Going green isn’t always a smooth transition. Take automatic dishwasher detergent for example. The public just recently became aware of the damage the phosphates in detergents do to the environment.
It’s great that the publicity spawned a green revolution in detergent, but the change is still relatively new. And some companies are still working out the kinks in their formulas. That means a little shopping trial and error on the consumer’s part. Here are few of the error’s I’ve tried to save you the trouble.
Companies put phosphates in detergent to help it dissolve in water in the machine. In its dish washing gel, Seventh Generation’s detergent replaces phosphates with plant-derived enzymes that are supposed to do the same job. They don’t. You can tell because of the thin, scummy film that’s left all over your dishes. The plus side is that this scum is 99.9 percent natural, so it’s not dangerous.
But Seventh Generation is one of the few detergents that are safe for grey water systems. If you’re intent on using it, rumor has it that Seventh Generation cleans well if your water is very soft, you use a rinsing agent and you pre-wash the dishes thoroughly. But that’s too many ifs and too much extra work for my taste.
Martha Stewart should really stick to doilies. There is nothing quite as frustrating as opening the dishwasher and finding dishes that look just as gross as when you put them in. I actually checked to make sure I hadn’t forgotten to turn the machine on.
What was impressive is that it didn’t leave a film behind like many green detergent brands do. So, good job there, Martha. There was absolutely no soap scum on the now cement-hard food on my dishes. Skip this product and stick to Martha’s recipes. They’re delicious.
Earth Friendly’s Wave Auto Dish Gel High Performance
Sometimes a product is so bad it’s funny. Use the manufacturer-recommended amount of this product and most of your dishes remain dirty. Try again with an extra tablespoon of detergent and your dishwasher will overflow with bubbles and turn your kitchen into an I Love Lucy episode.
In Earth Friendly’s defense, the flooding bubbles give off a heavenly lavender scent. But the aromatherapy buzz wore off when I opened the machine. The dishes were slightly cleaner but covered with clumps of detergent that looked a bit like bird poo.
Green cleaners can be expensive. Citradish’s low, low price was what first drew me to it. And I felt super lucky when I opened the dishwasher to find spotless dishes. But then I did eco-nuts do when something works really well: I researched the ingredients.
And I found out that Citradish is just masquerading as a green cleaner. What made my dishes sparkle was sodium polyacrylate. It’s not green, it’s not biodegradable and it has been found to cause cancer, reproductive problems, birth and developmental defects and something called “organ system toxicity”. Their misleading advertising is what puts them on my bad products list.
The dishes look sort of clean when you open the dishwasher door. But when you go to pull one out, it almost slips out of your hand because all of the dishes are covered in a greasy film. What I think is happening is that the detergent is great at cleaning everything but the grease. Close, Planet, but no cigar. Grease is sort of a deal breaker.
These are the worst offenders on the list. But don’t let it discourage you. There are many green dishwasher detergents on the market that clean as good or better as their toxic counterparts. re are many better options out there.
