How to Get Your Dishes Clean Without Phosphate Detergents

For years, putting your dirty dishes in the dishwasher was undoubtedly easier than washing them by hand. That changed when detergent makers removed phosphates from their formulas due to a ban in 17 states. Phosphates, although they take the blame for polluting waterways and killing fish, are also one of the best things to get dishes clean, sparkling and spot-free. If your state banned phosphates in detergents, you can still get dishes clean by properly loading the dishwasher.

Instructions

- 1
  Scrape all food debris off your dishes before you load them into the dishwasher. Rinse the dishes with hot water, if desired, to make it easier for the dishwasher to clean them.
- 2
  Put the dirtiest dishes in the center of the dishwasher. Do not stack silverware together in one compartment; instead, put them in different compartments in the silverware holder. If forks, knives and spoons are nestled together, they will not get as clean.
- 3
  Turn dirty glasses and bowls upside down so they get clean and so that dirty water doesn't rest inside them.
- 4
  Turn on the dishwasher's temperature boost feature, if it has one. This feature temporarily increases the water temperature to get dishes clean.
- 5
  Run the dishwasher when no one else is using hot water in your home. If someone is using the shower or the washing machine at the same time, this reduces water pressure and your dishes won't get as clean.
- 6
  Hand-wash dishes with regular dish soap and hot water if you cannot clean them in the dishwasher. Use a scouring pad for stuck-on food debris.

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