The dishwasher is one of our most reliable allies for cleaning dishes and saving water in the kitchen. However, we can optimize it in an ecological way to maintain optimal performance while making significant savings on our budget. For example, you can save your tablets with this tip. Better yet, you can make your own cubes or washing powder to take care of the planet and your wallet. Once you purchase the raw materials, they will indeed last you quite a while! And in the same vein, you can also decide to replace the classic rinse liquid with a less expensive and more eco-friendly homemade recipe. So find out how to make your own dishwasher rinse aid without harmful chemicals for sparkling dishes, a lower budget and a gentler ecological footprint.
With these lower-cost natural alternatives, we can bet that you will no longer buy store-bought rinse aid!
White vinegar to replace dishwasher rinse aid
This multifunction cleaner is descaler, degreaser, deodorizer, disinfectant and stain remover. The alcohol vinegar makes the dishes shine brightly. Furthermore, of all the household products, this anti-limescale product is the one that will best help limit the formation of white spots on glasses when put in the dishwasher. And if it can reassure you, its strong smell will not remain on the dishes after washing. In short, white vinegar is a unavoidable to replace industrial rinse aid.
To replace its chemical rival effectively, simply mix it in equal parts with water. Then pour this vinegar water into the dedicated compartment in the same quantities as for the classic liquid. If the water is very hard in your department, you can even use it pure. It will thus preserve the shine of the dishes and maintain your household appliance at the same time. Enough to make it last longer despite hard water!
The lemon-vinegar combination for a fresher rinse
Lemon juice and vinegar have more or less the same qualities. However, lemon brings its pleasant citrus smell and will help to limit the odors that can form over time in your household appliance. Combined, these two ingredients will give you incomparable shine, cleanliness and freshness !
Here’s how to use them. Clean two lemons, roll them on the work surface with your palm (to get maximum juice) and squeeze them carefully. In a one liter bottle, pour 75 cl of vinegar, the lemon juice and add the peels. They will infuse into the mixture to enhance its citrus smell and its cleansing effect. It’s a nice trick zero waste ! All that remains is to let it infuse for a month before filtering. Even better than liquids based on natural surfactants!
Citric acid rinse aid for the dishwasher
Citric acid helps descale and degrease dirty dishes very effectively. The other recipes are already very powerful. However, if you have all the natural ingredients you need on hand, why not concoct this easy little recipe that combines your best cleaning allies? Just remember to use gloves when handling pure citric acid.
Here is the procedure to follow. First, gather your ingredients: 600 ml of water, 400 ml of white vinegar, 2 tablespoons of citric acid and 20 drops of essential oil (optional). This will give you 1l of product. Then, pour your ingredients into an airtight bottle, mix and you’re ready!
The anti-limescale magnetic disk: another possible alternative
The magnetic disc is generally blue and made of ABS (a plastic, so not entirely eco-friendly, but already more so than polystyrene) and magnets. Once installed in the dishwasher, its magnetic field will transform limescale into non-adherent particles that are easier to remove. This prevents scale deposits which could, over time, cause scaling on the machine and the dishes. It certainly costs ten to fifteen euros to purchase, but has the advantage of last ten years. With this, there is less hassle with the liquid and cleaning to limit scaling. Furthermore, this device would make it possible tosave up to 50% on dishwashing detergent.