Don’t Be So Quick to Blame the Low-Phosphate Detergent
Phosphates, used in detergents to help dirt and grease dissolve in water, are loved by homemakers who revere the way they make dishes sparkle and laundry gleam, but hated by nature lovers for the fish-suffocating algea blooms they create when released into waterways. It’s the latter effect that has the detergent industry pledging to make every automatic dishwashing soap sold in the U.S. and Canada nearly phosphate-free by mid-2010, according to a recent LA Times story. Phosphates are already nearly completely banned in my home city, Spokane, WA, and that’s what the LA Times story is really about–Spokanites that miss phosphates enough to break the law to get them.
Residents of Spokane, where only low-phosphate dishwasher detergents can be sold, are driving to neighboring Idaho to buy up stocks of phosphate-rich detergent, and then smuggling it back to their cupboards–and to those of their friends. Illegal? Technically,yes. Uncooperative? Highly. While those willing to drive into another state to purchase their detergent are clearly unhappy with the eco-friendly stuff sold on thier side of the border, plenty of Spokanites have no problem with the low-phosphate products. So, what’s really going on then?
The “smuggler” outted in the LA Times piece complains that low-phosphate dish detergent leaves her dishes greasy, encrusted with food particles and covered in a white film. That does sound awful! But, from my experience, it sounds like what this woman really needs is a new dishwasher! First, no dishwasher detergent in the world dissolves chunks of food. Dishes either must be scraped of all food before being loaded or the dishwasher must have a food grinder (also called a macerator) to avoid food particles in the rinse water. The grease factor is a different story: here a good detergent, and sufficiently hot water, is helpful; and, for the record, my ECOVER brand of phosphate-free detergent has no problem degreasing my dishes. Which leads me back to this poor woman’s dishwasher. Perhaps it doesn’t have a booster heater? A dishwasher with a booster heater raises incoming water to 140 degrees F to help remove grease. Without a booster heater, a dishwasher is using the water heated soley by the home’s hot water tank–which for general household uses and safety should ideally be set no higher than 120 degrees F.
The white film sometimes left behind, but usually only noticeable on glassware, is due to hard water. A whole-house water softener or conditioner is the expensive way to fix that problem. Expensive to install, but also a good investment. Hard water doesn’t just leave a white film on glassware, it causes mineral deposits to build up inside pipes, plumbing fixtures and appliances lowering their lifespan. In place of tackling a hard water problem at the whole-house level, a tablesppon of white vinegar in the rinse-aid compartment of the dishwasher will help dissolve hard water deposits leaving dishes clear of that film in most cases.
The bottom line is, if a low-phosphate detergent doesn’t work for you, it may just be the wrong brand or it could mean you need a new dishwasher. Phosphates will compensate for poor dishwasher performance and hard water more than low-phosphate detergents will, but even if your community hasn’t yet banned them, it’s best to seek out lower-phosphate alternatives to protect local waterways for recreation, drinking water and aquatic life. Test different brands until you find one that works, and if need be, start saving up for a new dishwasher. Today’s energy efficient models cost less to operate, saving money with every use.
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