Click Here to Buy Dishwasher Detergent WITH Phosphate Now!
A ban on phosphates, the hardworking and good main ingredient in most automatic dishwasher detergents, takes effect in 16 states on July 1st, however this ban will become a de facto ban everywhere. Procter & Gamble and other major manufactures have decided to removed all phosphates from all consumer dishwasher detergents. I feel that P&G did this for three reasons, 1 they will look eco friendly to their Al Gore loving, hippie, baby boomer target market. This brings us to 2 and 3, the real reasons why P&G removed phosphates. The cost of phosphates has dramatically increased over the past few years. The other real reason why P&G removed phosphates is to simplify their supply chain. Why have two different detergents when you can just have one and enjoy the cost savings. The ban is just a smoke screen for P&G to save money and to charge you more. However what this mean for you and me is dirty dishes.
Dirty Dishes - Won't Wash Off
I learned this the hard way. A few weeks ago I noticed a white film that would not come off my dishes. I first looked on the internet to see what was going on. I quickly learned that the hippies got phosphate banned because it can cause algal blooms in our waterways. Granted we can filter out most of this phosphate before it gets in our waterways, but this did not stop the hippies from banning it because anything man-made is bad in their book.
At this point I called up P&G and asked them if I can still buy phosphate dishwasher detergent. They started to proudly say that they don’t sell any products with phosphate in it. I quickly interjected, by saying that I am not some eco hippie and I WANT phosphate. The P&G customer support rep was unsure how to answer this request. I think he was told not to answer my question, but he gave me two free coupons for any cascade product so that was cool. Granted I can’t buy anything that will clean my dishes with them at any retail store.
I did find one way around this ban. Because the ban only affects consumer products, you can buy the commercial detergent with the cleaning power of good old phosphate.
Click here to buy phosphate dish detergent wholesale from ReStockit.com.
My dishes are clean again. You can see if your P&G product still has phosphate by going to this site The MSDS Page Search.
Soon we will be told what cars we can buy. Oh I forgot that day is already here.
42 Responses to “Buy Phosphate Dishwasher Detergent – Phosphate Free Dirty Dishes White Film”
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I’m not sure what the white film you described is, but I have never encountered that problem with phosphate-free detergent. I haven’t done much research on the subject, but what I have read makes me think that the potential problems associated with phosphates are a bit more extensive than you let on.
@Hannah
You are right it works in some areas better than others. I have hard water and phosphates soften the water and helps break down food. I have tried the new non-phosphate detergent and the stuff that does cost 4 times as much only works about 3/4 as well for me. So the cheap stuff is horrible but the expensive Cascade Complete packets do work ok.
How can you criticize the young for having for utilizing new software like google, pornhub, etc., yet you whine about having to wash a dish with your hands? Physician, heal thyself.
You should bitch more. Maybe a rant about fat people and then something about how you can’t lift a finger to wash the dishes you eat from…
The amount of people that would agree that phospates are despoiling the environment won’t fit in the neat little hippy cage any longer.
I like your other posts. Respectfully, this is just whining.
I have this same problem. Thanks for your solution.
Phosphates for all. My dishes are no longer clean once they are finished with a wash cycle. I have been reading about the anti-phosphate movement for a year or so now and unfortunately it has proven to be correct. What a waste. Those people who want the phosphates removed from the dish washing detergents I have one statement for you…GFY each and every one of you.
Plain and simple: Phosphate free dishwasher detergents *DO NOT WORK*.
That white film is ALL OVER the dishes and glasses. It does not wipe off easily. I have to scrub them with a Scotch Brite pad to get it off! Incredibly ridiculous! If you want phosphates out of the detergents, fine, but replace them with something that actually works and not the stuff that is out there now. Someone wasn’t thinking on this one.
The ban is only a month old where I live and more and more folks will start noticing the white yucky film when their good detergent runs out and they have to buy the new crap. I was lucky enough to have a dishwasher repairman tell me about the problem and the ill conceived ban. Sad thing is that many folks are calling the dishwasher repairman only to find out it is the crappy detergent causing the problem and not something else. The repairman told me that they get 100s of calls per week on this problem and it is dramatically increasing.
So I quickly ransacked all the stores in the area and bought all the detergent containing phosphate that I could (many places had some ‘residual inventory’). I now have a multiple year supply, thank goodness.
As soon as I started using the phosphate based detergent the white film was completely gone (probably removed by the phosphates!) and the glasses are clear and as shinny as ever!
Hopefully with some effort the majority of those of us that are thinking will be able to reverse this ban. I will have to try the commercial stuff and see if it still has phosphates…if so, hallelujah!!!
Phosphate based detergents rule!
Well I just got hit with this plague too. I have been going nuts trying to figure out why my dishes are covered with this white stuff all of a sudden. It really sucks that P&G would ruin a great product like Cascade.
I took a different approach, and made my own dishwasher detergent. It works at least as good as Cascade did back in the good ol’ high-phosphate days. Maybe I should start selling it. . .
Hope this works. I just ordered a case. Thanks!
The new Cascade sucks. Proctor and Gamble pulled the wool. Don’t give us an inferior product that doesn’t work because the rules have changed. Test the product before you sell it.
Eff Cascade and Eff P&G. They suck.
I just contacted a seller of the exact commercial industrial cascade product you linked to and they said that they now do not have phosphate either. I wanted to double check before ordering. So, any thoughts on that? I want phosphates too. I anyone has a special recipe, I want to know!
Totally agree. My dishes are never clean anymore and my cookie sheets are now turning black, yet the manufacturers won’t fess up that there is a problem.
Like most tree hugging ideas to save the environment, the solution is worse than the cure. See: http://www.ceep-phosphates.org/Files/Document/83/CEEP phosphates in dishwasher detergents.pdf
I am not sure Cascade Professional still has phosphates in it. According to their website, it says that it has sodium carbonate in it (a water softener). Sodium carbonate does not have any phosphorus atoms in it.
Since the ban took effect, most of the people I know have been buying bulk detergent with phosphates from local janitorial supply and food service companies. P&G still makes a couple of detergents with phosphates for the hotel / food service industries. US Chemical also makes a very good and reasonably priced product that most janitorial supply stores carry. Good luck!
I am now experiencing this same problem with Proctor and Gamble Cascade All In One powder. P&G suggests using their packets but they are expensive. If you live in an area with hard water you will continue to have this problem. I have been researching and there seems to be a product called Lemi Shine. I am going to try this product with the dishwashing soap (phosphate free) and see how it comes out. They also have a Lemi Shine rinse also. Just a suggestion.
EASY SOLUTION: Buy the cheapest diswasher detergent you can fine- the green stuff from Dollar Tree at $1 per pound box is find. Use 2 part of that to 1 part of TSP ( from Lowes).
Eurika! you have great phosphate detergent again!
Yet again, the tree hugger/nanny state tries to do good and just ends up doing the opposite. By removing phosphates (look how many labels now say “eco-friendly”) not only is it causing us to buy more product from these companies to dump into the water table, but it is causing us to use twice as much soap and water to hand-clean or double-cycle the dishes to get them clean. I question just about any product now that sells itself on being “green” or earth/eco-friendly. Its a money machine, thats all. Our personal choices are the most green (or not). Want to save the earth? Stop driving the biggest SUV/Pickup you can find, or stop driving alone, or stop driving unnecessarily.
I am going down to Lowe’s this morning and pick up a bucket of Trisodium Phosphate, to be GREENER than these detergent companies by using LESS detergent and LESS water. Way to scam America, P&G! Lost me as a customer, you idiots.
Print out stickers that say SCAM! and start putting them on grocery store shelves! maybe they will get the point, maybe it will save people from buying BS. I wish someone had already before i bought this crap.
Very helpful post, thank you for the link to a workable product.
Rebecca says:
September 28, 2010 at 11:35 am
“I just contacted a seller of the exact commercial industrial cascade product you linked to and they said that they now do not have phosphate either. I wanted to double check before ordering. So, any thoughts on that? I want phosphates too. I anyone has a special recipe, I want to know!”
I ordered the same product from amazon. It arrived this week and the label says “PHOSPHORUS CONTENT: This Cascade formula averages not more than 7.0% phosphorus, in the form of phosphates, which is equivalent to 0.9 gram per tablespoon.” The ingredients include “tripolypentasodium phosphate (CAS# 7758-29-4)”
While it does not work as good as the phosphate dishwasher detergent the cascade packets do clean better than anything now available. There is little difference between the Complete packets and the normal cascade packets. Make sure your set your water temperature warmer and use a rinse aid.
Interesting, if you go to P&G’s Cascade website and attempt to view all the negative customer reviews (http://www.cascadeclean.com/en_US/cascadewithdawnpowder.do) you are redirected to another page. Translation? P&G’s trying to cover up the problem!!!
Update: I just pulled a MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) for case of 6 sold through ReStockIt (PGC34953) , and it does show that it contains phosphates. Here’s the link:
http://www.janitorialsupplies.com/msds/PGC34953.pdf
Hey guys. 16+ year appliance technician here. I get complaints on poor washabilty in dishwashers every day. I’ve been giving folks the bad news on phosphate free detergents for quite a while. I have now found a solution that works for me.
Pick up some Lemi-Shine. (found in the same aisle as your dw detergent) Follow the directions to clean your machine first, then mix it with your detergent when filling your dispenser. The amount of Lemi-Shine required will vary depending on how hard your water is.
A couple more helpful hints: Run the water in your sink until it’s hot before starting your dishwasher & make sure your water heater temp is set around 130°.
Unfortunately, buying up truckloads of detergent with phosphates isn’t going to help for long. Detergent “goes bad” after sitting for 6-8 weeks. (less in some areas due to humidity)
To test your powder detergent, put a little in your hand & run a little cool water on it. It should get warm. If it doesn’t, it will no longer be as effective.
Yes, it’s all about you. What a little b*tch. Think about your place on the planet for a change.
Thank you to all the positive and helpful responses.
I was thinking of the Cascade Automatic Dishwasher Detergent 85 oz.
but will try to buy it locally. J.W, your comment was very helpful.
Our dishwasher not only leaves white stuff on our glasses, it also doesn’t clean the coffee/tea mugs very well anymore either. I have to manually clean them with bleach.
Our water is hard and we use Lemi-Shine. It does a nice job but not the complete job.
Gotta 6 pack comin my way. I bought 2 60 packs of the little Cascade pouches with Dawn a few months ago. Took a service call charge from my appliance repair man to give me the lowdown because my generic powder suddly lost it’s phosphate.
Went back in last week, no phosphates!! I do care about the environment, but it’s not banned in my state. Also, these manufacturers had only since 1994 to know this was going to happen with dishwashers. They left us hard water folks high and dry. Will advise… Thanks to all for the usefull insight.
7% phosphate. We got it.
Try adding a 1/4 cup of borax to the bottom of the dishwasher before each load. (Just as it says on the back of the box) I add this to my clothes washer to soften the water. The difference it makes with phosphate-free dishwasher detergent is remarkable. My dishes sparkle. Give it a try.
Sorry to spoil your punch-a-hippy day, but the reality is that phosphates are not good for the environment in large amounts. And no, they cannot easily be filtered out of wastewater. Except, of course, if you mean that you want the government to enforce building codes requiring every home using a septic system to install expensive phosphate removal equipment. Would you support that, or would that be another reason to b!tch about hippies?
I suppose if you had been unable to enjoy a day at the beach due to phosphates, you’d be on your blog b!tching just as loudly.
Anyhow, next time your at one of those home warehouse stores, check out the gardening fertilizer. Notice one of the ingredients? Phosphate! Now if you’re a real man who hates hippies and loves America, you’ll buy a 20 lb sack of general purpose 10-15-10 fertilizer and dump that sucker in your favorite swimming or fishing hole. Try to spread out the application so it dissolves well. Then you can go to a teabagger rally and beat your chest about how much you hate teh big goverment hippies and invite some real Americans to go fishing with you.
Who cares! Bring back phosphates! We have much bigger problems to be worried about! I am looking for clean dishes again…
My glasses and some of the other dishes have permanently become covered with that white film. Even handwashing doesn’t get rid of it now.
I will try some of the suggestions posted here. It would be nice to be able to continue to use the dishwasher if I find something that works. Otherwise, I will go back to use tons of water by handwashing.
The solution? Get a product called finish (brand) automatic dishwasher powder. It’s phosphate free, and actually works, unlike Cascade. The new Cascade does indeed do dirty work, so bad in my area that the I refused to eat from the dishes washed by it. This Finish powder stuff (a Reckitt Benckiser product) works great, and especially when I turn up the heat setting on the dishwasher. In fact, I think it works better than the old formula Cascade. Note: I’m not affiliated with any of these companies.
Hey, while reading your blog I just had to let you know that I have been having thiss smae problem for about four months now. I went crazy trying to solve this problem, & then resorted to buying a whole new dishwasher. After the grueling installation process and a test run, I found the same thick white film on all of my dishes and utensils. I checked the wepage you provided, so hopefully i can get my dishes back to the way they were. THANKS.
I took the engineer’s route and just bought the STPP stuff from an online supplier. P & G takes it out? I put it back. Hopefully that will solve the problem. Was pretty upset moving into a brand new house with brand new appliances on city water and seeing white crap all over my dishes. Glad I figured this out before getting a water softener.
Is it not just lazy to sell a product that does not work? Remember when oil based paints and gasoline both at one time had LEAD additives? Fortunately, we have benefited from the reformulation. The outside air is cleaner and your walls are not toxic!
Be aware if you go to the store to buy TSP … we just did, and when we got home noticed the label says “phosphate free.” Even though it’s still called TSP (doesn’t the “P” stand for phosphate?????), the small print says it has a phosphate substitute now. Just glad we didn’t open it before noticing!
The TSP print is blue instead of red like the old label. Our store doesn’t have the old stuff anymore …
I struggled with the white residue for a long time. I tried even tried dishwasher cleaners which were expensive and didn’t work. Before I called the repairman I went online and found out if you add about a cup of white vinegar to the wash cycle (after the initial rinse and drain) it cleans the residue. The problem is that I have to make sure I time it right. I found a janitorial supply company that has some of the old phosphate stuff and am heading there now to get it.
I really wish the environmentalists would stop trying to “save the planet” and regulating everything. I use alot more water now than ever before to get the dishes clean. Pushing their ‘green’ enviro-babble on the rest of society is getting really old. It’s annoying to have new regulations rammed down my throat because the environmentalists think they know better than the rest of us and have to outlaw everything. Talk about Big Brother! Get your hands off my dishes, out of my toilet and away from my trash! I’m so tired of them forcing us to be ‘green’ that I don’t even recycle anymore. We work harder and harder for our money now and we don’t need “green’ people making us work harder to get our dishes clean, trash emptied or toilet flushed. I’m crying Uncle now. Enough is enough!
Screw the treehuggers.
If all us humans would just die. The earth would be great
I had no idea that the Cascade formula changed, but my wife and I noticed the polished metal pots getting heavily coated and streaked with white. The plastic all hazed up and the glass dishes where coated with a white haze. …not even close to what Cascade has advertised for years and earned a reputation on. The inside of the dishwasher began to get coated so mechanisms such as the soap lid and upper rack began to stick. I actually had several pot handles break off along with one lid handle. These were all tack welds that were eaten away, and I can’t say there is a correlation, but it at least was quite the coincidence. So I looked into it and starting learning about the phosphate issue. In our area the jury is still out on why the amount of phosphates is what it is. Engineers are measuring rivers and other sources trying to characterize the sources. Apparently there are natural sources as well as contributions from daily living. I’d prefer we first quantify the problem locally before enacting broad changes such as would a dictator.