Not everyone is born with a second sense for “green living.”
It can take time for some of us to feel empowered enough to try to make a dent in the movement to rescue Mother Nature. But a product like the new Palmolive eco+ Gel Dishwasher Detergent is a good first step toward a more eco-friendly lifestyle.
The detergent differentiates itself by using no phosphates, which are common in automatic dishwasher detergents. To better understand what that meant, I read up on the effect phosphates have on our environment.
Plants and animals need phosphorus for healthy growth. But chemical phosphates that aren’t captured through wastewater treatment plants run into the water supply. They can accelerate the production of algae, weeds and other plants in lakes and streams. These intruders further choke the waterways by using oxygen fish and aquatic organisms depend on, so that water becomes unusable for drinking, fishing or recreation.
According to Palmolive, every time we run a load of dishes, phosphates are being pumped into the water system. So it just feels better using Palmolive eco+ Gel — even for people who normally shy away from dishwasher gels because they think tablets do a better job. Such detergent snobs will enjoy this product’s fresh smelling lemon scent, and probably won’t notice any significant difference in its cleaning quality compared to their favorite brand, minus the occasional piece of stubborn, stuck-on spoon gunk.
A bit more online snooping reveals numerous arguments about whether or not Palmolive eco+ Gel cleans as well as other detergents. There are also eco-bloggers who question how green Palmolive really is, since this gel still contains bleach. (Clorox faced the same scrutiny when it released its new Green Works line.)
But that all seems pedantic to someone who’s just getting started down the road to helping this beleaguered planet. Like taking a cloth bag to the grocery store instead of using plastic, it’s better to do something rather than nothing.
Palmolive eco+ Gel Dishwasher Detergent is $3 to $6 at most grocery and home improvement stores.
Sheba R. Wheeler: 303-954-1283 or swheeler@denverpost.com.
