Sud Smugglers

Otherwise law-abiding people in Spokane, Wash., are turning into dishwater-detergent smugglers.

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. Unfortunately, the eco-friendly detergent varieties required under Washington state law simply do not work as well.

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 main cleaning agent in many detergents and household cleaners is the phosphates which break down grease and remove stains. This, boys, is why washing dishes without soap is not, actually, washing dishes.

The bad news is that the chemicals are difficult to remove in wastewater treatment plants and often wind up in rivers and lakes, where they promote the growth of algae which consume the oxygen in the water that fish need to survive.

Phosphates have been banned in laundry detergent nationally since 1993. This led to a surge in detergent additives and harsher wash cycles, but you can't beat the dishes harder, simply because your dish soap lacks phosphates.

Nevertheless, environmental protection legislation marches on, relentlessly. Washington was the first state where the Legislature passed a ban against dishwasher detergents, in 2006, but others are following. The Washington ban is being phased in, starting with Spokane County.

While traditional detergents are up to 9 percent phosphate, those sold in Spokane County can contain no more than 0.5 percent. The industry has been working to develop better low-phosphate detergents, said Dennis Griesing, vice president of the Soap and Detergent Association, which represents manufacturers.

However, the problem is hard water, which is mineral-rich and resistant to soap. It renders the current low-phosphate detergents next to worthless, leading many Spokane residents to shop somewhat farther afield.

"I'm not hearing a lot of positive feedback," conceded Shannon Brattebo (pictured), secretary 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.

"I'll joke with them and ask if they are from Spokane," said Marcy, who knows where the customers are coming from. "They say, 'Oh yeah.'"

The ban applies to the sale of phosphate detergent — not its use or possession — so the good Washingtonians who are smuggling in soap do not risk jail time.

Still, perhaps it is time to admit, you cannot legislate an overdue Apocalypse.