I have a friend going this route...
http://www.coffinails.com/index.html
Posted on 03/28/2009 6:57:04 AM PDT by SandRat
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — The quest for squeaky-clean dishes has turned some law-abiding people in Spokane into dishwater-detergent smugglers.
They are bringing Cascade or Electrasol in from out of state because the eco-friendly varieties required under Washington state law don't work as well.
Spokane County became the launch pad last July for the nation's strictest ban on dishwasher detergent made with phosphates, a measure aimed at reducing water pollution. The ban will be expanded statewide in July 2010, the same time similar laws take effect in several other states.
But it's not easy to get sparkling dishes whenyou go green.
Many people were shocked to find that products like Seventh Generation, Ecover and Trader Joe's left their dishes encrusted with food, smeared with grease and too gross to use without rewashing them by hand. The culprit was hard water, which is mineral-rich and resistant to soap.
As a result, there has been a quiet rush of Spokane-area shoppers heading east on Interstate 90 into Idaho in search of old-school suds.
Real estate agent Patti Marcotte of Spokane stocks up on detergent at a Costco in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, and doesn't care who knows it.
"Yes, I am a smuggler," she said. "I'm taking my chances because dirty dishes I cannot live with."
(In truth, the ban applies to the sale of phosphate detergent — not its use or possession — so Marcotte is not in any legal trouble.)
Marcotte said she tried every green brand in her dishwasher and found none would remove grease and pieces of food. Everybody she knows buys dishwasher detergent in Idaho, she said.
Supporters of the ban acknowledge it is not very popular.
"I'm not hearing a lot of positive feedback," conceded Shannon Brattebo of the Washington Lake Protection Association, a prime mover of the ban. "I think people are driving to Idaho."
Steve Marcy, manager of the Costco in Coeur d'Alene, about 10 miles east of the Washington state line, estimated that sales of dishwasher detergent in his store have increased 10 percent. He knows where the customers are coming from.
"I'll joke with them and ask if they are from Spokane," Marcy said. "They say, 'Oh yeah.'"
Shoppers can still buy phosphate detergents in Washington state by venturing outside Spokane County, but Idaho is more convenient to many Spokane residents.
Phosphates — the main cleaning agent in many detergents and household cleaners — break down grease and remove stains. However, the chemicals are difficult to remove in wastewater treatment plants and often wind up in rivers and lakes, where they promote the growth of algae. And algae gobble up oxygen in the water that fish need to survive.
While traditional detergents are up to 9 percent phosphate, those sold in Spokane County can contain no more than 0.5 percent.
The Washington Lake Protection Association has launched a campaign to encourage people to give the environmentally friendly brands a fair chance. The group suggests consumers experiment with different brands or install water softeners to help the green detergents work better.
"Clean lakes and clean dishes do not have to be mutually exclusive," said association president-elect Jacob McCann.
Phosphates have been banned in laundry detergent nationally since 1993. Washington was the first state where the Legislature passed a similar ban against dishwasher detergents, in 2006. The ban is being phased in, starting with Spokane County.
"It's nice to be on the cutting edge," Spokane resident Ken Beck, an opponent of the ban, said sarcastically.
Among other states that have banned or are banning phosphates in dishwasher detergent are Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Michigan, Vermont, Minnesota, Illinois, Massachusetts and New York. A bill on Capitol Hill would impose a nationwide ban.
The Soap and Detergent Association, which represents manufacturers, initially fought the bans. But as the movement gained strength across the country, the association asked legislatures to delay bans until July 2010 to allow for a uniform rollout of products.
The industry has been working to develop better low-phosphate detergents, said Dennis Griesing, vice president of the manufacturers group.
"This is an irrevocable, nationwide commitment on the industry's part," he said.
For his part, Beck has taken to washing his dishes on his machine's pots-and-pans cycle, which takes longer and uses five gallons more water. Beck wonders if that isn't as tough on the environment as phosphates.
"How much is this really costing us?" Beck said. "Aren't we transferring the environmental consequences to something else?"
Then can have my ‘Tide’ when they pry my soapy fingers off..
GEEZ - I live in PA - I better stock up now!
Plus the extra gas and air pollution driving longer distances to get the soap.
Reminds me of some of the idiots where I work, who leave their urine percolating in the wally all day in order to “save the world”.
Whenever I see that, I go by flushing every single one of them, then turn on the faucet full-blast while I leisurely wash up - just to tick ‘em off. (Childish, I know. But it makes me feel better. :-)
LOL! The lawmakers in Washington State are as stupid as the idiots in Trenton, NJ. I fear that the ones in DC are as equally stupid, if not worse.
Common denominator, Democrats....UGH!
Gas was very cheap and the money we saved on the tax was a win-win.
I am in the market so to speak.
Anybody have any suggestions on where I can get some cheaper smokes?
The tipping point is coming
Little BS things like PC dishwasher soap leaving dirty dishes are the things that push people over the edge
Simply wash the dishes 3 times?
Liberal Democrats & Environutties
A fine example of how liberal solutions (a dish soap solution, in this case) don’t work. The government has to subsidize failure once again.
If this b.s happens then the little general store in Priest Lake, Idaho had better stock up on some good phosphate rich dish soaps cause they are going to get bum rushed for the product when Washington state stops its sale.
I have a friend going this route...
http://www.coffinails.com/index.html
Anybody think we don’t have big government in this country? Now they’re telling you what kind of dish soap to use.
Find an American Indian reservation. No federal taxes on cigarettes there.
That loophole will be fixed.
If it's yellow, let it mellow. If it's brown, flush it down.
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