Next time you empty the dishwasher, take a close look at them. You'll likely find that they look scummy, certainly not clean. Thank our nanny state government for that. Recent regulations have removed all phosphates from dish soap, and that's what got them clean. I read that Proctor & Gamble's Cascade brand is by far the most used brand and they got hit particularly hard. Cascade just doesn't do the job any more (our dishes look like crap). Glasses still have fingerprints and pan look greasy.

In their infinite wisdom, though, they exempted restaurants. I read that you can still get quality commercial soap from restaurant supply stores, but you'll likely have to buy a big box, maybe as much as 50 lb.

What's a "dishwasher"?

I thought I was the only one who did it "old school"..

The use of antiseptic soaps and ultra clean environments have contributed to the Mega-super bacteria we have today. We have weakened our immune systems. Phosphate free soap aint gonna kill us. Common staph, emboldened by the indiscriminate use of broad spectrum anitbiotics, and our obssessive use of antibacterials will kill us. Just use a little elbow grease to wash dishes.

The EPA leaned on the soap companies and they have all pulled Phosphates out of their products.

Our glasses need hand washing to make them shine again.

I'll look at restaurant suppliers for REAL soap.

Nothing beats carb and choke cleaner! nah seriously, ill have to check mine. I dont make many dishes dirty, rarely eat at home. But I do use Cascade. Ill have to look into it.

She's the same one that runs the snowblower

Go to the hardware store and buy some sodium phosphate and put a tsp in with your dishes.

We have two of them...

Me, and my wife.

Ed

Pre-ban Cascade has a high "blackmarket" value. Like highcapacity magazines during the assault weapon ban.. When they mandated taking out the Phosphates in the consumer products, it just turned into the suck.

The dishwasher in my house has a name.................... Terry. The clean dish inspector is Kathy, and she has a good eye!!!

Yep. Either Sodium Tripolyphosphate (STPP) or Trisodium Phosphate (TSP) will help the current .gov neutered formulations work much better.

+1. Works in the laundry soap too.

Squirt a shot of lemon juice in the bottom before closing the door.

Problem solved.

For sure. Adding some Sodium Percarbonate powder is a good color safe bleach, as well, though it is classified as an Oxidizer & needs very careful handling and storage. It is most active in hotter water. It's what I use to wash hunting gear, as it is a good bacteria (Scent) killer & is much safer than the high active versions of liquid Hydrogen Peroxide.

I could get a dishwasher but I doubt my wife would use it. Without power of running water in the house it would just take up room.

You guys and your fancy toys.

I used to work with a guy whose wife went on vacation for a couple weeks, and he put all the dirty dishes in the freezer while she was gone.
He's dead now.

It is what was wearing the wedding dress!

Old school here too.

Ernie

I was wondering why my dishes had spots on them. I was thinking there was something wrong with the machine.

Thanks for pointing this out. I was not aware of the change made to detergents. Since I don't use the dishwasher, I never noticed. To me, it always seemed to be about as much effort to pre-wash a dish for the dishwasher, as it was to just go ahead and clean it manually. It does seem like clothes don't get as clean as they used to. I'll pay more attention to that.

my 2 labs do a good job,just dont buy glasses longer than there tongue

I can guess why!

John

Yup. Give them enough time and the will lick the fancy paint work off too

Gracie the Queensland Heeler is my "First Rinse Cycle"

None of my handwashed dishes look to bad after her talented ministrations.

GTC

I noticed this several months ago. Used to use cascade too.

The fix is to use Lemi shine powder in both your open and closeable trays. You don't need much. They recommend you clean the dishwasher with it first without dishes.

I also switched to Finish gelpacs.


This works for me: add one gelpac to each tray with a sprinkle of lemi shine. Dishes come out shiny and clean.

If you have a few glasses that are particularly dirty clean them by hand then they can go through the dishwasher after that.

Your sooooooooooooooooooooooo mean.

I thought it was the fluoride in the water, who knew.

Phosphates do have some bad affects.

Never owned a dishwasher till I came to Alabama four years ago, one came along with the other kitchen appliances. I rarely use it, prefer to wash them and get them put away and over with. Though I must admit when we have a big crowd over to eat, my Son insists we use it instead of hand washing everything. I have no plans to buy one for my home in Canada or the new house when I move from here, I can do A-Okay without one.

Lynn

If you build a new house, make room for one and install the plumbing even if you don't ever buy one. Houses without the capacity for one have a lower resale value.

Never thought of that. Good advice. Thank you

Lynn

The upside, other than the gov't knowing better, is that if you're rural and have a septic system, it's much happier without phosphates.

My dishes are as clean as Coldwater can get them.

Where is that old hound, anyways?

Hmm. Thanks for the tip. I just happen to have some on hand to try.

Use paper plates and cups. Throw away when done, no fuss no muss.

Check this article on septic systems by the WA State Univ. Here's a quote from it:

WSU

Sure has caused a mess in Hood Canal. It once was a remarkable fjord but is rapidly dieing. Phosphates and killing it. No real industry around. Just lots of septic tanks leaking.

Just out of curiosity what else is it used for?

Mike

Eat out of the skillet .

Set skillet outside .

Bring skillet in when ready for next meal .

My three step process .

Plastic disposables work even better, and they piss off environmentalists.

So very true. Been told a plastic spoon will last 100 years in a landfill, to which I respond, how long will a rock last in a landfill? My thinking is that the more stable something is in the landfill the better it is. It's the stuff that breaks down that gets into the groundwater, not the stuff that's inert.

The box says it's used to clean about everything from metal to concrete. My wife bought it years ago and she can't remember why.

I was just waiting for someone to chime in with a "home made" recipe. THANKS!

We used TSO or trisodium phosphate in hard chrome plating to clean the floors, plating racks, and just about everything that came in contact with the chrome. Chrome 6 is an awful brown sticky mess with a PH of 1. Not fun to work with.

But we did nor release and tsp of chrome to the sewer. When I designed the place I went 100% zero discharge. Don't want any of that stuff in our water.

You run your gray water into your septic system?

You don't. Think it is against the rules here to use your gray water so it goes into the septic system.

In Central OR the system I built the gray water went into the hay field. Used composting toilet for the rest. Worked great.

I have a field drain so nothing leaves. After 15 years, it's working fine. I'm due to have the tank pumped out, though.

If you live out in the country don't you have a grey water line for the kitchen,clothes washer,dish washer and the sink tub/shower.
I got tired of having the guy come pump the cesspool out.

I'm not positive, but I think code requires everything to go through a septic tank.

Nope, not in WA. Against the law. Septic gets it all.

We have a sand filter here. We are so close to salmon habitat we cannot use standard septic. A sand filter will handle all the gray water without any problems.

Just as a side note. Until two years ago we could not collect rain water from our roofs and use it to water our gardens of yards. The state claimed ownership to all Washington rain. Just got rid of that insanity.

I run milk pipe line cleaning acid through the dishwasher every so often. Dishes and the dishwasher come out gleaming(grin)
Does a good job on the coffee maker every so often as well.

Around here the drinking water comes from Lake Ontario mostly.This is one of the Great Lakes and if you never saw one of the Great lakes, it is like looking at an ocean, You cannot see the other side. The other thing is that waste water (sewage) is treated and dumped in there too. Isn't that a wonderful thought.
Anyhow to the point, years ago when Phosphate soaps were common, the bottom of the lake was no longer sandy,it was slimy feeling.phosphates may in fact clean dishes better,but it sure raises hell with fresh water lakes. This time, the Gomerment got it right..one of the few times.

Where does it go from the septic tank? Right back out into the ground via the leech field. Govt. rules don't make sense a lot of time.....

It's the government. It's not supposed to make sense.

I have seen the other sides of both the Atlantic and the Pacific. 24 year in the Navy will do that for you.

I have no problems with rules keeping phosphates out of our waters. It is once the got it right.

Phosphates kill fish and "scummy" looking dishes have no actual adverse impact except cosmetically. Seems like a reasonable trade off to me.

A co-worker of mine is still having problems with that. Where he lives the tribe claims all of the rain is their's. I'm fine with them claiming the rain but once it hits a surface it's just water. They'll have to be quick to get it if they want it.

I thought about filing a lawsuit the last flood we had. If is their water then they should take responsibility when it acts up. Then they changed the law and took away all my fun.

At our house we call it "Spaniel prewash".

Paul

The absolute WORST thing you can put into a well designed and functioning septic system is the discharge water from a washing machine.....

LOOK at the crap that you clean of of the dryer air discharge filter,.....that' just the stuff that didn't get pumped out into your septic field,....and that chit WILL plug up a leach field.

Mine goes onto the trees, or the ground.

Dittos on Gov. Laws and stupidity abounding therein.

GTC

You DO understand that we may very well sicken and die from some obscure "Dog Germs" ?

I hope so

EXCELLENT idea!
There were some PETA's coming from a rally somewhere, they say no one "owns" an animal, all animals are "free". But they sued the State (Ohio I think) for the damage to the car....don't liberals make great sense!!

The only think that goes into my septic tank is the toilet! Everything else goes into my "gray water system.....

Curious,....serious question,.....how long has your system run that way ?

I ask because the common doctrine here is that the tank to leach field type system needs more water to function, then that provided by the toilet alone .

Thanks,

GTC

Nothing too complicated about that,.....is there ?

GTC

He obviously does not live in bear country. It would work here but you might have one heck of a fight on your hands trying to get your dishes back.

Going on 9 years.
My wife poops a lot.....

I hope she's not gonna read this ......

My leach field is a Carpenter Ant / Leaf Cutter Ant paradise,.....they keep things "Aereated" I guess,....

Our problem locally is "New Neighbors", with "Mac Mansions" ...who are accustomed to putting EVERYTHING down through the "Garburator",...into their City Wastewater lines.
Cooking Greases, Lint, and all sorts of Laundry Magic Chemicals, and whatever other crap.
.....their septic systems fail within 2-3 years (typically in the Monsoon) and their chit runs downhill.

My septic system is 28 years old, ...and running FLAWLESS. Had a camera all the way into the leach field,....so that's a no BS claim.

GTC

Can Cold Water Clean Dishes?This is for all the germ conscious folksthat worry about using cold water to clean. John went to visit his 90 year old grandfather in a very secluded, rural area of Saskatchewan. After spending a great evening chatting the night away, the next morning John's grandfather prepared breakfast of bacon, eggs and toast. However, John noticed a film like substance on his plate, and questioned his grandfather asking, 'Are these plates clean?' His grandfather replied, 'They're as clean as cold water can get em.Just you go ahead and finish your meal, Sonny!' For lunch the old man made hamburgers. Again, John was concerned about the plates, as his appeared to have tiny specks around the edge that looked like dried egg and asked, 'Are you sure these plates are clean?' Without looking up the old man said, 'I told you before, Sonny, those dishes are asclean as cold water can get them. Now don't you fret, I don't want to hear another word about it!' Later that afternoon, John was on his way to a nearby town and as he was leaving, his grandfather's dog started to growl, and wouldn't let him pass. John yelled and said, 'Grandfather, your dog won't let me get to my car'. Without diverting his attention from the football game he was watching on TV, the old man shouted!'Coldwater, go lay down now, yah hear me!' Meet Coldwater !</>

Why would you pre wash a dish going into the dish washer? if you washer is not cleaning them then you need a better dishwasher. our dish washer takes all the dirt off and is not spotted, greasy and are squeaky clean. My daughter has the tendieces to buy the cheapest stuff she can find then complains if it dosen't work like the better brands , and yes there is a differant in products.

She hasn't the foggiest idea how to get on here.

Our field is in the woods, so I'd guess it has some stoppage anyway d/t the roots.

We haven't had any problems that we've noticed out of ours....