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A decent amount is spent on the purchase of detergent, rinse aid and regenerating salt for PMM. Without them, it is impossible to get a high-quality sink and guarantee the serviceability of equipment for many years. Often advertised “chemistry” is too expensive, so we decided to devote a review to the means that can replace it. Let’s make our own dishwasher tablets.
What are purchase funds made of?
We’ll make a reservation right away that we will do exactly tablets, and not capsules, which should dissolve gradually layer by layer and alternately activate salt, detergent and rinse aid – this will be very difficult to do. But tablets similar to Finish Classic, you can “collect” from what is at hand. To understand how to make tablets, you need to disassemble as part of purchased analogues.
Some tablets simply consist of a powder without impurities of salt and other components, while others include a whole complex of active substances. That is why on store shelves you can find promising packages with the inscriptions “3-in-1”, “7-in-1”, “All in One”, etc.
The composition may include such components:
- sodium citrate. You could see this additive in many products “with sourness” under the label E331. In tablets, this substance stimulates foaming and disinfects water and dishes.
- Sodium percarbonate is a substance synthesized from sodium carbonate and hydrogen peroxide. The commercial name of the substance is persol. As part of capsules, powders and other detergents, persalt is used as a bleach. Additionally, it acts on pollution, splitting them.
- Sodium carbonate, known in everyday life as soda ash (linen), in the food industry – E500. Its job is to soften the water.
- Sodium bicarbonate – sodium bicarbonate, sodium bicarbonate or simply baking soda. It also performs the function of softening.
- Sodium disilicate or “liquid glass”. This aqueous alkaline solution of sodium silicates binds all the components of the product into granules, further softening the water.
- Sodium gluconate is used not only in metallurgy, the construction industry and the oil industry. It has also found its application in the food industry and is involved in the production of household chemicals. Its task is to prevent the formation of limescale, soften the water.
- Isooctyl glucoside is the main ingredient in mouthwash.
- Sorbitol. In the food industry, it is better known as a sweetener, and in cosmetics and household chemicals it is used to obtain a homogeneous transparent gel. It plays the role of a hygroscopic component and a thickener.
- Methyl ester of rapeseed oil (biodiesel) reduces the surface tension of water, is also a component of the rinse aid.
- Glycerin, as in the food industry, is needed to maintain the viscosity and consistency of liquid substances.
- Acetic acid washes away scale from PMM parts and surfaces.
- Amylase and protease are enzymes that break down protein and carbohydrate compounds.
- Subtilisin is another enzyme that breaks down fats.
- Various surfactants and A-surfactants that promote foaming.
Important! In addition to other components, phosphates and fragrances may be included in universal products.
Looking at the ingredients, you don’t have to be a chemist to ask yourself the logical question: Why are there so many water softeners? This looks especially strange against the background of the fact that softening already occurs in an ion exchanger with the participation of a regenerating salt.
The fragrance additive is also useless. If its use is justified during washing – it’s nice to get laundry with the smell of lemon or flowers, then the dishes should not smell. It’s most likely just a publicity stunt.
Conclusion: some substances can not be used at all, and some can be replaced with cheaper and safer ones.
Replacing store-bought pills: proven recipes
You can try to make pills at home using the components listed above and their analogues, which can be found in every home, pharmacy or hardware store.
Easy Recipe #1
Not sure how to replace dishwasher tablets? Look at the composition of the washing powder: it contains almost all the components: foaming agents, enzymes, and much more. To make your powder safer, use a baby powder if possible or an ECO product that is free of phosphates, fragrances, and surfactants. Instead of bleach and softener, soda ash is suitable. And the binder will be ordinary water.
So, mix washing powder with soda ash in a ratio of 7 to 3. Add a little water, bring to a state of slurry. Pack in molds – you can use ordinary ice molds for this purpose. Dry the mixture, transfer to a dry glass or metal container and use!
Important! If the home-made tablets give a little shine to the dishes, use an additional rinse aid. You have already saved on detergent, you can afford additional expenses.
Recipe number 2 with glycerin
The difference between this recipe and the previous one is that instead of a binder, not water, but glycerin is used. So, you will need:
- 160 g of washing powder;
- 40 g soda ash;
- 5 ml of glycerin (can be replaced with dishwashing gel).
Further, the scheme is similar to the one indicated above: pack in molds, dry and use!
On a note. When using baby powder tablets, choose a temperature setting of 40-50 ° C so as not to destroy the enzymes.
Recipe number 3 with borax and citric acid
To make another variety of compressed capsules yourself, you will need:
- soda ash (75 g);
- borax (100 g);
- Epsom salt (magnesia – 250 g);
- citric acid (20 grams).
Dissolve the acid with water, pour into the dry mixture of the remaining ingredients. When the reaction is over, spread the gruel into molds and dry in the sun or in a dry, warm place. Remove the tablets – they are ready to use.
Now you know how to make cheap, practically environmentally friendly and simple analogues of store products at home. Just do not forget: you still need to pour salt into the dishwasher. If you want to save on it, read the article, how to replace dishwasher salt.
Self-prepared household chemicals, unlike factory ones, are not suitable for washing silver, but you can alternate it with purchased analogues, without harming the quality of washing and the health of the PMM. Experiment, come up with your own recipes or use ours, describe your impressions in reviews and comments on the article.