Dishwasher Detergent Smugglers

Law-abiding citizens in Spokane have taken to smuggling.

They want clean dishes, but the detergent that gets the job done is banned.

SPOKANE, Wash. -- The quest for squeaky-clean dishes has turned some law-abiding people in Spokane into dishwater-detergent smugglers. They are bringing Cascade or Electrasol in from out of state because the eco-friendly varieties required under Washington state law don't work as well. Spokane County became the launch pad last July for the nation's strictest ban on dishwasher detergent made with phosphates, a measure aimed at reducing water pollution. The ban will be expanded statewide in July 2010, the same time similar laws take effect in several other states.

But it's not easy to get sparkling dishes when you go green.

Many people were shocked to find that products like Seventh Generation, Ecover and Trader Joe's left their dishes encrusted with food, smeared with grease and too gross to use without rewashing them by hand. The culprit was hard water, which is mineral-rich and resistant to soap.

Here's another case of a regulation that's meant to help the environment but actually ends up doing harm.

People are running their dishwashers with eco-friendly detergent. The result: "Dishes encrusted with food, smeared with grease and too gross to use without rewashing them by hand."

That means the water and the electricity required to run the machines was completely wasted when used with the ineffective detergent.

It's not efficient to rewash dishes by hand.

As a result, there has been a quiet rush of Spokane-area shoppers heading east on Interstate 90 into Idaho in search of old-school suds.

Real estate agent Patti Marcotte of Spokane stocks up on detergent at a Costco in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, and doesn't care who knows it.

"Yes, I am a smuggler," she said. "I'm taking my chances because dirty dishes I cannot live with."

(In truth, the ban applies to the sale of phosphate detergent — not its use or possession — so Marcotte is not in any legal trouble.)

Marcotte said she tried every green brand in her dishwasher and found none would remove grease and pieces of food. Everybody she knows buys dishwasher detergent in Idaho, she said.

Supporters of the ban acknowledge it is not very popular.

So people are driving to Idaho to get their Cascade.

It's not too green to waste gas making a special trip to get the banned suds.

"I'm not hearing a lot of positive feedback," conceded Shannon Brattebo of the Washington Lake Protection Association, a prime mover of the ban. "I think people are driving to Idaho."

Steve Marcy, manager of the Costco in Coeur d'Alene, about 10 miles east of the Washington state line, estimated that sales of dishwasher detergent in his store have increased 10 percent. He knows where the customers are coming from.

"I'll joke with them and ask if they are from Spokane," Marcy said. "They say, `Oh yeah.'"

Shoppers can still buy phosphate detergents in Washington state by venturing outside Spokane County, but Idaho is more convenient to many Spokane residents.

I suspect if the eco-friendly detergents worked reasonably well then people wouldn't object to using them.

The problem is they don't work. It's a health risk to use dishes that haven't been properly washed and are encrusted with food and smeared with grease.

...Among other states that have banned or are banning phosphates in dishwasher detergent are Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Michigan, Vermont, Minnesota, Illinois, Massachusetts and New York. A bill on Capitol Hill would impose a nationwide ban.

The Soap and Detergent Association, which represents manufacturers, initially fought the bans. But as the movement gained strength across the country, the association asked legislatures to delay bans until July 2010 to allow for a uniform rollout of products.

The industry has been working to develop better low-phosphate detergents, said Dennis Griesing, vice president of the manufacturers group.

"This is an irrevocable, nationwide commitment on the industry's part," he said.

This is so stupid.

Consumers aren't satisfied with the performance of the eco-friendly product, so they're getting the good stuff from other places outside the county and bringing it back home.

Under these circumstances, it would be nuts to institute a nationwide ban.

For his part, [Spokane resident Ken] Beck has taken to washing his dishes on his machine's pots-and-pans cycle, which takes longer and uses five gallons more water. Beck wonders if that isn't as tough on the environment as phosphates.

"How much is this really costing us?" Beck said. "Aren't we transferring the environmental consequences to something else?"

Yes.

The ban doesn't result in a healthier environment. It's a game, and actually, it may be doing more harm than good.

It's funny. Environmentalists claim to be concerned about the long-term health of the planet, but they are incredibly shortsighted when it comes to determining and enacting effective measures to achieve their goals.