Detergents are getting a makeover, and many people don't like it. Responding to new laws that went into effect in 17 states in July, many of the nation’s major detergent makers have reformulated their products to reduce the level of phosphates present. (Phosphates, which help prevent dishes from spotting in the wash cycle, are also a major cause of pollution in lakes and reservoirs.)
The Household Detergent and Nutrient Runoff Law, which went into effect July 1st, means that many dishwasher detergents have seen their phosphate levels from as high as 8.7% to 0.5%. But consumers aren't happy about it, saying that a) the detergents don't clean as well, and b) they end up having to use more water anyway to clean the dishes a second time or rinse them off. So the question for some is: what's the tradeoff, and is it worth it?
The New York Times says:
Yet now, with the content reduced, many consumers are finding the new formulas as appealing as low-flow showers, underscoring the tradeoffs that people often face today in a more environmentally conscious marketplace. From hybrid cars to solar panels, environmentally friendly alternatives can cost more. They can be less convenient, like toting cloth sacks or canteens rather than plastic bags or bottled water. And they can prove less effective, like some of the new cleaning products.
Read the full article here and then come back and tell us what you think. What has your experience been with eco-friendly cleaning alternatives? Have you found a brand that works as well or better as the conventional stuff? Or do you simply accept that they won't work as well, but the environmental aspect makes it worth your inconvenience? Tell us below!
Image: Richard Perry for The New York Times
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This has been an issue that has bothered me forever. For years I have been using eco-friendly dish washer detergent and have been in search of the ever elusive one that actually works...to no avail. So, I put up with dishes/cups/glasses that are not sparkling and if I have persnickety company coming, then I hand wash. What I always wonder is what did people do in the past? Are we just a super spoiled society that expects perfection at all times? Did my grandfather from the depression era really care if there were a few water marks on his glass? Why do we all care so much?
I always add a cup of white vinegar to my wash before it run it. Works like a dream! Seriously, my dishes sparkle, even though I use the eco soap.
It also helps if you do the "steam dry" cycle on your dishwasher, because then the water droplets don't sit on the dishes for so long, leavinging residue.
Yea but the steam or heat dry sucks up way more energy, florimell.
And I'm sorry but the picture makes me giggle. She is WAY into that glass.
I've been using eco-friendly cleaning products for over 10 years and NEVER have had a problem with spots. I'm a clean freak and am extremely picky, but I'm totally satisfied with all of my eco-friendly and home-healthy products. And I love knowing that I'm not poisoning my family with nasty chemicals.
Adding vinegar to the dishwasher's "rinse aid" compartment has helped a lot. The other big change I made when we went to eco-dishwashing detergent was that I *have* to wash on "normal" mode or the streaks and spots will be unbearable. The "low energy" cycle doesn't work at all. It's a trade off.
Spots don't mean a dish is dirty. If they're there, I ignore them. But vinegar has helped me a lot, too, and we have very hard water where I live.
We like Ecover tablets. It works the best of all that we have tried. We use their rinse aid on occasion and also sometimes white vinegar.
That picture is cracking me up! In an effort to search out rogue water spots, she is getting fingerprints on the glass instead!
Wish I had bought a lot of good 'ol' dishwasher soap. The eco-bullys strike again.
My Bosch dishwasher was guzzling rinse agent so I ditched it and just lived with the results until I learned about the white vinager. I just use 1/4 cup in a jelly jar on the bottom rack and it works like a charm. Needless to say I was ticked at the manufacturer for telling me I needed to buy a $5 bottle of rinse agent every few weeks when there was a cheap eco-friendly alternative.
I've heard of people getting good results using a homemade mixture of borax, washing soda, and citric acid but I haven't tried that yet.
http://diynatural.com/simple-effective-jabs-homemade-dishwasher-detergent-rinse-agent/ but I'm going to give it a try. I've been using a similar mixture (washing soda, borax, plus bar soap) for laundry soap and it's worked fine on most everything.
Where people live and how hard their water is (how many ppm minerals like calcium) has a lot to do with whether their eco-friendly dish detergents will work. The vinegar trick should work pretty well for those of you needing softer water. Give it a try!
We are having a detergent problem at our house. Our water is extremely hard and we have a new dishwasher that specifically warns against vinegar in the rinse cycle. We have tried the new formulations of Cascade as well as 7th Generation's product. No matter how little detergent we use, the dishes end up with a chalky film. I am all for using "green" products, but I this is still pretty bothersome. I know the dishes aren't dirty, but I don't really like the fact they don't seem clean with a film of detergent all over them. Has anyone had this issue and found a solution. I personally am not that worried about it, but other members of my household are refusing to use the dishwasher and hand wash everything, which ends up wasting more water.
I haven't noticed a huge problem with any eco-friendly detergents. I also turn off the washer at the drying cycle because it seems to heat up my tiny apartment. If I do notice a spot, a damp towel usually takes care of it.
In my experience 7th Generation is the worst: high prices and low effectiveness. I can live with spots, but when I was going thru a box w/7th, I noticed that my coffee cups seemed to be getting stained. Ran out of the eco, and hubby came home w/Cascade from the bodega. Voila--SPARKLING CLEAN COFFEE CUPS. The "stains" were just coffee that never fully got cleaned out! Disgusting results at twice the price! Yay! I can use WAY less Cascade and still get clean dishes. I'll make my trade-offs elsewhere (like just using baking soda and vinegar for most cleaning jobs in the kitchen & bathroom).
I have a feeling that these things will turn out to be region specific based on local water conditions but in chicago the cheapo sun brand from walgreens works great---important to note that even the "non-eco friendly" detergents like cascade are now converted to this low phosphate formula---they all have a Z at the start of the product code.
I've had great luck with the Trader Joe powder detergent...no spots and clean dishes. But really, it has a LOT to do with how hard your water is (ours is treated river water, not very hard at all).
@cmcinnyc - I totally agree. 7th gen is awful; their counter top spray AND dish soap don't cut grease at all.
For NYC'ers, I've had good success with Duane Reade's 'Apt 5 Goes Green' brand. I know, DR, who would have thought. The products are cheap, smell great, and really work!
I agree with cmcinnyc about 7th Generation--it was awful. I use several other 7th Generation products, but that one has proved useless to me.
I've used BiokKeen automatic dish powder for a while. It definitely works better than some of the other green detergents, but it's still not great. Palmolive eco doesn't have phosphates and it works great, but of course it contains bleach and probably a bunch of other nasty things.
I had TERRIBLE results with the Palmolive eco...
Before I started making my own with Borax and washing soda, I used Method and had great results even when I got cheap and used half a tab per wash.
Another important note... you may be using TOO MUCH detergent if you've got huge residue problems. Same with laundry soap... in most cases, using about half of what we normally use is PLENTY to do the job just as effectively.
I use Method's "Smarty Dish" tablets. I've been really happy with them--they get the dishes clean and don't have an off smell that I've noticed with other eco-friendly products.
I was using the Palmolive Eco for a while, and just hated it. Even after adding Borax to the bottom of the dishwasher, it wasn't doing much. So I went back to using Cascade, and I don't feel guilty about it since they have reformulated.
I also like Method cubes, and I have no problem with any other product I use. If you don't like your product, change it or figure out if it is your water or your machine, don't paint all products with the same brush, or accuse "ecobullies" who don't want to pollute bodies of water or themselves.
@mari j. what you're seeing is probably not detergent at all, it's probably from hard water. I grew up somewhere with incredibly hard water and all of our glasses were etched from it. You might try hand washing your glasses exclusively or getting a water softener (I'm guessing that's not very eco friendly but it DOES let you cut down a lot on how much soap you use for every cleaning task, even showering).
I switched a while ago and found that even using the proper amount of Palmolive Eco resulted in residue (mostly on my silverware). I've started adding vinegar, which helps somewhat.
I really like Mrs. Meyer's dishwasher liquid. I saw it rated highly in real simple up against all dishwashing detergents, not just eco-friendly. I also use white vinegar as a rinsing agent in the dishwasher.
we recently tried mrs meyer and our dishes came out dirtier than ever. it went to the back of the undersink cabinet in case we ever run out. palmolive eco has worked well for us (no vinegar required).
i've been finding the that tablets (we've tried method and cascade) seem to work better than powder or liquid -- anyone else out there with the same results?
Okay, very silly question but...
When I handwash, I tend to get spots if I just leave things to dry themselves, but if I towel off my glasses they sparkle.
Would that work for the dishwasher too, if someone had a detergent that was giving them less that shiny sparkling?
I've been using the eco tablets sold at Costco and they work like a charm.
We have some of the hardest water in the country (Inland Empire--southern California) and vinegar only does so much. Repair companies have actually started telling residents now that it is pointless to have a dishwasher in our area.
The man who repaired my dishwasher (in part because I was using eco-friendly detergents) suggested adding hard water booster, more detergent than called for, and only running the china cycle. Also, about once a month, filling the bottom of the dishwasher with a gallon of vinegar and letting the washer run.
Method. Best dish soap I've ever used.
So what's in rinse aid then? I thought it's whole purpose was to remove the spots. Please don't tell me that I've been using phosphate-free DW detergent and then pouring in a heap of phosphates for the rinse aid.
I recently read about using white vinegar as a rinse aid, which I was super happy to hear since it's eco-friendly AND cheap as all get out.
But here's my question: you're not supposed to mix chlorine bleach and vinegar, or else you get toxic fumes. I'm using Cascade currently as my dishwashing detergent (with plans to start using an eco-friendly detergent or even a DIY detergent when i'm through with this bottle) which clearly lists chlorine bleach as a major ingredient. I'm wondering if it's safe to run vinegar if the soap contains bleach. I mean, I'm thinking it seems unsafe... but all of you are doing it, and you're still alive to post comments...
So I guess it's okay? Sigh. Maybe I'll just wait until I'm using a non-bleach detergent to try it.
I think the trick is to use less of it. I use less than 1 tablespoon of phosphate-free detergent in a load and I never have residue. It's blindly pouring a quarter-cup into the dispenser that leaves film!
i'm another for mrs. meyers dish soap.
also, i stopped using laundry softener and switched to white vinegar in the rinse cycle. it works brilliantly, even very hard water.
I've been using palmolive eco for the last few years with few issues. I also use an eco friendly rinse aid (can't remember the brand- bought it at whole foods). I just tried using the citra solv brand and we're not impressed - it doesn't dissolve all the way. I've also tried 7th gen. and I thought it was too runny. I'm normally a big fan of method products, but I have an "apartment" size dishwasher and method only sells the tablets. has anyone used the tablets with the smaller washers? Can I just cut them in half?
I have noticed that hard vs. soft water makes the biggest difference, no matter what brand I use. Our old apartment had soft water and I didn't really have a problem. Our new house has the hardest water I've ever experienced and our dishes are always filmy and gross. We've started mostly hand-washing them! I tried Vinegar in the rinse aid compartment and I just don't think it released enough to do much good. I tried pouring it on the bottom of the washer, but it just ran down the drain (duh) so I'm really happy to see the suggestion of putting it in a jelly jar! I've also been using lemishine for the hard water, which helps, but it's not cheap and I'm having a hard time finding it any more. I did have to break down and buy a dishwasher cleaner - the ingredient list said it was mostly citric acid - after trying many DIY methods of cleaning the washer had failed. It's helped a lot!
How about just washing and drying your dishes by hand? The more people helping, the faster things take, less water is used and things get put away.