A while back, I wanted to see if I could inexpensively extend the amount of time my dishwashing liquid lasted, as it seems that we just blow through it.  Part of that is that my kids do dishes, and they aren’t conservative about how much they use.  And since they wash dishes, I’m not going to complain that they’re using too much soap. 

But still, making what you have last longer is an inherent part of saving money, so I was thinking about options.  One was to make my own dishwashing liquid, an idea I’ll eventually try but haven’t done yet.  What I did start doing several weeks ago was the following:

Take a bottle of the dishwashing liquid you buy, and then empty half of it into another bottle.  Fill the bottle with the liquid 1/4 of the way with ammonia, and the remaining 1/4 fill with either water or vinegar (I used water but vinegar would have more cleaning power).  Give it a shake, and use it the same way you’d use your regular dishwashing liquid. 

I was very happy with this mixture, since it cuts the grease much more effectively than the store bought stuff, and I needed to use less to get the dishes clean.  I mixed up a new batch of it tonight (this takes literally a few seconds), which reminded me to share this tip with you!

Avivah