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Posted on 02/13/2011 1:14:16 PM PST by dickmc
Pittsburgh isn’t even in the Chesapeake watershed. However, like everywhere else apparently phosphates have disappeared from dishwasher detergents. The result is dishes that aren’t particularly clean and feel ‘slimy’.
After some checking, I found that the disappeared phosphate content in dishwasher detergent was around six percent. On a recent visit to the plumbing supply store to get some parts, I found that they still had one pound boxes of the real TSP (trisodium phosphate Na3PO4); not the fake ersatz 'TSP' stuff that Home Depot is only selling. In fact, the real TSP is still available all over the net.
Not being able to find any phosphate containing dishwasher detergent at any grocery store, I decided to make my own. Here’s how:
1. Buy a large 7.5 pound bottle of gel type dishwasher detergent.
2. Dump in a bucket and add one-half of a one pound box of TSP. This will make a 6.25% mix of TSP in the detergent. (Actually the weight percent of Phosphate in TSP (Na3PO4) is 58% making the Phosphate in the mix 6.25 x 0.58 or 3.6% …but… that’s good enough for government work!)
3. Stir with a paint stick. If you want, add a half-cup of water to somewhat reduce the gel viscosity.
4. After about one minute of stirring, the TSP particles will be thoroughly distributed in the gel. (They don’t dissolve but that’s OK as long as they are evenly mixed.)
5. Put back in the bottle ...with the leftover in the empty bottle. (A funnel helps which I had from garage stuff.)
Tried it out yesterday.
.
VIOLA! The dishes are now 'squeaky' clean with no slime film. Also, the dishwasher insides now look clean again.
Enjoy the info.
Sounds good to me. Dirty dishes NOT tolerated!
Can’t buy TSP, so how will this work, exactly?
The majority of places where they banned phosphate detergents also banned TSP (tri sodium phosphate).
That is a great way to make a batch, I’ve not previously thought of making batches. I have been adding 2 tblsp. of trisodium phosphate to each load I run - the results are great! No food particles sticking to dishes and crystal clear glass with no film.
EXACTLY!
tell us where to get the TSP?
I’ve looked around a lot of places in Indiana and come up empty.
Do I have to bootleg it from out of state?
We’re using dry detergent, and adding 1/2 TBS of dry tri sodium phosphate to every individual load...It works, but it’s time consuming, and your recipe sounds well worth trying.
lightbulbs. dish detergent.
what’s next?
If they’re truly concerned about the environment, you’d think they would ban the birth control pill.
Can you liquify it in water fist THEN mix it?>
I do dishes by hand and the lack of horsepower in the sink diswasher soap annoys me too.
Is it lacking phosphates too?
I took every dish out of the cabinet yeserday and washedm them al a second time. It took me nearly a quarter bottle of soap...grrrrrrrrrrr
You can achieve the same results by using a sponge with dishwashing soap to get the grease off your dishes BEFORE putting them in the dishwasher.
Really, you should never expect a machine to get food clinging to dishes and utensils off completely. Next time you’re in a restaurant take a close look at the flatware — you’ll see exactly what I’m talking about.
I found Lowe’s stocks it, make SURE the box you buy is NOT marked Trisodium phosphate PF (take a wild guess what the “PF “ stands for...Yep, “phosphate free”) . They keep the PF stuff next to the Real Thing, in virtually identical boxes. In our store, it’s with the deck cleaning stuff.
Dirty, slimy, and discolored silverware. Great.........NOT
Where do you live? We can get it here in Kansas...for now, I guess.
All the major manufacturers of dish soap have removed the phosphates, to simplify their lives. I had no idea some places had banned it from other cleaning products at the hardware store.
I don’t know the chemistry of why it works...but boy does it WORK. I don’t make a recipe...just add some to each load, along with the regular gel.
PS - don’t tell the enviro-idiots about phosphorous in our fertilizer.
Rather than go to all that trouble, would it work to add perhaps a quarter teaspoon to each load?
Plumbing supply stores may have it. Otherwise, type TSP in google shopping. Over 50,000 hits!!! Just read the adds carefully to make sure you're getting the real stuff and not the fake substitute.
Any good hardware store or paint store should have TSP.
#10611 1 lb. Savogran TSP is the most common brand and product number.
I sold it for 30+ years.
Cannot run a paint department without it.
“You can achieve the same results by using a sponge with dishwashing soap to get the grease off your dishes BEFORE putting them in the dishwasher.”
Actually, if you look at the bottle of phosphate free detergent, it actually recommends that you leave the food on the dishes. I think there is some hope that the fat in the food will soften the water (make it more wet), which is what phosphates do.
Trust me, I tried pre-washing, and it didn’t work. If you have water with alot of minerals in it, the removal of phosphates causes a problem - a white layer of soap/mineral scum is welded to the dishes. I got to the point where I was prewashing and post washing the dishes...and about gave up on the dishwasher.
A sprinkle of the magic ingredient (which has been in dish soap for decades), and presto - no more problem.
I have noticed that the boxes seem to be very poorly put together, the tsp leaks out of the bottom corner.
There’s a product at Home Depot that has TSP in large black letters but it does not contain tsp. Check the box carefully to make sure it doesn’t say ‘phosphate free’. 20 Mule Team Borax has sodium tetraborate. It’s great stuff. Great cleaner.
Freep-mail me to get on or off my pro-life and Catholic List:
Please ping me to note-worthy Pro-Life or Catholic threads, or other threads of general interest.
And since the year 2000, I've noticed that colognes and other fragrance products no longer have any staying power.Yves Rocher was the first one I noticed : Citing environmental concerns, they removed the chemicals from their fragrances, going to all natural ingredients and something called "head space". The last few fragrances I've bought from Yves Rocher and completely dissipated and undetectable in about one minute. Needless to say, I no longer purchase from this company , and I once loved their products.
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