Dishwasing Detergent and Old Jars

I have grown rather tired of the overly chemical-smell coming from my dishwasher so I looked online for a more eco-friendly alternative. I discovered you could make a very simple and inexpensive detergent using 1 part Borax and 1 part Baking Soda. 2 Tbs into the dishwasher detergent slot. Some comments online suggested putting vinegar in the "Jet Dry" spot to avoid spots from the baking soda. So, I loaded my dishwasher up (complete with a casserole dish with baked on cheese) and ran it through a cycle. Everything came out so well! Clean sparkling clear glass casserole dish and all. I've run the dishwasher a few more times with this "detergent" and I do notice that sometimes glasses on the top rack don't get perfectly clean - so I'm going to try another suggestion I saw online when researching - to add just a bit of normal store-bought detergent. Still cheaper and less chemicals - so I'll see how that works.

When trying to find something to put my concoction in I found an old fruit canning jar that had been my grandmother's I believe that works perfectly. (see picture) I love antiques - and there's just something about homemade detergent in an old glass jar that I find appealing. I did a little google searching and found that my jar is from the 1930s. So, I went ebaying to find some more. I just won one that is actually dated 1908. It's a bit taller than this one - but still with the wire closure. I'm excited. I don't know what I'm going to put in it yet - but it's a cool looking jar. I'm bidding on another one as well - so none of you are allowed to go Ball jar hunting on ebay until after the end of the day Thursday!

And then I remembered that my mother used to collect jars when I was a child and I had a "I'm becoming my mother!" moment. But I guess that's not all bad. The jars are pretty.

As you probably noticed - I'm also in the process of changing my blog format. I like the colors. I'm trying to standardize my photo usage so it's not so sporadic looking. I also need a header graphic - I'll get to it eventually I suppose.