Prompted by various issues recently, we have been trying out different dishwasher tablets. Some do seem better than others, though it's not always easy to tell.
One brand which seemed to be highly recommended a few years ago is the Coop All in One Lemon - and indeed it does seem to produce good results, and gives a shiny appearance to cups, glasses etc.
However, looking at the composition, that particular brand has a significant proportion of phosphates. In trying to find out which tablets might be good, I looked at several Which reports, and there are comments about a range of dishwasher tablets in reports over the last few years. Few, if any, of the reports mention phosphates. It now seems clear to me that under some circumstances products with phosphates may do a better cleaning job. So what's the problem?
The problem is that detergent products, such as washing products and dishwasher products which contain certain compounds, including phosphates, when released into the external environment and water supplies provide nutrients for organisms which are considered undesirable. A particular problem is the encouragement of algal bloom on lakes. In the USA there seems to have been some progress towards restricting the availability and use of products which can have this undesirable effect on the environment.
I am currently not so aware of actions which may have been taken in the EU to minimise the environmental effect of products such as phosphate containing washing products, but it does seem that some balancing is required. It may be that there is effective legislation or regulation in the EU, but that many of us are just not aware of it.
I have not singled out the Coop diswasher tablet brand for any special reason, other than that I happened to note that it contains a significant proportion of phosphates. It is very likely that some others are similar, and it may be that the ones which appear to give the best washing results are also the ones which have a greater proportion of phosphates, and perhaps, as a consequence, a greater potential for environmental damage.
Some washing products are noted as being phosphate free - but they may not be so effective at washing! Raising awareness, and getting a balance could be important. It is unfortunate that Which, an organisation which tests out products, does not seem to have taken this into account when doing their testing - though I may have missed reference to such. Nevertheless it would be helpful if product reviews by Which and other organisations could take environmental concerns into account as well as other aspects of product effectiveness.
Getting the balance "right" - whatever that is - can be hard, as some products which have been modified over the last couple of decades are now considerably less effective than their predecessors, which presumably had other significant undesirable effects, either on humans or the environment generally.
One brand which seemed to be highly recommended a few years ago is the Coop All in One Lemon - and indeed it does seem to produce good results, and gives a shiny appearance to cups, glasses etc.
However, looking at the composition, that particular brand has a significant proportion of phosphates. In trying to find out which tablets might be good, I looked at several Which reports, and there are comments about a range of dishwasher tablets in reports over the last few years. Few, if any, of the reports mention phosphates. It now seems clear to me that under some circumstances products with phosphates may do a better cleaning job. So what's the problem?
The problem is that detergent products, such as washing products and dishwasher products which contain certain compounds, including phosphates, when released into the external environment and water supplies provide nutrients for organisms which are considered undesirable. A particular problem is the encouragement of algal bloom on lakes. In the USA there seems to have been some progress towards restricting the availability and use of products which can have this undesirable effect on the environment.
I am currently not so aware of actions which may have been taken in the EU to minimise the environmental effect of products such as phosphate containing washing products, but it does seem that some balancing is required. It may be that there is effective legislation or regulation in the EU, but that many of us are just not aware of it.
I have not singled out the Coop diswasher tablet brand for any special reason, other than that I happened to note that it contains a significant proportion of phosphates. It is very likely that some others are similar, and it may be that the ones which appear to give the best washing results are also the ones which have a greater proportion of phosphates, and perhaps, as a consequence, a greater potential for environmental damage.
Some washing products are noted as being phosphate free - but they may not be so effective at washing! Raising awareness, and getting a balance could be important. It is unfortunate that Which, an organisation which tests out products, does not seem to have taken this into account when doing their testing - though I may have missed reference to such. Nevertheless it would be helpful if product reviews by Which and other organisations could take environmental concerns into account as well as other aspects of product effectiveness.
Getting the balance "right" - whatever that is - can be hard, as some products which have been modified over the last couple of decades are now considerably less effective than their predecessors, which presumably had other significant undesirable effects, either on humans or the environment generally.
Thanks anyway.
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