That could be one explanation as to why appliances don't last. I know I replaced my old dishwasher (which was still working fine, I was just replacing another appliance and figured we'd do them all at the same time) with a whirlpool and it lasted only a couple years. And my stove was about 7 months old when I used the self-cleaning option and it fried the thermostat.

"We've seen the impact of higher levels of phosphorus in our lakes, in our rivers, in our streams: beaches closed and summer holidays ruined; lakes and rivers choked with blue-green algae; poisonous impact on marine life and livestock. That's why our government is taking action," Baird said.
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Phosphates promote algae growth, which appears as scum on the surface of water. The algae plants die and sink to the bottom of the lake. When they decompose, they use up the oxygen in the water, suffocating other plant and animal species.

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/canada-moves-to-cut-phosphates-to-fight-algae-problem-1.744071

I'm not sure I understand how running my dishwasher affects the lakes and streams. I use regular off-the-shelf detergent, BTW, and I have no idea whether phosphates are in the soap or not. I do rinse the plates before loading, mostly because I don't want to have to clean that trap/filter/thingy as often. It's nasty.

I refuse to get one. I wash my dishes by hand, with phosphate-free dish soap.
Yeah, let's destroy our fragile ecosystems because I'm too lazy to wash a dish or two.

 

 

 

 

FNW wrote:

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I'm not sure I understand how running my dishwasher affects the lakes and streams. I use regular off-the-shelf detergent, BTW, and I have no idea whether phosphates are in the soap or not. I do rinse the plates before loading, mostly because I don't want to have to clean that trap/filter/thingy as often. It's nasty.

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Where does the water go after leaving your dishwasher? It doesn't just disappear.

 

weltschmerz wrote:

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FNW wrote:

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I'm not sure I understand how running my dishwasher affects the lakes and streams. I use regular off-the-shelf detergent, BTW, and I have no idea whether phosphates are in the soap or not. I do rinse the plates before loading, mostly because I don't want to have to clean that trap/filter/thingy as often. It's nasty.

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Where does the water go after leaving your dishwasher? It doesn't just disappear.

 

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 Pretty sure it doesn't go into the lakes and streams.

weltschmerz wrote:

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FNW wrote:

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I'm not sure I understand how running my dishwasher affects the lakes and streams. I use regular off-the-shelf detergent, BTW, and I have no idea whether phosphates are in the soap or not. I do rinse the plates before loading, mostly because I don't want to have to clean that trap/filter/thingy as often. It's nasty.

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Where does the water go after leaving your dishwasher? It doesn't just disappear.

 

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 There are these things called WATER TREATMENT PLANTS in America.  

I only run my dishwasher 1-2 times a week & that is only because I run out of glasses & spoons. I use the Finish packs that smell like orange & I always completely rinse my dishes before putting them in the dishwasher.

TrudyML wrote:

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Lexxy wrote:

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I only run my dishwasher 1-2 times a week & that is only because I run out of glasses & spoons. I use the Finish packs that smell like orange & I always completely rinse my dishes before putting them in the dishwasher while I guzzle booze.

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 Fixed that for you!

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 Yeah that is why I always run out of glasses!

lilyofcourse wrote:

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Yes. There are water treatment plants.

But that water comes from a reservoir or some other water source.

I completely understand we need to not put harsh chemicals and such into our water ways.

Anyone who has had well water knows you have to keep it clean.

But the thing is, algae is a natural growing animal.

Every body of water has some form of it, ( except the Dead Sea if I remember correctly )

There is a natural cycle and do more harm than good with our EPA, chemicals and other interference with nature.

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Yes, algae is natural and some is always present in water. 

Phosphates in water make it explode and become toxic to living things. Everything in the water suffocates.

just Czech wrote:

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So, welts, you have a septic tank. Okay.

We have a treatment plant. Most cities in the US have treatment plants.

FYI, I hand wash all of our dishes. We have never owned a dish washer.

Laundry detergents have phosphates as well.

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You DO realize that not everyone in the US lives in cities, right?

I buy phosphate-free laundry detergent. 

Lexxy wrote:

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FYI, I hand wash all of our dishes. We have never owned a dish washer.
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You poor thing!

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Why? I've never owned a dishwasher, either. It takes ten minutes to wash the dishes. 

 

lilyofcourse wrote:

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Weltz, you seem to get fired up over everything. It makes it hard to take you seriously most of the time.

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I'm not the one who started the thread, whining about dishwasher detergent.

The environment is a serious business for me.

If you don't like my posts, don't read them. 

Problem solved!

NAOW wrote:

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I don't care that they removed phosphates from the soap. They still get clean. But I have noticed that dishwashers (and most appliances)don't last as long as they used to.

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NOTHING lasts as long as it used to. 

NAOW wrote:

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weltschmerz wrote:

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I refuse to get one. I wash my dishes by hand, with phosphate-free dish soap.
Yeah, let's destroy our fragile ecosystems because I'm too lazy to wash a dish or two.

 

 

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 So Canada hasn't removed them already? 

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No, not from everything. 

weltschmerz wrote:

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NAOW wrote:

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I don't care that they removed phosphates from the soap. They still get clean. But I have noticed that dishwashers (and most appliances)don't last as long as they used to.

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NOTHING lasts as long as it used to. 

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I have a fridge up north. It works great, despite being about 50 years old.

I bought a new fridge for the city and it already had to be fixed three times.

NAOW wrote:

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I don't care that they removed phosphates from the soap. They still get clean. But I have noticed that dishwashers (and most appliances)don't last as long as they used to.

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Which creates more trash.   

Lexxy wrote:

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FYI, I hand wash all of our dishes. We have never owned a dish washer.
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You poor thing!

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Do I get lots of sympathy?  

And let's not forget the wasted resources used to continually make new appliances to replace the shoddy ones.



There was a study done once on what was worse - using paper napkins or using cloth napkins that had to be washed. Both affected the environment in different ways and in the end were both bad for different reasons. The point being they both had a negative impact on the environment. So, for everything you try to avoid, there is an equally bad alternative.

Handwashing dishes usually uses more water than a dishwasher, and a dishwasher's heat will steralize your dishes making you less likely to get a food-bourne illness. You can't handwash dishes in water hot enough to do that. Hand-washing still requires the use of soap, and each person's use will vary. A dishwasher uses a pretty stable amount of soap each use.

You have a Kenmore. That's your first problem. If you get 5 years, you're doing good out of those disposable appliances.

I think Kenmore is made by Whirlpool, and has been for years.

FNW wrote:

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I think Kenmore is made by Whirlpool, and has been for years.

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That may be true--but they are the bottom of the barrel. 

 

weltschmerz wrote:

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lilyofcourse wrote:

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Weltz, you seem to get fired up over everything. It makes it hard to take you seriously most of the time.

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I'm not the one who started the thread, whining about dishwasher detergent.

The environment is a serious business for me.

If you don't like my posts, don't read them. 

Problem solved!

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  Lilly is entitled to her opinion.  

weltschmerz wrote:

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lilyofcourse wrote:

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Weltz, you seem to get fired up over everything. It makes it hard to take you seriously most of the time.

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I'm not the one who started the thread, whining about dishwasher detergent.

The environment is a serious business for me.

If you don't like my posts, don't read them. 

Problem solved!

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 Really?  YOu don't seem to get very fired up over air travel and the gallons and gallons of fuel used to to fly people around.