[Vision2020] Spokane residents smuggle suds over green brands

[Kenneth Marcy]

Spokane residents smuggle suds over green brands

By NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS – early afternoon, 27 March 2009

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — The quest for squeaky-clean dishes has turned some 
law-abiding people in Spokane into dishwater-detergent smugglers. They are 
bringing Cascade or Electrasol in from out of state because the eco-friendly 
varieties required under Washington state law don't work as well. 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. The ban will be expanded statewide in July 2010, the same time 
similar laws take effect in several other states.

But it's not easy to get sparkling dishes when you go green.

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 culprit was hard 
water, which is mineral-rich and resistant to soap.

As a result, there has been a quiet rush of Spokane-area shoppers heading east 
on Interstate 90 into Idaho in search of old-school suds.

Real estate agent Patti Marcotte of Spokane stocks up on detergent at a Costco 
in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, and doesn't care who knows it.

More of this story is at:
http://tinyurl.com/dzkngk 


Ken