Posted on 12/23/2010 9:45:22 AM PST by lacrew
Is your dishwasher not working the way it used to? Earlier this year, with little fanfare, detergent makers reworked their formulas.
This was supposed to be good for waterways. But it turned a simple chore into a frustrating mystery for many people across the country.
A couple of months ago, Sandra Young from Vernon, Fla., started to notice that something was seriously amiss with her dishes.
"The pots and pans were gray, the aluminum was starting to turn black, the glasses had fingerprints and lip prints still on them, and they were starting to get this powdery look to them," Vernon says. "I'm like, oh, my goodness, my dishwasher must be dying; I better get a new dishwasher."
Young's not alone. Many people across the country are tearing out their hair over stained flatware, filmy glasses and ruined dishes.
Sue Wright from Austin, Texas, says for months her cups and glasses have been coming out of her year-old dishwasher covered with black specks. She called three repairmen to her kitchen, but her dishes were still dirty.
"I looked at a plumber's rear end for about two months this summer sticking out from under my sink," Wright says. "I was just totally frustrated. I couldn't figure out what was going wrong."
Finally, after months of aggravation and expense, Wright found out the real reason for her speckled cups: This summer, detergent makers took phosphates out of their detergents.
Seventeen states banned phosphates from dishwasher detergents because the chemical compounds also pollute lakes, bays and streams. They create algae blooms and starve fish of oxygen.
But dirty and damaged dishes are turning many people into skeptics, including Wright.
"I'm angry at the people who decided that phosphate was growing algae. I'm not sure that I believe that," Wright adds.
Sandra Young was so mad that she called Procter & Gamble, which makes Cascade, to complain. But when she did, a company representative told her to be more careful about which pans she puts into her dishwasher.
"He said, 'Well, if you're really having that hard of a problem, maybe you should wash your dishes by hand.' Which I thought was kind of strange for an automatic dishwashing company."
Susan Baba from Procter & Gamble says the company had no choice. It just wasn't feasible to make detergent with phosphates for some states and without them for others.
"You know, this isn't really a huge environmental win," she says.
That's because phosphates are wonder ingredients. They not only strip food and grease from dishes but also prevent crud from getting reattached during the wash. So she says without phosphates, people have to wash or rinse their dishes before they put them in the dishwasher, which wastes water. Or they run their dishwasher twice, which wastes electricity.
Dennis Griesing of the American Cleaning Institute, a trade group, says it could take time, but phosphate-free detergents will improve. That's what happened with laundry detergents after phosphates were removed from them years ago. He says these inconveniences are part of a bigger trend.
"We're going though a very significant readjustment in our lives to accommodate our ecological needs," Griesing says.
But not everyone is willing to adjust. Sandra Young figured out a way to undo the phosphate ban — at least in her own kitchen.
She bought some trisodium phosphate at a hardware store and started mixing her own formula.
"It seems to be working pretty good," Young says.
Other people have given up on their machines altogether and are washing dishes by hand. But some are switching to other brands and making peace with phosphate-free detergents.
How do you get the dishes in and out of those little holes?
Econuts are always harping on homeowners to use phosphate-free fertilizers.
Go get Monsanto and all the other huge factory farmers to stop using phosphates first, then come and talk to me.
Of course, the econuts are also the same groups of people that believe human population needs to be reduced by 5 billion from where we are now.
“This Eco-Fecal freak sh!t is way out of hand.”
The Eco-Commies would force our living standards down to the level of North Korea if we let them. My question is, how much abuse will Americans endure before they get physical? With so many unreliable Republicrats in Congress, traditional representative government isn’t functioning as it should.
Good post!
I’ve been having trouble with our dishwasher. Started about 6 months ago. I switched over to a no-name brand and instantly had better performance (My state is not one of the states).
I’m going to have to check labels.
= = =
BTW
States instituting the rule include Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin
More unintended consequences from the envirowhackos.
I have to disagree with your statement about farmers using too much fertilizer. Perhaps, decades ago, yes, but costs these days are so high, a farmer will use only just what is necessary to do the job.
I think there are two other culprits.
1.) The average homeowner with a lawn—do they use the entire huge bage of fertilizer in one summer, when only a cup or so will do?
2.) The average diet of a human being, in most areas I suppose, is mostly grain based. This can make for a nitrogen rich feces, which is then flushed down the toilet, then treated at the local sewage plant, then released into the local waterway. I am not sure all of the nitrogen is recovered from the waste stream before being put back into the local waters.
Oddly enough, Young and Wright (the two consumers mentioned in the article) are from Florida and Texas, neither of which has banned phosphates.
They would do better by switching to local or no-name detergents that may contain phosphates.
I live in Florida. I just checked the no name detergent I bought at Publix, and it is proudly phosphate free.
We will outlive our Cascade supply. Then our son can decide whether to use it or sell it for maximum profit.
I meant to say that our Cascade supply will outlive us. Doh.
To all who have asked how much and how to add TSP. I just added around two tablespoons to the soap compartment, and filled the rest with Cascade. It worked perfectly. With each successive load, I am adding a little less, to see where the tipping point is...that’s how I plan to figure out how much.
I was able to find TSP at Home Depot; but, yes, I was almost tricked into buying TSP substitute....so read the label carefully. I bought a two pound box for around $9.
Samo...Samo on this end. Hand washing is the best way to wash dishes using Dawn. :-)
Oh, and to answer all the questions about safety...it was in the detergent before, just a few months ago...with no problem. We need phosphorous to live, its in alot of foods, we guzzle it in soda. It shouldn’t be a big deal if there is a residue left on the plates...and as it turns out, it Doesn’t leave a residue.
And yes vinegar works for some people...but if you have hard water, it really doesn’t help.
This TSP is not some ‘home grown recipe’...its simply adding back in to the formula the ingredient the environazi’s have taken out.
You'll find an expiration date on the jugs, believe it or not....last year we had unrelated dishwasher problems, and one of the symptoms was extreme 'foaming' which screws 'em up - root cause was that we'd bought out-dated Cascade.....and at Sam's also.
TPS—is it expensive? I have been using Lemi-Shine with good results, but it’s kind of expensive. I hate the EPA.
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