Wishy Washy

I finally have experimented with the homemade dishwasher detergent.  My first attempt was not encouraging I'm afraid.  The dishes were streaky, filmy, not super clean, and generally blah.
Today I got a very exciting package in the mail.  Michael, my sweet husband, got me a food processor!!!  I ran the laundry detergent and the dishwasher detergent each through the food processor and got a much happier blend.  The laundry one is all pretty and sunshiney.  The dishwasher one is finally blended enough to get everything all mixed up properly.  So I tried it again.
This time was much more promising.  I still should have prewashed a few things more thoroughly (even using Cascade I should have prewashed them better.  A few of them had been sitting for a while, lol.) but in general I did get a good clean.  I'm not as completely in love with the dishwasher detergent as I am with the laundry detergent at this point, but I think we're coming to a better understanding ;)  This batch is not a loss and I'm willing to give it another shot.

Here's the recipe:
1/2 c. borax (remember this from the laundry detergent?)
1/2 c. washing soda (also from the laundry detergent)
1/4 c. citric acid  (I found this behind the counter at the pharmacy at WalMart, but wasn't willing to pay the price.  Instead I used a substitute I'd read about -- about a dozen packages of lemonade flavored kool-aid packages.  No sugar added, of course.)
1/4 c. kosher salt
Mix all together VERY WELL.  The food processor did a much better job of this than I had myself.  Over time this will clump.  That's okay.  Just break it up a bit to scoop out what you need.  Like the laundry detergent you only need 1+ Tbsp. of this per load of dishes.  Fill the Rinse Aid compartment with plain white vinegar.  (I haven't tried this part yet because it was already filled with the blue stuff, but I'm going to try it when it's empty.)  The koolaid powder does give it a nice lemony scent :)


Edit:  I've found what looks like a good source for citric acid.  The stuff at WalMart was about $24 for 1 cup!  (That adds $6 per batch!)  This stuff (http://www.organic-creations.com/servlet/the-419/citric-acid-natural-skin/Detail) is a lot cheaper, though shipping appears to more than double the cost {rolls eyes} Even with that cost I believe it works out to about $1.65 per batch of detergent.  Might be worth it?  I wish I could try it out with real citric acid to see if it is worth it.  If any of you try it, let me know.