Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Dish Detergent / Dishwasher Detergents

Anything with the name "detergent" is in no way healthy.... detergents are chemicals that have an emulsifying (changes the composition) agent and usually are quite harsh.  Dishwashing detergents typically have similar issues as liquid hand soap (see post on soap) but there are several more ingredients that make dish detergent dangerous.  Remember, just because you rinse off the plates, glasses, silverware, and all the other utensils and cooking / baking pans doesn't mean that there aren't traces of the detergent left behind that get into the food that you ingest.

Recommended reading: http://enconcerto.wordpress.com/2009/01/16/the-dirt-on-dish-detergent/

Dishwasher detergent is even more toxic than dish soap - this is why you can put caked on food dishes in the dishwasher and they come out clean... most dishes washed in the dishwasher have a higher amount of detergent residue left behind than handwashed dishes. 

Recommended reading: http://www.mamashealth.com/doc/cleanprod.asp

Now, let's go one step further... if a portion of the detergent used in dishwashers remains behind what about the liquid you are using to remove the "water spots?"  Instead of Jet-Dry or Finish or whatever product you are using, use baking soda or vinegar.  Here are the warnings for the Jet-Dry product

Jet-Dry: http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/household/brands?tbl=brands&id=18001038
Remove Water Spots Naturally: http://www.ehow.com/how_2100771_hard-water-spots-load-dishes.html

There are plenty of options out there for organic cleaning products.  But I would strongly recommend against that dishwasher.  Many dishwasher racks are made from PVC which is also a toxic product.  Handwashing your dishes is far safer.  I will provide some links to safer products for both below.

dish detergent: https://secure.earthsaversonline.com/category_product_detail_listing.php?id=513&cat_id=115
both: http://www.pristineplanet.com/dish-soap-eco-friendly-cruelty-free-non-toxic-biodegradable/dish-soap/5972_a_0.html
both: http://www.seventhgeneration.com/Dishwasher-Detergent?sub-cat=hand-dishwashing

Blessings... E

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