Days #122 & 123- Only 57 more days! (& Liquid Dishwasher Detergent- Again)

Just cannot believe that this year is almost over. Crazy. Lee asked how much longer she has to suffer left of Biology- just 57 more days I told her. Then it’s on to Geology- her choice (right now, that is- could change in a short time).

Here is Fox’s work:
Bible: Reading Deut. 32, John 8; verse Romans 12:1-6; Who Am I?, read 68-75, did pages 45-55 in notebook; Saints & Heroes pages 1/2 Coligny (drawn illustration)
Math: Saxon Algebra 1, correcting Lesson 4 problems and Lesson 5, all problems
English: Jensen’s Grammar Test 4; Progeny Press, The Bronze Bow, Chapters 1-2 study guide work
Logic: -
Science: Creek Edge Press Task Card #7 (gears and belts), activities 1-4 (used books How Things Work and The New Way Things Work)
History/Geography: Hands of a Child Asia Note Pack (animals); Story of the Romans chapter 4 & 5 (written narration), A Journey Through Learning notebooking pages

And here is Lee’s work:
Bible: Reading Joshua 9, Romans 4; verse Colossians 3; Esther Commentary
Math: Life of Fred Advanced Algebra Lesson 9 & 10
English: Excellence in Literature (still working with Around the World in 80 Days); Utopia; History of English Literature chapter 52; Progeny Press, The Screwtape Letters, working on Letters 1-4
History/Geography: Western Civilization, finished essay on witchcraft trials in France
Current Events
Foreign Language: Greek Level 5, Lesson 14-15
Government/Civics: Whatever Happened to Justice? chapter 36
Science: Biology, chapter 8 (reading outline and in book)

So now that I got that out of the way- how about some liquid dishwasher detergent. Remember I tried some –goodness, it’s been awhile –but I wasn’t happy with it? No? No matter I’d like to forget sometimes, too.

I received some liquid castile soap from my wonderful mother-in-law not long ago but I have an issue with it. It is unscented and supposedly great for sensitive skin- where’s my issue? It burns when I use it. I feel like it is scorching my skin off. I’m really not sure why –perhaps it just wasn’t ‘cured’ long enough? I know with lye soap, you must let it cure –or it burns. Anyway- it has sat in my bathroom the entire time. I have used it more than just twice to make sure I wasn’t just being a sissy. Nope. It burns. No more using it for cleaning me so how about for dishes?

I’m just about out of liquid dishwasher detergent so I decided to try it again –making some that is.  I’m going back to Angie’s recipe, with some of my own additions of course.

I want it to be thicker than hand washing dish soap so I tried to lessen the amount of water. It’s a bit like the hand washing dish soap I made before. Then I added in some borax (for scrubbing). And of course, I had some leftover 7th Generation dishwasher soap to mix it with.

Here are the ingredients (but not very accurate measurements):

• Liquid castile soap (perhaps 1 – 1 1/2 cups)
• borax (possibly 1 cup)
• vinegar (I think I put almost 1 1/2 cups, or maybe 2)
• tea tree oil (just a bit)
• lavender oil (uh, I accidentally poured way more than wanted)
• glycerin (I had perhaps 1/8 – 1/4 cup)
• leftover dishwasher soap (couldn’t have been more than 1/4 cup)
• water to fill 42 oz container

Just mixed it all together in a large mixing bowl and poured into the old 7th Generation container (used a funnel). It is more liquid than I was hoping but I’m not sure how to thicken it. That is one reason I decided to go ahead and use the glycerin- which I’ve really no idea if it helps that or not! 

Wish I had some batteries for my camera. The concoction resembles what was in the container originally- just thinner. I will have to wait until the dishwasher is full to use it. I worry that the mix will suds too much. But the vinegar seems to cut that down some (at least that is what I attribute it to); one reason I used so much.

I tried to measure and document my process so that I could do it again if it works…but you can see how well that worked. Eh…old habits die hard.

Do you know of any recipes that work for stubborn, old dishwashers and/or hard water that are easy to make? Share please!