The dishwasher is a treasure! However, its operation depends on chemical preparations – from a tablet for washing dishes to a polish. How can you replace the second of the preparations with a natural variant?
A tablet is not enough to have beautifully washed and especially polished dishes. “The dishwasher tablet is a big workhorse,” agrees Christine Cyr Clisset, an expert who tests household appliancesand continues: “Its strength is that it degreases and washes dishes. What it can’t do is shine… So if you don’t pour rinse aid into the dishwasher, it can happen that your glasses, cutlery and plates get a dull patina. And that doesn’t look very attractive.”
Chemistry vs. nature
You can get rinse aid at any drugstore. These are preparations that contain citric acid and substances for faster evaporation of water (ethanol, isopropyl alcohol, glycols). You can also create the same cocktail – but in a natural version – yourself. All you have to do is use the polishing abilities of some natural ingredients that you normally have at home. Their effects, as well as the gentleness of the entire process, will pleasantly surprise you. Here are two versions of homemade dishwasher polishes. Choose your…
Magic with vinegar
It pays to have a bottle of table vinegar at home. This is because it is a raw material that you can use not only for cooking and flavoring dishes, but also for household care. In addition to serving as a natural disinfectant and odor absorber, vinegar has the amazing ability to polish any smooth surface. Use it in the dishwasher as well. Vinegar polish is mixed from regular table vinegar and water – always in a 1:1 ratio. Pour the resulting solution into the rinse aid dispenser (rinse mixture), put the tablet in the dishwasher and you can wash the dishes. It will be shiny like a regular chemical product!
Citric acid
Citric acid also has an excellent polishing ability, which also acts as a natural solvent for mineral deposits and limescale. You can make a dishwasher rinse by dissolving 1-2 tablespoons of citric acid in 200 ml of warm water. After the solution has cooled, pour it into the dispenser and start the cycle you are used to. This amount of polish should last you 10 uses!
