Eco-friendly dish detergents and kitchen cleaning agents

[Fat Guy]

Anybody had any luck with any of the eco-friendly dish soaps, detergents and other kitchen cleaning products out there on the market? I've been doing pretty well with Trader Joe's dishwasher detergent and general-purpose cleaning spray (for countertops, etc.) and they claim to be eco-friendly and have the additional benefit of being cheap.

[jmolinari]

Costco/Kirkland eco-friendly dish soap seems to be just as effective as anything else.

[Fat Guy]

I need to revise my assessment of the Trader Joe's dishwasher detergent powder. Only after using Cascade gel for a while did I realize how inferior the TJ's powder was, in terms of removing both tough food stains and persistent odors. I am still searching for an eco-friendly dishwasher detergent that works well.

[weinoo]

I need to revise my assessment of the Trader Joe's dishwasher detergent powder. Only after using Cascade gel for a while did I realize how inferior the TJ's powder was, in terms of removing both tough food stains and persistent odors. I am still searching for an eco-friendly dishwasher detergent that works well.

You seem to be turning into quite the organic environmentalist .

I have never found a dishwashing detergent that works as well as Cascade. However, I find that I can get by using a very small amount of it per load, unless I'm washing really dirty stuff...and I (99% of the time) run my dishwasher on its shortest cycle. A box of that stuff lasts me months.

[CaliPoutine]

I was perusing Pinterest and found a recipe for homemade laundry detergent. The recipe made a HUGE batch and according to the recipe, costs .01 to for a load of laundry. My clothes are clean. I have 4 dogs and I wash towels and blankets numerous times a week and I'm amazed how clean everything is. The biggest difference between this detergent and conventional is the lack of sudsing. I have an HE machine, so this detergent is perfect for it.

I made it in a Home Depot bucket, the bucket was more than half full.

2 bars of Fels Naptha( or Zote) laundry soap

1 box of Borax

1 box of Arm N Hammer WASHING SODA

1 2lb box of Baking Soda.

2lbs of Oxi Clean( I used an off brand from Wal*Mart)

1 container of Purex crystels( this is optional, its just for the scent). Alternatively, you could use Downey Unstoppables too.

Shred the Fels Naptha( I used the food processor and then I pulsed it to chop it finer) and mix it with all the other ingredients. You're supposed to only use 1 tbls in the machine. I might use a bit more than that.

I love it, I'll never go back to buying detergent again. I think I figured out it cost me a bit over 11.00 to buy everything.

[CaliPoutine]

I need to revise my assessment of the Trader Joe's dishwasher detergent powder. Only after using Cascade gel for a while did I realize how inferior the TJ's powder was, in terms of removing both tough food stains and persistent odors. I am still searching for an eco-friendly dishwasher detergent that works well.

You seem to be turning into quite the organic environmentalist .

I have never found a dishwashing detergent that works as well as Cascade. However, I find that I can get by using a very small amount of it per load, unless I'm washing really dirty stuff...and I (99% of the time) run my dishwasher on its shortest cycle. A box of that stuff lasts me months.

Do you have hard water? We do and we have to use Finish dishwashing tablets. I also use Lemi shine. The cascade didnt work in our hard water.

[weinoo]

Do you have hard water? We do and we have to use Finish dishwashing tablets. I also use Lemi shine. The cascade didnt work in our hard water.

No, NYC municipal water. Hard water would certainly be an issue.