Homemade Dishwasher Rinse Aid for Spot-Free Dishes

Did you know you can make your own homemade dishwasher rinse aid for spot free dishes? You’ll save money with this natural DIY rinse aid recipe, and your dishes will be sparkling clean.

You’ll also enjoy the peace of mind that comes from using a natural cleaning agent with no toxic chemicals, harmful phosphates, or artificial fragrance.

We love making our own homemade cleaning products from nontoxic ingredients, like our Lemon Orange Peel and Vinegar Cleaner and Homemade Liquid Plumber.

It’s been exciting to learn that we don’t need harsh cleaning solutions or chemicals to clean our house!

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What’s in Commercial Dishwasher Rinse Aids?

If you have an automatic dishwasher, you probably have a little dispenser that you’re supposed to fill with “rinse aid” to help the dishes come out sparkling and spot-free.

Rinse aid isn’t cheap, though, and it has another little problem. Have you ever read the back of the bottle?

Many brands of dishwasher rinse agents contain chemicals and artificial fragrances that can irritate the eyes and skin. Is it just me, or does it seem counter-intuitive that we’re instructed to coat our dishes and eating utensils with potentially harmful chemicals?

In fact, the ingredient “alcohol ethoxylates,” which is found in some commercial rinse aid products, may damage the gut’s natural protective layer according to recent findings from the Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Research.

Does Rinse Aid Harm the Environment?

You may also wonder, as I do, about the environmental impact of store bought rinse aid.

According to Grist: “Conventional rinse aid is one of the mystery products wherein manufacturers only need disclose active ingredients. We can find Material Safety Data Sheets for these products on line, which say reassuring things such as “The manufacturer’s MSDS does not state whether the ingredients are considered carcinogens or potential carcinogens.

Rumor has it that commercial dishwasher rinse aids do contain phosphates, the chemical compounds that can lead to marine dead zones.”

Cleaner Dishes and Great Results

I tried running the dishwasher with just eco-friendly dish detergent, but the glasses came out with hard water spots.

Then someone told me you could use distilled white vinegar instead of rinse aid. According to the National Sanitation Foundation, white vinegar is about 5% acetic acid which helps it break down some oils, films and dirt.

The NSF recommends diluting vinegar with water for general cleaning, so I experimented by filling a shot glass with a solution of half vinegar and half filtered water and placed it in the top rack of the dishwasher.

As the machine runs, the vinegar solution is further diluted and gets rinsed away during the rinse cycle. (Remove the little glass and pour any remaining solution down the sink drain after the dishwasher runs.)

Eureka! Many years and hundreds of loads of dishes later, I’m happy to report that the vinegar rinse works perfectly.

The dishes are spot-free with no soap scum, white film, hard water stains, or cloudy glasses. Unlike with commercial rinse aid, your dishes will have no scent at all.

In fact, I think the dishes and dishwasher actually smell fresher since we made the switch. Vinegar is natural, and we paid less than two dollars for a 32-ounce bottle.

This all-natural rinse also helps keep the interior of our stainless steel dishwasher sparkling clean, with no toxic ingredients!

Materials You’ll Need for Dishwasher Spot Free Rinse

Here’s what you need to make your own homemade dishwashing rinse:

Distilled white vinegar

Filtered water

A 2-cup liquid measuring cup with a spout

A 16-ounce bottle – You can recycle a plastic or glass bottle, or you can buy a BPA-free squeeze bottle to store the mixture.

A sheet of 8- by 11-inch white paper to print label – You can also use a printable label

Clear packing tape to affix and cover label

Step by Step Directions

It couldn’t be simpler to make your own toxin-free rinse aid.

1. Combine the cup of water and cup of vinegar. It’s easiest to use a 16 ounce measuring cup with a spout to do this.
2. Slowly pour into the bottle and shake gently to blend.
3. Label the bottle and store in a cool, dry place. (Under the sink is perfect.)
4. Fill a small glass like a shot glass with the rinse aid, set the full shot glass in the upper rack of the dishwasher, and run as usual.

If you make the switch from a chemical rinse aid to this natural cleaner, I’d love to hear how it works for you.

Get Your Printable Label

Here’s the printable DIY dishwasher rinse aid label, which you can download, size to fit your bottle, and print on a regular laser printer.

You can print it on plain white paper and use clear packing tape to affix the edges to the bottle. I also cover the label with one layer of tape to keep it from getting damaged if the dishwasher rinse drips on the bottle.

You can also print it on label paper, remove the backing, and stick it to the bottle.

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