Well Shit, No One Told Me

Zoom-boing

Platinum Member
Oct 30, 2008
25,764
7,808
350
East Japip
So six months or so ago I forgot to fill up the rinse agent dispenser in the dishwasher. It was empty for about a week when I realized it. Things weren't getting as clean but the glasses in particular looked like crap. A white coating of something on them that hand washing wasn't removing. I've been making sure that damn little dispenser thingy has been topped up full for the past six months and guess what? The dishes still look and feel like crap. So I thought that maybe the dishwasher was breaking and I started looking stuff up online.

My dishwasher is just peachy but the greenies have done it again, as uncle has banned phosphate in dish detergents. Well color me in the dark on this one. Phosphate was the main cleaning ingredient in dish washing soap. They banned it from laundry detergents back in the 90's. I always thought it was my machine putting little holes in the clothes. Think again.

Now I'm all for keeping pollution down to as little impact on the environment as possible. BUT . . . why did they ban it when there is no substitute for it? I'm now using more energy and water to clean my dishes because now things will have to be wash and/or rewashed in vinegar/hot water/dish soap to try and get the film off. Hand washing uses more energy than a dish washer. And my time isn't worth shit to uncle so I won't even bother mentioning that.

Government, putting the cart before the horse . . . again.
 
Agriculture uses it in abundance, without regard to environmental consequence.

Why of course they do. No harm there, is there. :rolleyes:

In the meantime, my glasses that used to look like this:

IMG_0140.jpg



Now look like this:

IMG_0139.jpg



Bloody freakin' HELL!

After researching I found that you can buy TSP (the real stuff, not the phosphate-free stuff) at the hardware store and just add a bit to your dish washing detergent and things will be as they were.

Enviro-nazis. :mad:
 
Yet another example of the ruling elite, people who never are bothered with handling the details themselves, imposing poor quality, time wasting, expensive "solutions" to non-existent problems.

They are the people who come up with schemes like this:

4549538378_fb6cb03f53.jpg
 
1). Run the sink to rinse dishes or wash pots before starting unit. This insures your first fill will be hot water, not ice cold. It will keep the water in the unit cleaner too. Newer dishwashers can monitor the debris in the water and extend wash time, so will poor temperatures.

2). Make sure that you do not block the wash arm from turning, you may have 2 or 3.

#0. Inspect the wash arms, make sure they are not damaged or split. You can also test them by letting the unit fill and start to run, open the door and look at the position of the wash arms, move them to the 12:00 position if you want, close the door and let it run for 5 to 7 seconds, open the door and see if any of the wash arms moved. If any did, good. On some units they all move simultaneously, on some they alternate. You can run it for 5 minutes or until it starts the first drain, see if they all moved. If wash arms don't move, the issue can be not enough water in the fill, or a clogged filter screen that effects the pump. You would need service then. You can check the heater by getting it into the dry cycle to see if the heater works, don't burn yourself. ;) There are things that you can buy like "Dishwasher Magic" That will help flush out the system. here may be other issues with the DW that can cause these symptoms too. I hope this was helpful. ;)
 
So six months or so ago I forgot to fill up the rinse agent dispenser in the dishwasher. It was empty for about a week when I realized it. Things weren't getting as clean but the glasses in particular looked like crap. A white coating of something on them that hand washing wasn't removing. I've been making sure that damn little dispenser thingy has been topped up full for the past six months and guess what? The dishes still look and feel like crap. So I thought that maybe the dishwasher was breaking and I started looking stuff up online.

My dishwasher is just peachy but the greenies have done it again, as uncle has banned phosphate in dish detergents. Well color me in the dark on this one. Phosphate was the main cleaning ingredient in dish washing soap. They banned it from laundry detergents back in the 90's. I always thought it was my machine putting little holes in the clothes. Think again.

Now I'm all for keeping pollution down to as little impact on the environment as possible. BUT . . . why did they ban it when there is no substitute for it? I'm now using more energy and water to clean my dishes because now things will have to be wash and/or rewashed in vinegar/hot water/dish soap to try and get the film off. Hand washing uses more energy than a dish washer. And my time isn't worth shit to uncle so I won't even bother mentioning that.

Government, putting the cart before the horse . . . again.

I'm sure if I read through this thread, someone will have already told you that only certain states ban phosphates (and for good reason). You may miss the phosphates in your laundry or dishwasher cycles, but what if you had no clean water? Which would you miss the most?

States Ban Phosphate-Laden Dishwasher Soap- Appliance.Net - home and kitchen appliances - news reviews ratings recalls authorized repairs store locator
 
Agriculture uses it in abundance, without regard to environmental consequence.

Why of course they do. No harm there, is there. :rolleyes:

In the meantime, my glasses that used to look like this:

IMG_0140.jpg



Now look like this:

IMG_0139.jpg



Bloody freakin' HELL!

After researching I found that you can buy TSP (the real stuff, not the phosphate-free stuff) at the hardware store and just add a bit to your dish washing detergent and things will be as they were.

Enviro-nazis. :mad:

Try turning off the "dry" cycle and letting them air dry in the dishwasher. Heaven Forbid people should actually have to resort to the barbaric method of doing dishes by hand.
 
Agriculture uses it in abundance, without regard to environmental consequence.

Why of course they do. No harm there, is there. :rolleyes:

In the meantime, my glasses that used to look like this:

IMG_0140.jpg



Now look like this:

IMG_0139.jpg



Bloody freakin' HELL!

After researching I found that you can buy TSP (the real stuff, not the phosphate-free stuff) at the hardware store and just add a bit to your dish washing detergent and things will be as they were.

Enviro-nazis. :mad:

Try turning off the "dry" cycle and letting them air dry in the dishwasher. Heaven Forbid people should actually have to resort to the barbaric method of doing dishes by hand.

The dry heat kills bacteria and germs Maggie.
 
You may miss the phosphates in your laundry or dishwasher cycles, but what if you had no clean water? Which would you miss the most?

Roger that. For 15 years we drew water from a well.
When we moved to the city in '09 I was in heaven. For months I marveled at the ability to drink water from the kitchen faucet LOL.
No more muddy-whites in the laundry, orange stained dishes, or rust in the tub/toilet. :thup:
 
Why of course they do. No harm there, is there. :rolleyes:

In the meantime, my glasses that used to look like this:

IMG_0140.jpg



Now look like this:

IMG_0139.jpg



Bloody freakin' HELL!

After researching I found that you can buy TSP (the real stuff, not the phosphate-free stuff) at the hardware store and just add a bit to your dish washing detergent and things will be as they were.

Enviro-nazis. :mad:

Try turning off the "dry" cycle and letting them air dry in the dishwasher. Heaven Forbid people should actually have to resort to the barbaric method of doing dishes by hand.

The dry heat kills bacteria and germs Maggie.

We've been oversold on household bacteria, in my opinion. I own a diswasher that I run once a week; the rest of the time I do up what few dirty dishes I accumulate daily and let them air dry on the countertop, just as I've done for several decades. And I'm still alive, rarely even catching a cold, even.
 
You may miss the phosphates in your laundry or dishwasher cycles, but what if you had no clean water? Which would you miss the most?

Roger that. For 15 years we drew water from a well.
When we moved to the city in '09 I was in heaven. For months I marveled at the ability to drink water from the kitchen faucet LOL.
No more muddy-whites in the laundry, orange stained dishes, or rust in the tub/toilet. :thup:

Not to go completely off topic here, but I keep seeing studies that suggest the next serious war will not be over religion or boundaries but over access to clean water.
 
Use the little square cubey things in your dishwasher.
Finish powerball's or somesuch, work pretty good.
 
Agriculture uses it in abundance, without regard to environmental consequence.

Why of course they do. No harm there, is there. :rolleyes:

In the meantime, my glasses that used to look like this:

IMG_0140.jpg



Now look like this:

IMG_0139.jpg



Bloody freakin' HELL!

After researching I found that you can buy TSP (the real stuff, not the phosphate-free stuff) at the hardware store and just add a bit to your dish washing detergent and things will be as they were.

Enviro-nazis. :mad:
You should be happy the little red dots are gone...they were full of lead. :thup:
 
Agriculture uses it in abundance, without regard to environmental consequence.

Why of course they do. No harm there, is there. :rolleyes:

In the meantime, my glasses that used to look like this:

IMG_0140.jpg



Now look like this:

IMG_0139.jpg



Bloody freakin' HELL!

After researching I found that you can buy TSP (the real stuff, not the phosphate-free stuff) at the hardware store and just add a bit to your dish washing detergent and things will be as they were.

Enviro-nazis. :mad:
You should be happy the little red dots are gone...they were full of lead. :thup:

Usually Iron Ravi.
 
So that's the reason. I almost bought a new washer but my neighbors also started to complain.

I went to a different washer product - Finish Power ball Tabs and things are better.

This has been a great informative thread,
 
Why of course they do. No harm there, is there. :rolleyes:

In the meantime, my glasses that used to look like this:

IMG_0140.jpg



Now look like this:

IMG_0139.jpg



Bloody freakin' HELL!

After researching I found that you can buy TSP (the real stuff, not the phosphate-free stuff) at the hardware store and just add a bit to your dish washing detergent and things will be as they were.

Enviro-nazis. :mad:
You should be happy the little red dots are gone...they were full of lead. :thup:

Usually Iron Ravi.
Unless they were made in China...

Anywho, the public's "right" to clean water trumps the public's "right" to ease of dishwashing.

Besides, Consumer Reports have rated 7 of the phosphate free versions as very good...boo hoo to the manufacturers that go out of business because they are too lame to make a good product.
 
So six months or so ago I forgot to fill up the rinse agent dispenser in the dishwasher. It was empty for about a week when I realized it. Things weren't getting as clean but the glasses in particular looked like crap. A white coating of something on them that hand washing wasn't removing. I've been making sure that damn little dispenser thingy has been topped up full for the past six months and guess what? The dishes still look and feel like crap. So I thought that maybe the dishwasher was breaking and I started looking stuff up online.

My dishwasher is just peachy but the greenies have done it again, as uncle has banned phosphate in dish detergents. Well color me in the dark on this one. Phosphate was the main cleaning ingredient in dish washing soap. They banned it from laundry detergents back in the 90's. I always thought it was my machine putting little holes in the clothes. Think again.

Now I'm all for keeping pollution down to as little impact on the environment as possible. BUT . . . why did they ban it when there is no substitute for it? I'm now using more energy and water to clean my dishes because now things will have to be wash and/or rewashed in vinegar/hot water/dish soap to try and get the film off. Hand washing uses more energy than a dish washer. And my time isn't worth shit to uncle so I won't even bother mentioning that.

Government, putting the cart before the horse . . . again.

I'm sure if I read through this thread, someone will have already told you that only certain states ban phosphates (and for good reason). You may miss the phosphates in your laundry or dishwasher cycles, but what if you had no clean water? Which would you miss the most?

States Ban Phosphate-Laden Dishwasher Soap- Appliance.Net - home and kitchen appliances - news reviews ratings recalls authorized repairs store locator

All 50 states have taken it out of dishwashing detergent.

So the water that drains and go back to the treatment plant, gets treated, nearly all of the water comes out the other end clean, but they ban it.

Agriculture uses it in fertilizer . . . is it banned there? No. Does it go through any treatment after they use it? No. Does it leech through the ground into lakes/streams, etc. ? Yep.

That they want to keep the small amount that may remain after treatment out of water ways is terrific. But they banned it before any good, usable fix was found. Typical.
 

New Topics

Forum List

Back
Top