How to Fix Hard as a Rock DIY Dishwasher Detergent

Remember when I wrote this post about making your own dishwasher detergent?  I said I wasn't having clumping problems.  Yeah, well, within a day or two or writing that post the whole thing turned rock hard.  I thought, there has to be a way to fix this, so I searched the comments at Jabs.  Most people either said suck it up or add the citric acid to each load w/o mixing it in w/ the rest of the recipe.  Yeah...I'm not doing that.  I'll forget for sure. 

Ever hear of Occam's Razor?  That sometimes the simplest solution is the best one?  Well, I dumped the contents of my very airtight Tupperware container into the food processor (I thought airtight would mean no clumping, obviously I was wrong) and ground the stuff back up to a powder.  Then I dumped it all back into the container and it's been a few weeks and so far, it's not re-clumping.

So, yes, extra step.  You know I hate those.  But whatever, consider it an easy solution that will help you keep making your own dishwasher detergent and a way to really clean your food processor.

My only other problem is that the glassware is not always crystal clean...that's kind of hit or miss.  Sometimes it's a little cloudy, but I think more citric acid would probably fix that.  And seriously people w/ the vintage stuff getting etched...don't put vintage anything in the dishwasher!  If it's valuable, hand wash it always and you won't have to worry about it scratching...Yeesh. 

And for the record, I'm using a very rounded heaping tablespoon of it since I use an old scoop from one of the Hubby's powdered sports drinks.  So, I don't know how that's affecting the cost breakdown.  But all in all, I like this stuff.  I think making dishwasher detergent yourself is too easy not to do.