Homemade Dishwasher Rinse Agent & Carpet Spot Cleaner

I don’t know if it is because of the horrendous economic conditions we are all in, or because more people are interested in earth-friendly cleaners, but my posts for homemade laundry detergent and homemade stain remover have skyrocketed the past couple weeks so I decided to to teach you how to make homemade dishwasher rinse aid. They are both my top viewed “recipes” for the month of September.

I’m starting to wonder if I should be offended or not? I want you tuning in because of my amazing creations from the kitchen, or my sharp witty writing. It begs the question of should I really be doing this? This is a cooking and baking blog right?

Oh well.  What my readers want, I will provide. Here’s a couple more of my favorite household “recipes” for you. Next week though….only something baked in the oven or fried up on the stove!

My discovery of Homemade Dishwasher Rinse Agent came a few months ago when I paid $4.00 for a bottle at the store.  I did some research and found the suggestion to use pure white vinegar in the dispenser of the dishwasher.  I was quite skeptical.  No way was it going to do as good as my Jet-Dry….and I was terrified all my dishes would reek of vinegar!

Well, I gave it a try a few weeks ago and I am 100% amazed.  My dishes are so shiny and spot free, and of course, absolutely no vinegar smell can even be detected.  You HAVE to try this.  It will cost you only a few pennies compared to the $4 and I believe it works even better!

My beautiful 100+ year old house is hardwood floors throughout and as a result,  I am quite lenient with my kids as far as food/drinks in other rooms of the house.  Unfortunately, I tend to forget that all of those rooms have area rugs in them which get nasty, crusty stains on them A LOT.

Again, I was tired of spending a lot of money on carpet spot cleaner that only did a so-so job, so I did some research and discovered this recipe.  Again, another HUGE “love it” from me.  In fact, by the time I have let the solution sit for 5-10 minutes after spraying it, I have a hard time seeing where I need to scrub.  I have to feel the rug for the wet spots.

To make, mix together 2 C warm water with 1 Tb of baking soda and 4 T vinegar.  I pour it into my old “store bought” bottle so it is already labeled and you are good to go!  I generously spray the spot, let it sit for about 5-10 minutes then use a rag to dab and scrub it out. If your stain is a grease stain, you will need to separately use a tiny amount of dishwashing soap to get up the grease.