By now, you should know that I am a huge fan of Lemi Shine (a dishwasher additive that removes hard water film and buildup). I've written three different posts about it in the past (1, 2, and 3).
It is somewhat of a costly product, but I really believe in it because it does wonders for my dishes. Each time I purchased it, however, I would hear some grumblings from my husband. So, we decided to investigate the ingredients of the product and see if we could find a cheaper, yet as effective, alternative.
I wanted to share with you what I've discovered.
Basically, Lemi Shine is made up of natural fruit oils and acids. Citric acid is the main component. So, we started looking for other powdered products that are mostly composed of citric acid.
Believe it or not, but we found the solution first in the form of Tang. You know, the orange-flavored drink from our youth. We tried it in the dishwasher, in the same amounts we used for Lemi Shine, and it worked just as well.
After realizing Tang worked, we decided to try out a generic brand of lemonade powder. Again, we used the same amount in the dispenser, and it worked just as well.
Cost comparison:
Lemi Shine = $4 for 12 oz.
Tang = $2.28 for 12.3 oz.
Lemonade = $1.36 for 12 oz.
So, you can get three times the amount of lemonade powder compared to one bottle of Lemi Shine, and the lemonade really works just as well due to the citric acid content in the powder.
I feel like a real scientist with all the hypothesis testing, but I'm just happy I don't have to hear my husband grumble about some expensive cleaning product. And, I'm still happy that I don't have any spots on my dishes, and I can accomplish it for a lot cheaper.
Just thought I'd share. Give it a try.
6 comments:
We've been having tons of problems with our dishwasher- nasty white residue on everything! Switching to gel detergent instead of powder helped some, but I'll have to try this and see if it helps even more. I'm excited- thanks for the idea!
PS How much do you put in there- and where do you put it?
My dishwasher has an open dispenser, and a closed dispenser that releases later in the cycle. I put 2 Tablespoons of powder in the closed dispenser, and a Electrasol tablet in the open dispenser.
Wow! I love lemi shine too! I will have to try the lemonade powder!
Kool-Aid lemonaid powder. 10 cents a packet. Does wonders!
I dreamed about Tang all night after reading this post.
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