The Toy Box Years: DIY Dishwasher Detergent & Rinse

The Creators of the Toy Box Years

The creators of the Toy Box Years are my two beautiful daughters and wonderful, handsome soldier husband.

"Nani" (our oldest) is a 11 year old 6th grader who loves Taylor Swift, ballet, books, fashion designing and sewing. Ask her what she wants to be when she grows up and it changes daily to anything from "an artist" to "a teacher" to "a singer/dancer". Nani is also currently fighting a battle against brain cancer -- recently diagnosed in June 2016.

"Nudgie" (our youngest) is a very smiley, very happy, very giggly, very spirited 8 year old 3rd Grader who's favorite toys are anything that gives mommy an anxiety attack - ladders, stepstools, the climbing wall at the playground. Like her sister, she has a love of reading and coloring, loves gymnastics and still provides mommy lots of snuggle time!

"My Marine" is my high school sweetheart. We've been married over 20 years and met when we were 17. (You do the math....) His favorite toys are Blackhawk helicopters, the lawnmower, our steam cleaner, and microbrew beer bottles. My husband is also my hero in that he proudly serves his country as a Blackhawk crew chief (hence his favorite toy!). And need I say that there is nothing hotter than my man in uniform!

All About Me......

Once upon a time I had a career and worked in the corporate world. Once upon a time, I dreamed about leaving that all behind to follow my true calling -- being a wife and mommy.

The first part of my calling was fulfilled in 1995 when I married my Marine (now soldier) and my love. Little did I know that being a military wife would change me in so many ways and that because of that, I would have an extended family all over the world from Japan, to California, to North Carolina.

The second part of my calling took a little doing, but I finally achieved that dream in 2004 with the birth of our first child, followed 4 years later by her baby sister.

So now, when someone asks me what I do for a living - I simply smile and say proudly that I'm following my calling - I'm a mommy and a wife -- and I couldn't be HAPPIER -- I'm living in the Toy Box Years!!

This year, one of my goals is to go a little more "green" with my cleaners & detergents.

I always liked the idea of making my own home products (cleaners, detergent, etc.). I did make my own detergent one time and really liked it. So I thought I'd step out and try some different things. I put a call out on my personal FB page, my blog's FB page, researched websites and stalked Pinterest. What I found was the following:

Vinegar seems to be a very popular & "must-have" item when transitioning to "natural" cleaning.
Essential oils come a close second for "must-have" items.
It's easy to become very overwhelmed with all the suggestions, pros and cons, and recipes. My head was spinning with information overload!

I got an opportunity to try making my own dishwasher detergent shortly after Christmas when I ran out of the store-bought stuff that I had.....and frankly.....I was just too lazy to get out of my pajamas to go to the store to buy more.

I found one that - miraculously - called for items that I already had on-hand thanks to my attempt at making homemade laundry detergent last Spring.

I also made up a batch of homemade rinse as well. (Gotta love vinegar and essential oils!) I refill the rinse compartment every Sunday.

I made a small batch at first because I wanted to see how it really worked......and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. It cleaned very well and didn't leave any kind of powdery or greasy residue behind. Keep in mind, too, that I do rinse my dishes before putting them into the dishwasher -- mostly to get off any stuck or baked on food.

Overall, I was very happy with this recipe and already made up a double-batch. I marked on the calendar what day I made it so I can track how long it lasts me before I have to make another batch.

Do you make your own cleaners? What have you made that is a tried-and-true recipe? I invite you to share your recipes or links below! I'm curious - and anxious to learn - what everyone else is doing!