Replacing storebought dishwasher tablets

In my quest for clean water, dishwasher tablets came on my radar when I asked ChatGPT one day how they worked and specifically what the scrubby thing in the tabs are. The answer turned my stomach.

The main catalyst for this conversation to begin was the fact that living in the country, we have a septic tank and bed. This means that while the tank is pumped every couple years, it is not a closed system. A septic bed is compose of a layer of composite material underground. It literally is a large bed which the overflow water from the septic tank drains into. Natural bacteria will break down the "leachate" (the water less the settled solids still in the tank which break down on its own).

So what you put into your system is important. And what I learned about dishwasher tabs was shocking. We use plastics in them. As we know microplastics are not currently handled in civil water engineering. So the filmy packaging, and the scubby bits are dissovable plastic products which a quick search reveals do not fully break down in nature, leaving plastic waste going upstream. Frankly, as a resident of Eastern Canada on Lake Ontario, thinking about the accumulated unfiltered waste of 30M people go by my bay, sickens me.

Dishwasher tablets often contain ingredients that are harmful to the environment. Here’s a breakdown of the common unfriendly components:

1. Phosphates

• What they do: Phosphates help soften water, remove grease, and prevent residue on dishes.
• Why they’re harmful: When phosphates enter waterways, they promote excessive algae growth (eutrophication). This depletes oxygen in the water, harming aquatic ecosystems and creating dead zones.

2. Surfactants (detergents)

• What they do: Surfactants break down grease and help water rinse away food particles.
• Why they’re harmful: Conventional surfactants can be non-biodegradable and toxic to aquatic life, disrupting ecosystems when released into waterways.

3. Synthetic fragrances

• What they do: Add pleasant scents to the detergent.
• Why they’re harmful: Synthetic fragrances often contain phthalates, which are endocrine disruptors, harmful to aquatic life, and persistent in the environment.

4. Plastics (microplastics or water-soluble wrapping, scrubbing agents)

• What they do: Many pods and tablets come with dissolvable plastic film made of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA/PVOH), which is marketed as biodegradable.
• Why they’re harmful: Studies suggest that PVA doesn't fully biodegrade in natural environments, potentially contributing to microplastic pollution.

5. Chlorine and chlorine bleach

• What they do: Provide sanitization and whitening properties.
• Why they’re harmful: Chlorine compounds release toxic byproducts during breakdown, which can harm aquatic life and contribute to environmental toxicity.

6. Enzymes

• What they do: Enzymes like protease and amylase help break down proteins and starches in food residues.
• Why they’re harmful: Enzymes themselves are generally not harmful, but their industrial production can involve unsustainable practices or energy-intensive processes.

7. Antibacterial Agents

• What they do: Kill bacteria and sanitize.
• Why they’re harmful: Antibacterial agents, such as triclosan (found in some detergents), are persistent in the environment and can harm aquatic life. They may also contribute to antibiotic resistance.

8. Fillers and Anti-Caking Agents

• What they do: Prevent clumping and improve tablet stability.
• Why they’re harmful: Some fillers, like sodium sulfate, are not particularly toxic but contribute to chemical loads in wastewater systems.

9. Dyes and Colorants

• What they do: Add color to tablets or pods for aesthetic appeal.
• Why they’re harmful: Artificial dyes may contain heavy metals or be toxic to aquatic ecosystems.

Environmental Impact

When these ingredients are washed down the drain, they can:

• Persist in the environment without breaking down.
• Harm aquatic organisms by altering ecosystems.
• Contribute to long-term pollution and bioaccumulation.

Alternatives

To reduce environmental harm, look for dishwasher detergents labeled as:

• Phosphate-free
• Biodegradable
• Plant-based
• Microplastic-free
• Certified by eco-labels like EcoLogo or EPA Safer Choice

It's actually quite easy. Here are the ingredients and why they are used.

• 1 cup washing soda (sodium carbonate)
• 1 cup baking soda
• ½ cup citric acid (for shine and to cut through grease)
• ½ cup kosher salt (optional, to soften water)

Below are the four products I sourced, why, with the quantities, and the affiliated Amazon links. We appreciate the support this revenue provides for making more content.

Qty: 1 cup

I picked this brand because it was cheaper, is Canadian-made, and has sodium carbonate with no additives.

Ultimately, in nature sodium carbonate breaks down as sodium ions, bicarbonate, and carbon dioxide, depending on the environment. This has a footprint as a whole in the water and carbon cycles, but at least you are not adding extra stuff like surfactants and chemical aromas.

Qty: 0.5 cup

Picked for being a Canadian brand, food grade with no additives.

Citric acid is used to break through the grease and help dissolve fat solids. It also helps give a shiny finish.

Qty: 1 cup

Ubiquitous baking soda recognizable anywhere. It helps lower and buffer pH which helps the cleaning action take place, soften the water to deal with scale and provide a mild abrasive for scrubbing.

Qty: 0.5 cup

This salt is chosen to be additive-free, and cheaper than Kosher salt. Yupik is a favourite Canadian brand for bulk herbs, spices. I'm not sure I would completely trust the Mediterranean to produce pollution-free salt for cooking, but I don't mind washing dishes with it!

Pretty easy. I took this a step further to determine cost and savings based on what I usually buy which is whatever thing is on sale at the local Costco as we won't shop at Walmart.

Full disclosure, I am using Amazon products which are readily ordered and I am using affiliated links. So if you order anything, I get a bit of monetary reward for my work in making this easy for you. It was also the basis of having numbers to determine the cost.

The table below shows how I worked it up. I found some products on Amazon Canada which seemed up to the quality, and were more cost-effective than others. I figured out using ChatGPT how to resolve the packeged amount into cups which relate to the recipe. Then I took the highest number of 22 which is when you put all that stuff together, is the maximum number of recipe batches you can make.

Spoiler alert, you can make about 1000 dishwasher doses for about $100 CAD. That's 10 cent per. The tabs at Costco round our about 30 cents per, and some research into cheaper less effective stuff went down to 16 cent per.

So no matter what, you get a cheaper product, which is environmentally friendly.

Note: The table should appear below in this web page. If it does not, you can download the recipe calculations in Excel format here.