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Posted on 05/11/2011 6:31:29 AM PDT by Free Vulcan
I'm old enough to have a vague memory of clothes so white that they were called bright. This happened despite the absence of additives — the ridiculous varieties of sprays and bottles and packets that festoon our cabinets today and that we throw into the wash to try to boost the cleaning power of our pathetic machines and increasingly useless laundry soap.
Then, the other night, I experienced an amazing blast from the past. I added a quarter cup of trisodium phosphate (TSP) and otherwise "treated" nothing. The results were nothing short of mind-boggling. Everything was clean — clean in a way that I recall from childhood.
Next came my confrontation with the local dry cleaner, which I've used for years. I explained what happened and how puzzling it is that by using TSP I was able to clean my clothes more thoroughly and perfectly than his commercial service.
He was not shocked. He completely agreed, though sheepishly.
I pointed out that TSP, which is a natural element, is amazing not because it cleans — it needs soap to do its thing — but rather because it rinses, whooshing away all dirt, oil, stains, as well as all leftover detergent. Bleach whitens but it ruins fabrics, and that's not good. What is needed is a good rinsing agent that leaves clothes not only perfectly clean but also smelling fantastic. TSP does it, and that's why it has long been an essential ingredient in laundry soap.
Once again, he agreed.
Does he use it? No. And why not?
It is not "commercially viable," he said.
How can this be? It is not expensive. It is freely available at the hardware store in the paint section. If something works, the laundry service pleases its customers more. That means more business and higher profits. Isn't the goal to clean clothes well and do a good job for customers?
Yes, true, he said, but, again, TSP is not "commercially viable." He politely deferred all further questions to the Dry Cleaning and Laundry Institute, whose website provides no information at all to nonmembers. However, the Laundry Institute did answer my email:
It is true that trisodium phosphate produces cleaner laundry.
It's got Electrolytes!
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Food additive
Trisodium phosphate is approved as a food additive in the EU[7] and other countries. It has the E number E339 and is used as an acidity regulators in a variety of food products.
I think I found it at the local Ace Hardware. Comes in a box, easy to get, really.
TSP and other phosphates pass through our laundry and dishwashers, through the waste water system, and into the ecosystem. TSP and related phosphates are blamed for algae blooms that create dead zones as they die, pulling oxygen from the water. Thus the chemicals were removed from our cleaning supplies in the name of helping wild-life.
“how long before plain old fertilizer becomes a controlled substance?”
Already are here in Florida. I’ve heard/read the State is trying to pass a law that only the State can pass laws regarding fertilizer. In the meantime, Orange County has a new fertilizer ordinance; you basically have to go to one of their fertilizer seminars and get “certified” to apply fertilizer w/ phosphate in it, cannot apply phosphate fertilizer within a certain amount of time of expected storms (which in the summer here is basically every afternoon), etc.
Oh yes, I forgot to mention, the first year enforcement was “education” of offenders. Now they can be fined. I believe first offense is $100 and goes up from there.
I tried looking in our local Ho’Pot and found diddly squat.
Thanks for the info! I will try it!
Wal-Mart does not carry it. Home Depot does....4.5 lb box for $9.96.
See related thread——post 22 has a picture of the box that you are looking for. You have to look up to see it—it is not at eye level. You will find it in the paint dept
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2673141/posts
There are lots of recipes for making your own laundry soap using borax, washing soda (not powder - soda) and real soap like fels or ivory. This one works great.
http://www.moneytalksnews.com/2010/04/12/do-it-yourself-laundry-detergent/
All the machines now have energy efficient and water conserving features. I use the heavy cycle and the comforter cycles to get the most water out of the machine. I also will open the lid a couple of times to fake it out that I am adding items.(Can't do that with a front loader).
I remember the front loaders from the 60's and the rubber fitting on the door used to eventually always leak plus you could not open the machine to add that single sock, shirt, etc. Not very energy efficient in my book then and now. But they are pretty, LOL.
Front loaders are gentler on the clothes according to everything that I read, and in my personal experience, the HE (low suds) detergent formulated for them barely suds up, and when did they start making it impossible to turn off the machine and open the door during a wash?
Ping
But best of all IS hanging them on the line..they smell so good and clean. Plus energy conserving at its finest.
Top loaders will still stop when you open the lid. Front loaders can’t be opened for the obvious reasons...the water will run out.
That just isn’t true, front loaders do open and of course the water doesn’t run out, I did it just yesterday.
On front loaders you stop the cycle for a minute, add your item then start the cycle again.
Consider myself corrected. I have no first hand knowledge of the new front loaders, I just based on the 60’s machines and they sucked.
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