Soap, don't know where else to ask this.

[iggy]

We too tried making our own dishwasher soap and it wasn't really a savings for us.

This is my recipe for automatic dish washing powder.

Automatic Dishwashing Powder
2 Cups Super Washing Soda
1 Cup Kosher Salt
1 Cup Baking Soda
6 packs Lemon or Lime or Orange Kool-Ade
- - optional - - 1 Cup Water
Mix in bowl, by hand [wear gloves] all the dry ingredients.
I didn't do the water part. And don't use any other brand of unsweetened lemon or lime or orange drink mix. Only Kool Ade has enough oooph to work. AND I doubled the amount!
Store in an air tight container along with a nylon sock w/the toe filled with white rice - to absorb any moisture and to keep the powdered detergent from turning into a solid chunk.
I have only used lemon drink mix, because I know that lemons are most definitely a disinfectant and it smells so good.

I use 2 tablespoons for a normal load, and 3 tablespoons for a heavy wash load, splitting it 1 tbls & 2 tbls in the covered dispenser.

I also use white vinegar in the rinse dispenser. This gets everything rinsed off.

As for the cost, this is the Walmart price breakdown:
Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda 55oz $3.97
Great Value Baking Soda 16oz $0.97
Morton Kosher Salt 3 lbs(48 oz) $2.44
Kool Aid Unsweetened Lemon ea. 98cents x 6 = $5.88

Total batch cost is 6.94 divided by 48 loads = $0.145. I double the load amount, thus my cost is $0.29. For Great Value Auto Dish-washing pods (refill pack) the cost is $6.705. BUT they have ingredients that you do not need to add to the environment.