1. Use up what I have that works for me now or find a good home for it. The idea is to minimize waste.
2. Replace with well-researched options from companies who conduct themselves with morals and values that align with my own and with an emphasis on supporting local small businesses.
3. Replace with items that are effective!
4. Remember that keeping costs low is a priority, but not THE priority. Sometimes it is financially worth it, to me, to support a great company and a great product.
5. Aim for simple and homemade but no lamenting when my homemade option stinks.
6. No fretting when a good option isn't available, viable, or practical. The grand scheme of things is what matters in the long run.
So, where did I start?
Dishwasher: We didn't have a dishwasher at our old house so that was one of the first things on my mind when we moved to the 1240 House. First, I bought dishwasher cleaner. It is a small bottle with a wax seal on the top. I don't remember the exact instructions but you put it upside down over a tine and run the dishwasher empty on the hottest setting. It supposedly cleans, freshens, and disinfects. I didn't really care what kind of chemicals were in it because the only thing I find more disgusting than cleaning chemicals is other people's ick and filth. I did run three cycles on hot with copious amounts of white vinegar to make sure all of the toxic-ness from the cleaner was washed away.
As far as day-to-day detergent goes, we finally have settled with two options after SIX failed attempts. Yes, I had dirty dishes coming out of the dishwasher for a very long time because I refused to throw away the failed brands. I started with a non-toxic liquid detergent from Target that only worked about 80% of the time. We thought that maybe our older dishwasher model was just a piece of junk, but then I tried a homemade version with NO borax in it (I'm just not comfortable using Borax on food surfaces) and it did a slightly better job. Stubborn foods like avocado, cooked eggs, and some dairy never really came off so I ended up washing about 5% by hand. We also tried Seventh Generation tablets which didn't fare much better. I slowly worked through all of the non toxic liquids and tablets sold at Central Market (a local co-op type grocer) and Target. The two brands we use now that work wonders are the Honest Co Pods and the Method Smarty Dish Plus Pods. Note: none of the other Method products worked well for us!
I wish I was one of those people who was awesome about keeping track of prices, but I'm just not. Especially after so many failed attempts, I didn't care how much the pods cost once I found a kind that worked.
So preferences....I don't prefer one option over the other, in the end. I honestly haven't done much research on either company but the ingredients and packaging of the products both meet my standards. When they run out, I'll pay attention to prices, I promise!
Here's the link to the Method product on Amazon. They look to be about $0.30 each before shipping.
Method Smarty Dish Plus, Fragrance Free
And here's the Honest Co link: Honest Co Dishwasher Pods
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