Dirty Dishes? No Soap: Spokane residents say they smuggle in Cascade because legal 'green' brands do poor job

Credit: AP Photo

John (left) and P.J. Demakas check out phosphate-free dishwashing detergent in Spokane, where regular brands have been banned.

By: JournalNow Staff | THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: March 28, 2009

SPOKANE, Wash.

The quest for squeaky-clean dishes has turned some people in Spokane into smugglers of dishwasher detergent.

They are bringing Cascade or Finish in from out of state because, they say, the ecofriendly varieties required under Washington state law do not work as well.

Spokane County became the launch pad last July for the nation's strictest ban on dishwasher detergent made with phosphates, a ban aimed at reducing water pollution. It will be expanded statewide in July 2010, the same time that similar laws take effect in several other states.

But it is not easy to get sparkling dishes when you go "green." Many people were shocked to find that such products as Seventh Generation and Ecover left their dishes encrusted with food, smeared with grease and too gross to use without rewashing them by hand. The culprit is hard water, which is mineral-rich and resistant to soap. Supporters of the ban acknowledge that 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.

Phosphate detergents can still be bought in Washington state outside of 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.

Although traditional detergents are up to 9 percent phosphate, those sold in Spokane County can contain no more than 0.5 percent.

Phosphates have been banned in laundry detergent nationally since 1993. Washington was the first state in which the legislature has passed a similar ban against dishwasher detergents, in 2006. The ban is being phased in, starting with Spokane County.

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, the vice president of the manufacturers group.