Posted on 12/17/2010 10:59:14 AM PST by markomalley
It was not heavily advertised, but earlier this year dishwashing detergent makers reworked their formulas to comply with environmental regulations banning phosphates. NPR reports that consumers are starting to get very frustrated:
Sue Wright from Austin, Texas, says for months her cups and glasses have been coming out of her year-old dishwasher covered with black specks. She called three repairmen to her kitchen, but her dishes were still dirty.
"I looked at a plumber's rear end for about two months this summer sticking out from under my sink," Wright says. "I was just totally frustrated. I couldn't figure out what was going wrong."
Finally, after months of aggravation and expense, Wright found out the real reason for her speckled cups: This summer, detergent makers took phosphates out of their detergents.
Seventeen states banned phosphates from dishwasher detergents because the chemical compounds also pollute lakes, bays and streams. They create algae blooms and starve fish of oxygen.
But dirty and damaged dishes are turning many people into skeptics, including Wright.
"I'm angry at the people who decided that phosphate was growing algae. I'm not sure that I believe that," Wright adds.
This reminds me that satirist P.J. O'Rourke was joking when he wrote this last year:
The next great government crusade will be against soap. The president will appoint a Blue Ribbon Commission, which will determine that soap releases polluting grime into the ecosystem, leads to aquifer depletion, and contains fatty acids that laboratory studies have shown to be acidic and not fat-free…
Big government -- it's impossible to parody any more.
I’ve used TSP to clean various really dirty outdoor items, mostly decks and house siding. It’s pretty nasty stuff. It sounds like a simple solution, though. Will TSP damage china, delicate glass, Teflon or other types of dish/cookware? Will it etch glass?
I got carded by a new cashier at the CVS yesterday while buying beer. The screen told her to check buyer's ID, so she did. I really wanted to kiss her, since I am 58.
No it won’t hurt your dishes. Just don’t use too much. Use adult common sense when handling. It is the ingredient they took out of the old detergents. You used it all these years and never knew it.
Have you told her that incandescent light bulbs are becoming illegal?
Thanks. I probably still have some out in the garage or the shop.
That’s because those little red pills (of pseudoephedrine) are used to make meth.
They suck. My dishes don’t get clean anymore.
Be careful with that though too. The first two boxes of TSP that I picked up in the hardware store were "phosphate-free" TSP. (Yes, I know it's supposed to stand for tri-sodium phosphate. I have no idea how they can make it phosphate-free ... and I have a degree in chemistry!) My dishes had been awful too until I bought "real" TSP. I also add it to the laundry now. The new clothing detergent doesn't take out greasy stains without phosphate ... I have 4 kids ... I need to get laundry clean the first time through.
THANK YOU!
We’ve never had a dishwasher. Why trust a machine? Or a human one either. I do the dishes, and I’ve got those choices.
a bit of TSP would help with that...
and we learned just this week that only 10% of the dissolved phosphorus can be utilized by algae.
yet another enviro-whacko crock of crap.
Thanks. I’ve had a really cloudy problem.
Decades ago I represented a company that made Drixoral, which had 120 mg of pseudoephedrine in the time released formulation. Back then interns and nurses who partied all weekend and got little or no sleep would take the tabs and chew them, downing the grit with orange juice, to get the jolt of the pseudoephedrine that kept them going. It leads to heart disease, but those folks didn't care at their age.
Don’t get me started on decongestants. Sudafed/Actifed and other meds that used pseudoephedirine WORKED and worked well.
The replacement drug, phenelyphrine, doesn’t work worth a sh*t when taken orally. It originally (and still is) a nasal spray and works OK that way but can’t be used for more than a couple days.
Last year I had a cold and also needed a refill on some pain medication, vicodin (a narcotic). I went to the pharmacist that I've gone to for about 15 years, and when I asked for some cold formula advil, they needed to photocopy my drivers license, and I had to sign a form. They just handed me the vicodin refill.
Mark
We use Cascade and I knew something was up when our dishes started coming out cloudy and with white *dusty* streaks on everything. Black handles and black plastic looked terrible. I tried a couple of products but finally found Lemi Shine and this stuff is fabulous! Glasses come out crystal clear and look like new. Everything just shines. I buy it at Walmart. http://tinyurl.com/2bmgfgk
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