AttemptGreen.com

The other day I had to go out and buy more dishwasher soap.  I stood there in the aisle at the grocery store reading all kinds of labels, but forgot to do the research about what I was looking for before I went.  I used to use Cascade Gel and it seemed to work, but never really branched out into other cleaners.  With reading the labels and no clue what it was that I was really reading, I bought a product from Palmolive.  Palmolive Eco+ is a Phosphate free product, which is supposed to be better for lakes and streams.  Living so close to Lake Erie, I thought this was pretty important.

I got home and started doing research.  Most websites I found say you should try to stay away from two things when it comes to dishwasher detergent, phosphates and bleach. I experienced one of those “duh” moments.  Of course, bleach is such a harsh chemical.  So I looked at my new bottle of Palmolive Eco+ and guess what.  It contains bleach, so much for the “eco” part of Palmolive.   It certainly is a step in the right direction though.

Next time I need to buy more dishwasher detergent, I’m going to read the labels for bleach as well.  Seventh Generation and Mrs. Meyers brands are pretty well known, and talked about a lot, in the green community.  Maybe I’ll give one of those a try.

Union of Concerned Scientists and Nature Moms have some decent background information on the chemicals and why you should avoid them.