How to Fix Hard as a Rock DIY Dishwasher Detergent

Remember when I wrote this post about making your own dishwasher detergent?  I said I wasn't having clumping problems.  Yeah, well, within a day or two or writing that post the whole thing turned rock hard.  I thought, there has to be a way to fix this, so I searched the comments at Jabs.  Most people either said suck it up or add the citric acid to each load w/o mixing it in w/ the rest of the recipe.  Yeah...I'm not doing that.  I'll forget for sure. 

Ever hear of Occam's Razor?  That sometimes the simplest solution is the best one?  Well, I dumped the contents of my very airtight Tupperware container into the food processor (I thought airtight would mean no clumping, obviously I was wrong) and ground the stuff back up to a powder.  Then I dumped it all back into the container and it's been a few weeks and so far, it's not re-clumping.

So, yes, extra step.  You know I hate those.  But whatever, consider it an easy solution that will help you keep making your own dishwasher detergent and a way to really clean your food processor.

My only other problem is that the glassware is not always crystal clean...that's kind of hit or miss.  Sometimes it's a little cloudy, but I think more citric acid would probably fix that.  And seriously people w/ the vintage stuff getting etched...don't put vintage anything in the dishwasher!  If it's valuable, hand wash it always and you won't have to worry about it scratching...Yeesh. 

And for the record, I'm using a very rounded heaping tablespoon of it since I use an old scoop from one of the Hubby's powdered sports drinks.  So, I don't know how that's affecting the cost breakdown.  But all in all, I like this stuff.  I think making dishwasher detergent yourself is too easy not to do.

DIY Dishwasher Detergent

Remember way back when, I wrote a post about Jabs Homemade Laundry Detergent?  Well, I decided to give their dishwasher detergent a go and after using a full batch, I have to say it totally works! 

Jabs Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

Mix together:

1/2 cup Borax
1/2 cup Washing Soda
1/4 cup Kosher Salt
1/4 cup Citric Acid

It may clump over time, but that's just the citric acid.  No big deal.  And use vinegar as a rinse agent.  I was leery about that, but it works great.  He says to use a tablespoon per load, but I use an old ice tea scoop...about 2 1/2 tablespoons.  I'm going to have to try using a tablespoon and I'll let you know how that goes.  I use a 1:3 ratio per load...2/3 in the main section and 1/3 in the pre-wash.
A note on Citric Acid...you can buy this stuff online or at a place they sell beer making supplies.  I am too lazy to do that.  So instead I picked up Lemi-Shine at Target.  It was roughly $3 (if I remember correctly) for a 12 oz. container.  Some people reported in the comments section on his page that they were getting a white film on their glasses. I haven't had that problem.

The cost savings is astronomical, but more importantly, when you're out of it, it takes too seconds to whip up a batch instead of having to run to the store.  This definitely gets my stamp of approval!

DIY Laundry Detergent

Are you still buying laundry detergent?  I'm not.  Not ever since I came across Jabs Homemade Laundry Detergent.  I was skeptical at first.  But I have to say when you read the site, the breakdown of the average store-bought stuff at 21 cents a load compared to 5 cents or less a load for this stuff, how can you not at least try it out.  I made it while sitting on my couch watching tv.  It really takes no time at all and saves a ton of money.

It's simple...1 cup of washing soda, 1 cup of borax and 1 bar of grated soap.  They say you only have to use 1 tablespoon, but I use the scoop from my old OxyClean tub...it's probably closer to 2 tablespoons.  I throw it in, run the hot water for a minute, then switch to cold and put my clothes in.  My friend adds some extract or tea oil or something for fragrance, but I'm fine with the no-smell approach. 

There are a million and one comments on their site, so read through and see the things people did and didn't like, and the substitutions they made.  (BTW I know I sound info-mercially but I just like to share the cool stuff I find.)

Spots on Your Squash Leaves?

I know I posted this a while back, but I just read an article about Downy Mildew becoming a big problem in Jersey, so I thought I'd repost it.

Last season, my squash plants were covered with this white powdery stuff and the leaves were turning a very sad yellow, so I called my mom, the only person I know that can eat any fruit or vegetable, stick its seed or pit in the ground and have it magically grow.

My Mom's Organic Fungicide

Ingredients:
2 TBS baking soda
1 TBS oil (she uses vegetable oil)
1 tsp liquid dish soap (later restated it as a squirt or two)
32 Ounces of water

Directions:
1. Mix together, then spray all the tops and undersides of the infected leaves.
(I did it early evening, I remember reading somewhere that baking soda can burn leaves if put on leaves during the day, but my Mom didn't know about that either way.)
2. She also said to cut off all the yellow and dying leaves and the ones touching the ground. And to bag those leaves and throw them away.  Do not compost them.
3. Make sure you wash whatever you used to cut the limbs off.
4. She said some other things, but now I don't remember...her explains can be long...if it comes back to me, I'll fill you all in.

Here's a tip from me: wear gardening gloves and long sleeves, and whatever you do, don't try to break off the leaves off of a squash plant with your unprotected hand. You'll wind up with a bunch of little, teeny, tiny, painful splinters. And make sure you spray both sides of the leaves!

The leaves that weren't badly infected cleared up right away, but the ones that were worse for the wear but not so diseased I thought they needed to be removed, took a few more days of spraying.

DIY Rain Barrels

I blogged about this setup that Lowes had on their site...but then the link vanished. Now it's back!

The problem with the green movement is that they (the infamous They) try to make you think you need to spend money on all sorts of expensive crap. You don't. You know who really started the green movement? Poor people. Reuse, recycle, repurpose, gardening, food sharing, conservation of resources...yeah...when you don't have a lot of money, this is all your normal way of life. Don't let people con you into believing you have to be rich to be green. I'm not about to spend a hundred dollars plus for a barrel to hold water. What a crock.

Stepping off of my soapbox.

I like Lowes DIY Rain Barrel setup. Although, their old one didn't involve that aerator thing to attach the leader to the garbage can...I think they just cut a hole or something last time. Also...I don't think the overflow holes at the top are the best idea. You don't want water running down around your house. I'd think some tubing of some kind (a hose probably isn't thick enough...maybe more pvc) attached to the top and placed to pour out away from your house is probably a better idea. And definitely mesh on any opening. You don't want mosquitoes getting in.

Once I find someone getting rid of some large, preferably heavy duty garbage cans, I'm going to use the leftover pvc I have laying around and build these.

Wanna Save Money on Paper and Printer Ink?

Check out this site: Print What You Like

Ever try printing out a recipe or a...well, anything...and there's a million ads and pics and garbage you don't want to waste your printer ink on. Not to mention you always wind up using that one extra page for some stupid one line web address non-sense that you didn't even need printed.

Well, this site allows you to magically delete all that crap out and just print what you like...hence the name.

You don't have to download anything. You just go to their site and plug in the URL of what you're trying to print.

I'm in the middle of an annoying situation with American Standard. The toilet I bought leaks from the vent hole...apparently, a lot of people that bought this toilet during the time I bought it, had the same problem due to an internal defect...they never put out a recall of course. So I printed out all their complaints and saved me a ton of paper using this site.

Thought I'd pass it along.

Got Extra Supplies? Need to Trash Old Cabinets? Why Not Get a Tax Write Off to do it?

Wish I knew about this last year....apparently Habitat for Humanity runs Habitat ReStores where they sell all sorts of furniture and building supplies at a fraction of the cost to help raise money for their cause.

Why get a dumpster for those kitchen cabinets...donate them! Sick of your appliances and want to upgrade...donate them! You get the idea, now go check out their site:

Habitat ReStores

FDA Approved Irradiated Lettuce and Spinach

See that symbol? Don't buy anything with that symbol!

Okay maybe some of you are okay with this, but I'm sorry, seriously? Does any government agency do anything remotely close to what the people of this country wants? With the whole green movement in full force, tell me who exactly has been petitioning to have our food zapped? I'm so sick of all of this. When are they going to stop cramming chemicals into our food?

I'm done. Check out this site. http://www.organicconsumers.org/irradlink.cfm

Follow the links. Get your voice heard.

Water Conserving Rain Barrels

I get these newsletters, Lowes Creative Ideas for Home and Garden, which I recommend signing up for. It's full of really useful and interesting ideas.

So I got one the other day, and it featured this...water conserving rain barrels. Now, my town charges everyone the same ridiculous amount for water no matter if it's a one person household or four. Which, not for nothing, does nothing to encourage people not to waste water. Most people start getting real lax about their water use after they find this out.

Anyway, my garden is right next to a drain. I'm totally going to do this! Looks pretty easy...not that I have drills to cut nice, neat holes, but I'm sure someone I know does.