Green Dishwashing Detergent
We have been trying several different brands of green dishwashing detergent to find the brands that work best for us and have the least impact on the environment. By green we mean a phosphate-free dishwashing detergent. The majority of normal detergents contain phosphates such as Sodium Tripolyphosphate or STPP. Phosphates aren’t inherently bad and in fact phosphates are in many everyday products . Phosphates are even used in fertilizers, it’s the 2nd number in the 0-0-0 convention, which is where the problem arises. When the levels of phosphates in lakes and streams are increased unnaturally it can lead to rapid growth of algae. Truhugger has a great article that explains phosphates and their impact in more detail.
It’s a pretty easy and not terribly expensive exercise in becoming green to move to phosphate free dishwashing detergents, but which one to choose? After testing several complete bottles of each we have found that the performance of Palmolive Eco is much better than Seventh Generation. Towards the end of our second bottle of Seventh Generation I began actively complaining about the quality of our glasses. Unless you thoroughly pre-rinsed the glass after our breakfast shake it would leave little strawberry seeds stuck all over the glass. When you fill a clean glass with milk and look down to see nasty dark spots covering your glass, it’s pretty hard to continue to drink it. Overall it did a poor job cleaning our dishes. However, Palmolive Eco works nearly as good as the previous dishwashing detergent that had phosphates. If you decide to try out a phosphate-free detergent I highly recommend Palmolive Eco.
This entry was posted on Thursday, June 18th, 2009 at 10:52 am and is filed under Going Green. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
June 18th, 2009 at 8:37 pm
Thanks for the review! I'm using Ecover dishwasher tablets. But… I'm one of those crazy obsessed people that has to rinse dishes before I put them in the dishwasher. Even before my green days, with the standard detergents, I just had too much trouble with egg, and grains of rice and whatnot. Plus I grew up with a crappy dishwasher where we all got into the habit of rinsing.
I have tried not to rinse first, because I want to conserve water, but I guess I just can't really trust my dishwasher.
I'll mention the Palmolive to a friend who likes using liquid/gel detergents in her dishwasher. I wonder if we even have that one here in Canada yet though. We're always slow to get the new stuff.
June 19th, 2009 at 2:59 am
Stephanie (and Jeremy), Angie told me about your blog! I'm gonna add it to my RSS feed so I can keep updated on all your green endeavors. I bought a GIANT pack of some kind of dishwashing tabs at Sam's, but when that runs out, probably sometime in 2012, I'll have to try the eco-friendly stuff.
Did you consider making your own dishwashing detergent? I've read about this online & have been wondering how well it actually works.
June 22nd, 2009 at 4:41 am
I've never seen that brand either, but good to know since we also have a really crappy dishwasher and need the best detergent we can get. Do you have a recommendation for dishwashing liquid? I'm using Method right now, but I feel like I'm going through it really quickly because it washes away too fast. Have you found a good one?
June 22nd, 2009 at 11:21 pm
Glad to help! We rinse a little before too, but even with rinsing a little the 7th Generation just did not work that great!
June 22nd, 2009 at 11:24 pm
Hi Leah! Thanks for adding us to your RSS feed! We didn't try making our own, I've thought about it with cleaner / detergent / etc, but just haven't gotten up the nerve or time to try it.
BTW, I hear you are getting married soon! Congrats!!!!! I just saw Angie and she told me how sad she was that your time in Tulsa is almost over, I'm sure she'll miss you!
June 22nd, 2009 at 11:26 pm
I use Method too right now and agree with you. I actually tried the Clorox Greenworks and i think it works a little better maybe… you should try that one at some point and see what you think. We have used a quarter a bottle of the Method and we just bought it but i think the Greenworks detergent lasted us at least a few month.
August 18th, 2009 at 4:17 pm
Dishwashing vs. Hand Washing Dishes | Becoming Green says:[...] environmentally friendly dishwashing soap without phosphates in them. We’ve tried both 7th Generation and Palmolive’s Eco environmentally friendly option and liked the Palmolive version better. But try a few before you give up on the idea completely [...]
February 17th, 2010 at 8:44 am
I Don't Care If You're Green — You Can't Clean Dishes — A Girl Living on a Budget … Fashion, Beauty, Entertainment & Lifestyle Tips says:[...] Becoming Green had a similar problem with these dishwashing soaps. Image: becoming green [...]