Just like with my homemade laundry detergent, this recipe for dishwasher detergent was born out of necessity 15 years ago. We moved to Biloxi and had a dishwasher for the first time. I was already making my own laundry detergent, so it didn't seem like a very big jump to making this. I've refined it over the years depending on where we live and how hard or soft the water is and the age and quality of the dishwasher we have.

There are a ton of recipes for dishwasher detergent online and all basically use the same ingredients. Everyone has her own way of doing things. This one is mine. Just mix together one cup of Borax, one cup of washing soda and 2 envelopes of unsweetened lemonade drink mix. Mix well and store in an airtight container. Use one tablespoon per load. I use about a tablespoon of white vinegar in the rinse cup to prevent streaking.