[IMG]http://simplefeed.consumerreports.org/rsrc/i/1/_/dirty_dishes_drive_washington_residents_in_searc_1 53689456/4.gif?f=3dcb3160-01dc-11dc-32a2-0019bbc55f7f&s=AewyNia7NTvDvhaDemju5DEsbnVsbCwwLDA *[/IMG] Dirty dishes drive Washington residents in search of phosphate-free detergents

Back in the mid-19th century, the message was, Go west, young man. Since last summer in the Spokane, Washington, area, however, people have been heading eastward to Idaho. They're not in search of land or riches or potatoes; rather, it's dishwasher detergents they're after, according to this recent Associated Press story.

After the ban on the sale of dishwasher detergents with more than 0.5 percent phosphate (some detergents have up to 9 percent) went into effect in the Spokane area last summer, many consumers in the city became unhappy with how well some eco-friendly phosphate-free products cleaned their dishes. So they've been making the quick trip east on Interstate 90 into Idaho, where they can stock up on the dishwasher detergents of their choice.

The ban will go into effect throughout Washington on July 1, 2010. Fourteen other states currently have passed similar legislation or are considering banning detergents with phosphate, and a bill calling for a nationwide ban was introduced in the U.S. Senate on March 24.

Phosphates boost the cleaning power of detergents, but they also encourage algae growth in freshwater, which robs the water of oxygen for fish and plants. But that hasn't deterred consumers. "Yes, I am a smuggler," one shopper at an Idaho store told the AP. She stressed that she had tried green dishwasher detergents but her plates were left with grime and bits of food after being washed.

Our past test of dishwasher detergents showed that some phosphate-free products did a good to excellent job cleaning. However, manufacturers have reformulated their products, and the early indications in our ongoing tests are not encouraging for many phosphate-free dishwasher detergents.

Stay tuned for more results as they become available.?Gian Trotta | e-mail | Twitter



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