little better… and it will all work out in the end so dont worry. Just think about how much money you are saving and how there won’t be chemicals in your pods.
A FEW NOTES:
1) The first time you make these, you might want to use 1/4 of this recipe just to make sure the tray is the correct size. For me, 1/4 of the recipe made about 11 pods (so the full recipe will make about 42-48 pods, depending on the size of the molds you use).
2) After you put in the vinegar and mix everything, it will seem really wet, but it will QUICKLY get hard after you are done mixing - so make sure to put the mixture in the the trays as fast as possible.
3) After you fill the trays up, the mixture might bubble up and expand. That is normal. Just keep pushing the mixture down into the trays every now and then. See picture below to see what I’m talking about.
Also, the 1st time I made this recipe, I forgot to put the vinegar in last so make sure you don’t miss that step. It really didn’t make too much of a difference although I did add a little more washing soda because it felt like the mix was too wet. The pods worked just as good so if you make the same mistake, don’t worry about it.
Also, note that the pods might expand some after an hour or so. Just press them back in the tray as firmly as you can. This might happen 2 or 3 times but not to worry. They will be the perfect little “cleaners” when you are done!
Here are a couple of pictures of what my homemade dishwasher pods look like when they are done.
essential oil dishwasher pod
(homemade dishwasher pods made with essential oils)
I hope you enjoy this recipe!