Reason Revealed Why Dishes Aren't as Clean

[DustinG]

Since July, people have been wondering why their dishes are not as clean . . . Now, over 7 months later, people are becoming more aware of what the problem is, and it isn’t because of their dishwashers. After studies showed that one of the key ingredients in dishwasher, phosphate, was leaking into rivers and reservoirs, decreasing oxygen for fish and plants, environmentalists took a strong stand to ban the compound from detergent.

Forced to respond to a law that passed in July for 16 states, companies like Proctor and Gamble (Cascade) went back to the drawing board to create a working product that was phosphate-free.

The film that you now see on your dishes after washing them in the dishwasher is due to the environmentalists banning phosphates in your dishwashing detergent. 16 states have banned phosphate, including Indiana.

Want to fix the problem? The ban applies only to consumer based detergent, not commercial, so buy a commercial dishwashing detergent. Or purchase phosphate online and add it to your dishwashing detergent. The phosphate additive can be found here: [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Savogran-10621-Trisodium-Phosphate-TSP/dp/B0001GOGQW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1298257813&sr=8-2"]Amazon.com: Savogran 10621 Trisodium Phosphate (TSP): Kitchen & Dining[/ame]


Source: FoxNews.com - Dishing Woes Don't Wash Away

 

[fire259]

Thanks for the info. Now where can I buy commercial dishwasher detergent?

P.S. as per the wife. Does this apply to laundry detergent also?

 

[DustinG]

I think it was specifically for dishwasher detergent, but I am not sure. I know you can add the tsp into the laundry detergent as well if it applies to that

 

[level.eleven]

If you don't want to buy it online, a paint store will have it. I know Sherwin Williams stocks it.

 

[Hkindiana]

Wow, thanks for posting this - my wife has been bugging me for a new dishwasher because of the film we have been seeing on the dishes.

 

[Blue Tile Spook]

As to people asking about the laundry soap, I have been reading the start of a push by the "green movement" to not damage the environment by washing clothes with water only - no detergent whatsoever. I started hearing this about the time the whatever nitwit from Hollywood made the comment about only using one square of toilet paper for wiping a person's hiney so that we could save the environment.

And yeah, I read where this idea about dish soap was proposed to the manufacturers to try to find a solution but I didn't realize that they had actually changed the formula yet.

 

[Disposable Heart]

Or folks can stop being lazy and wash their dishes by hand if they are having such issues... never had an issue if I cleaned my dishes, as opposed to washing them in the machina...

Realistically, I would want detailed and analyzed instructions on how to "add phosphates" before just doing it willy nilly. I made "super cleaner" when I was a kid by mixing a bunch of stuff together and had to evacuate the house after it fumed up the place...

 

[Goosepond Monster]

I use phosphate-free detergent in my dishwasher and don't have issues with a film on any of the dishes.

 

[shibumiseeker]

As to people asking about the laundry soap, I have been reading the start of a push by the "green movement" to not damage the environment by washing clothes with water only - no detergent whatsoever.

I use about a tenth of the amount of detergent usually. The only time I use a normal amount of detergent is is the clothes are really dirty (oils or grease). You can't tell any difference because the recommended amounts are such so that the manufacturers can both sell more, and to be able to clean worst case scenarios so people don't complain if really dirty clothes come out partially clean.


Just as stupid as going to an extreme in "environmentalism" is the knee jerk reaction that anything the "environmentalists" support is automatically bad.

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

I use phosphate-free detergent in my dishwasher and don't have issues with a film on any of the dishes.

Same here.

Helps that we have soft water.

Hope folks aren't confusing hard-water film with something that the magic of phosphate included in a detergent will somehow take care of.

 

[moischmoe]

Wow, thanks for posting this - my wife has been bugging me for a new dishwasher because of the film we have been seeing on the dishes.

Put vinegar in the cup where the rising agent goes. Our dishes come out clear and sparkling. The vinegar works WAY better than any rinsing agent we've ever used.

 

[rimfire_crazed]

The issue with filming and calcium deposits on glassware and dishes is directly related to the softness of your water. If you have soft water, the lack of phosphates will have no effect. If you have very hard water like I do, you can pretty much wreck your dishes in three to four washings. All of our plastic storage containers were filmed and our pots and pans had visible scale buildup.

We even bought a new dishwasher trying to resolve the problem. Once we figured out it was the lack of phosphates, we switched to a 10:1 detergent to TSP mixture and the problem has disappeared.

I really don't blame the banning of phosphates in detergent for the problem - it's been causing huge environmental problems for decades. I blame the detergent companies for making the switch to an inferior product while simultaneously telling us it's "new and improved"

 

[MrsGungho]

I'm so glad to know I am not going more crazy than I am.

From the article, a person interviewed said electrosal with the powerball in the center works.
Going to try that before going and buying phosphate.

 

[singlesix]

Just as stupid as going to an extreme in "environmentalism" is the knee jerk reaction that anything the "environmentalists" support is automatically bad.

Well said. If phosphate is truly causing problems than I don't want to use it. As other have stated, hard water is the main cause of dirty dishes.

 

[Hkindiana]

Well said. If phosphate is truly causing problems than I don't want to use it. As other have stated, hard water is the main cause of dirty dishes.

OK, if that's the way you feel. But what about all of the salt used in water softeners. That can't be good either.

 

[yotewacker]

Phosphate was outlawed in laundry detergent back in the 90's

 

[LEaSH]

I try to add lead to my gas when I fill up too. But it just clunks around in there.

 

[DustinG]

No offense, but everything is bad to these people. You can't have lead in your ammo because it is environmentally damaging. You can't use incandescent light bulbs but you can use cfl's which contains a cancer causing agent mercury. They want you to use green energy, however, when California tried to put solar panels in the desert they protested that too. When the oil tycoon tried to put windmills in texas, they complained about that too. You cannot please these people, the more you give in, the more they want to take away from you.

I too thought the dishwasher was not working correctly last summer when the detergent changed because I did not know that it changed. There is a layer of film over every glass and plate. There was no warning that phosphates were banned, instead they just allowed people to believe their dishwashers were broken. I do believe you just add a half a teaspoon of TSP to the detergent every load.

 

[starbreather]

A litter vinegar during rinse solves all film woes.

 

[singlesix]

OK, if that's the way you feel. But what about all of the salt used in water softeners. That can't be good either.

That's why I don't use water softens. Sorry if I gave that impression. Soft water get things cleaner based on my experience.