The pills used to wash the dishes in the car cost a lot of money. This is one of the reasons to think about an alternative. The second reason is the chemical composition. The tablets contain substances that are harmful to health and the entire ecosystem.
Homemade detergents from inexpensive and harmless components will help to solve the problem. How and from what to make tablets for a dishwasher with your own hands? This is what will be discussed in our publication - here we will give effective recipes for home-made tablets and consider the intricacies of their manufacture.
The composition of the tablets for dishwashers
Before proceeding with the manufacture of tablets for the dishwasher, find out what they consist of, we argue the feasibility of our venture. Most buyers do not look at the composition and buy funds, trusting advertising.
Manufacturers claim that the harm from household chemicals is minimal, forgetting that with the combined effects of the components it increases significantly.
The most dangerous components are chlorine and chlorine-containing substances, formaldehydes, phosphates and phosphonates, surfactants and hydrochloric acid. Many of them are part of the dishwasher tablets. Even with repeated rinsing in hot water from chemical compounds, the dishes are not completely cleaned.
Statistics confirm that up to 0.5 l of detergents enter the body of each person per year. This is due to poor rinsing
Chlorine and its compounds can cause a number of diseases, such as hypertension, allergies, anemia and other common ailments. For this reason, some substances containing chlorine are prohibited in the EU countries.
Surfactant - substances that combine water and fat molecules, therefore they clean surfaces well, but at the same time they break down human skin fat.
They are divided into three types:
- anionic - the most effective, cheap, but also harmful, as they tend to accumulate in the body;
- cationic - cause less harm and have a bactericidal effect;
- nonionic - the most harmless, decomposing 100%.
Frequent and abundant use of household chemicals containing surfactants leads to a decrease in immunity, degreasing and aging of the skin, the development of allergic reactions. The action is enhanced by phosphates, facilitating the penetration of substances through the skin into the blood.
Accumulating in vital organs, they lead to impaired functions. According to sanitary standards, the amount of surfactant should not exceed 5%.
DIY pills for PMM
After reviewing the composition of the tablets, we conclude that the tool is not harmless and it makes sense to spend time making it with your own hands.
Baking soda and juice squeezed from lemon in the composition of the tablets make them completely harmless. Soda ash can also be used as a detergent component.
Home detergents are also cheaper than factory ones.
Homemade Ingredients
For home-made do-it-yourself tablets for dishwasher, you will need simple and affordable components:
- Baking soda - 2 glasses.
- Water - 1 cup.
- Salt - 1 cup.
- Citric acid - 1/2 cup.
To form tablets, you need silicone or plastic ice containers.
One glass of soda is poured onto a baking sheet and the oven is placed for half an hour at a temperature of 200 degrees. So that soda does not burn, during heating it is mixed. Extracted from the oven, it acquires a more friable and dull consistency, suitable for the formation of tablets.
The ingredients for the preparation of tablet detergents must be thoroughly mixed to a homogeneous plastic mass, from which it is easy to form tablets of the desired shape
Soda from the oven is poured into a bowl, a glass of ordinary soda, citric acid and salt are added there. Everything is mixed and some water is added. The mixture foams, you need to wait until the foaming process stops, and again add a little water. This is done several times.
Then everything is thoroughly mixed and laid out one at a time and a half teaspoons in ice molds. This should be done quickly, as the mixture quickly thickens. Leave the molds for half an hour, then remove the home-made tablets and put them in a jar, close with a sealed lid.
Popular soda recipes
Consider several popular recipes for making homemade tablets for dishwashers.
Recipe # 1 - Salt, Soda, Borax and Lemon Juice
To create tablets for this recipe, take:
- 150 g of soda;
- 500 g of magnesia (Epsom salt);
- 200 g of borax (sodium tetraborate);
- 40 g of lemon juice.
A mixture of dry ingredients is mixed with lemon juice and poured into molds.
Tanks are installed in a dry place. The dried tablets are ready to use. You can also add children's washing powder to the composition, just one glass is enough. A pleasant fragrance will be given to the detergent with a few drops of any of the essential oils, preferably citrus.
Image Gallery
Photo from
Based on the basic ingredients, you can prepare different types of tablets that differ in shape and properties. The ingredients for homemade tablets in this recipe are soda, borax, water, salt, citric acid and essential oil.
Dry components pour out into a glass container and mix thoroughly. Essential oil with a lemon smell is added to it to add flavor to the mixture.
Water is added to the mixture of soda ash, salt, citric acid, borax and lemon oil, which acts as a binder for the formation of tablets
The mixture for the manufacture of tablets for the dishwasher do it yourself. Do it quickly so that it does not have time to harden
The finished, thoroughly mixed mixture is laid out in ice molds or in any other form: for cookies, pastries and the like
A dish-washing mixture based on baking soda should dry well. Both soda ash and baking soda are used.
Finished tablets are carefully removed from the molds and put into a container or glass jar for storage. You can stock up on them for six months or a year.
A self-made tablet is placed in a special compartment. You can test the effectiveness of the detergent empirically
Ingredients for Homemade Pills
Add essential oil to the dry mix
Tablet Formulation Mixture
Ice Mold Pill Mix
Dishwasher tablets dry in shape
Ready-made tablets in a container
Putting tablets in the dishwasher
Recipe # 2 - Soda + Powder
Take 7 parts of ordinary powder and 3 parts of soda ash. As a binder, it is recommended to use a dishwashing detergent and filtered water. Fill the forms with the mixture. After drying, the tablets are ready to use.
Soda ash - a natural product obtained in several ways: from natural or nepheline raw materials, by the method of carbonization of sodium hydroxide and the ammonia method
Recipe # 3 - Powder, Soda and Detergent
Baby powder - 8 parts, soda - 1.8, detergent for dishes - 0.2 parts. Mix everything and form tablets, filling with a mixture of forms.
Children's powder is less aggressive, removes protein contaminants at a temperature of no higher than 40 degrees. Baby powder tablets are used in a regimen not exceeding the indicated temperature.
Eco-friendly powder for washing children's things does not contain phosphates, surfactants, zeolites and other harmful components. The basis of the powder is a safe natural soap
Recipe # 4 - Powder, Soda + Glycerin
Combine washing powder (160 g) with soda ash (40 g), add glycerin (5 g). Stir and put into molds.
Recipe # 5 - Mustard, Soda, and Water
Mix a mixture of two tablespoons of finely chopped mustard powder and one spoon of soda with 1.5 lodges of hot water, stir, put into molds.
One of the options for making the drug from a mixture of mustard powder with soda is demonstrated in the video:
Recipe # 6 - Salt, Powder, and Vinegar
Stir 3 tbsp. tablespoons of salt with 2 tbsp. tablespoons of powder and 1 tbsp. spoonful of concentrated 70% vinegar.
Comparison of factory and homemade tablets
The main differences between finished and home-made tablets, as already noted, is the composition and price. Household chemicals in industrial production contain harmful components and are much more expensive.
The substances that make up the compressed tablets do not dissolve simultaneously, but at a certain point. When using them, dishes are washed and refreshed, car care is carried out
Consider the main categories of factory tablets that differ in chemical composition and price:
- Relatively inexpensive base tablets, consisting of three components.
- Ecological biodegradable tablets without phosphates. Ideal for allergy sufferers.
- Capsules are tablets in a dissolving shell.
- Universal multicomponent tablets, to the base composition of which are added components for washing crystal, antimicrobial substances, rinses, perfumes, etc.
Expensive pills are more effective and safe compared to cheap analogues of industrial production.
The characteristics and features of the most popular industrial-made tablets were examined in detail in these articles:
- Fairy tablets for dishwasher: product line overview + customer reviews
- Finish Dishwasher Tablets: Product Line Overview + Customer Reviews
- Somat tablets for dishwashers: varieties, customer reviews, advantages and disadvantages
- Biomio tablets for dishwashers: customer reviews, pros and cons, rules for use
Criterion # 1 - wash quality
By the quality of washing, a homemade product is closer to basic tablets. When testing home-made tablets, it was found that their effectiveness is almost as good as inexpensive manufactured products.
Biodegradable eco-friendly tablets, like those made by hand, do not contain harmful substances, but they are much more expensive and guarantee an excellent result.
Modern 3-in-1 or 7-in-1 tablet detergents are effective, provided that they are used in new-type machines that have the ability to recognize them. The most popular brands are Finish, Somat, Bio Mio and several others
Capsules provide high quality washing, convenient in that the soluble shell provides protection against accidental moisture. Comparison of the results of washing with multicomponent tablets is not in favor of homemade. The former are much more effective, as they contain basic and additional components.
Criterion # 2 - component composition
The cleanliness of the dishes and the machine itself in the composition of the tablets provide:
- detergent as a main component;
- salt to soften water and protect the inside of the machine from scale; in case of its absence, stains, whitish deposits and smudges remain on the dishes;
- rinse, enhancing and fixing the effect of detergent;
- descaling agent that prevents limescale from forming if the water in the water supply is hard;
- a degreaser that breaks down the greasy layer that settles inside the machine;
- odor deodorant;
- additional substances of various effects.
The composition of home-made tablets is limited by the range of improvised tools used in the household.
Soda, citric acid and other ingredients are universal remedies that perfectly cope with the tasks.
The components in the composition of factory tablets act sequentially, getting into work at the right time. Do-it-yourself tablets do not have this technology.
Tablets for home-made dishwashers are cheaper and safer, and their composition can be adjusted to your needs.
There are also negative points to this:
- busting with liquid detergent for dishes will have a negative impact on the quality of washing and can harm the machine;
- excess soda will cause the tablets to dissolve poorly;
- excess citric acid can cause damage to plastic parts.
The dosage of industrial tablets, unlike home-made ones, is regulated in accordance with GOST, TU and other standards.
Criterion # 3 - manufacturing complexity and cost
Do-it-yourself tablets have an imperfect appearance - this is another argument not in favor of home-made counterparts. Factory-produced products look much more aesthetically pleasing.
When choosing factory tablets, you don’t have to spend your personal time on selecting, searching for ingredients and making.
When mixing the tablet mixture, safety precautions must be taken into account. Gloves and a mask will protect you from the aggressive effects of soda and powder on the mucous membranes.
An ordinary tablet weighing 16 grams, obtained industrially, costs 9-10 rubles. Multi-component products are even more expensive. The cost of homemade tablets, based on the price of the ingredients, is much lower. A simple calculation shows that you will spend 54 rubles on 31 tablets, that is, one tablet will cost 1.75 rubles.
Criterion # 4 - packaging of two tablet options
Dosed packaging for industrial and home-made has a number of common advantages. They cannot be scattered, poured or loaded over the norm. They do not take up much space and are convenient to store. Ready-made tablets are stored in the factory packaging, made by yourself - in a closed glass jar or in a plastic container with a lid.
Dishwashing liquid cannot be used in machines. At the same time, the active substances of tablets, powders and gels used in dishwashers have a negative effect on the skin of the hands.
The dosage composition of the factory tablets is regulated by regulatory documents, home - recipes, tested on their own experience.
Preformed tablets clean dishes no worse, and often better than other detergents.
Conclusions and useful saw on the topic
The process of making a tablet for a dishwasher with your own hands and washing dishes using a homemade tablet:
A video with instructions for self-production of an extremely cheap tool for PMM:
How to make a tablet detergent quickly at minimal cost:
If you trust the manufacturers and believe the magic formulas that ensure the perfect cleanliness of your dishes, and you do not care about the price, choose ready-made tablets. There is another option: stock up on inexpensive pills for washing dishes in the dishwasher in one evening. How aesthetic they will depend on the correct ratio of ingredients and forms in which the mixture will be laid.
Want to share your recipe for effective homemade pills for use in the dishwasher? Write a recipe and features for the preparation of tablet detergent, add unique photos of the finished product in the block under this article.
If you want to express your opinion on the advisability of using tablets made at home, express your point of view in the comments on this publication.