Has any here used trisodium phosphate to boost their dishwasher detergent?

I know that some states have banned phosphates in dishwasher detergent resulting in all brands to drop phosphates, leading to white powder on the dishes.
I've heard that adding some TSP to detergent will solve that problem. Has anyone here done that?

At first I thought it was just because the dishwasher really needed a cleaning, so I clean with vinegar every few weeks, and occasionally citric acid powder and still get powder on the black plastic handles and silverware.

Sam1148
  • Posted by: Sam1148
  • September 15, 2012
  • 8483 views
  • 6 Comments

6 Comments

paseo
paseo September 16, 2012
Have you tried Lime Away? My well water in VT was very hard and a T of Lime Away added to dishwasher worked well to get rid of the deposits. A few tablespoons a week into a private septic field can't be harmful.
 
Sam1148
Sam1148 September 16, 2012
Unfortunately those products don't work well here...we have a very high lime hard water mineral content in the water.
 
ChefOno
ChefOno September 16, 2012

I've tried it. It works, but it's a big hassle compared to using Finish Powerball or the Cascade packs which seem to work about as well as cheap-o detergent plus a couple of tablespoons of TSP.

 
nutcakes
nutcakes September 16, 2012
Here's a Consumer Reports article that may help you in choosing a better performing nonphosphate detergent:
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2012/07/best-dishwasher-detergents/index.htm
 
nutcakes
nutcakes September 16, 2012
I've read elsewhere that someone tried that with good result. The reason they are banned, of course, is to protect waterways.
 
Sam1148
Sam1148 September 16, 2012
We're on septic tank here..with a large clay barrier underground. I can see why they where banned in some states with water treatment systems serving 1000's of houses.
Way down the hill from us we have a fish pond, and an algae bloom and resulting fish kill is not a pretty sight.
I'd be interested to know how well they break down in household septic systems. Phosphates are still allowed in commercial dishwasher detergents from resturant supply stores.
I never use them in laundry tho, or scented stuff.
 
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