Can I use regular soap (like Joy, Dawn, Ajax) as the cleaning agent in my dishwasher? If so, how much?

Question

I am trying to stetch the budget and I was wondering if I can use regular dish soap (like liquid Dawn, Ajax, or Joy) instead of buying Cascade or store branded detergents? If not, any ideas on an at home recipe for dishwasher detergent?

Answer 1

i stopped buying dish washer detergent. i use dawn everyday in the washer. a dime sized amount is all you need. if you fill the dispenser cup up and it foams out all over the kitchen, dont blame the dawn, your just a moron. it depends on the washer you have as well some have more water in the wash cycle so you have to experiment. start small, few drops. if they are still dirty, couple more drops. think about it how much dawn do you NEED to put in the sink for dishes? it will be way less in the dishwasher. a few drops will be just fine.