One of the questions I got on the latest Bath Bomb Cupcake tutorial was how someone could make dish packs, the little packs that are self-contained dishwashing detergent. As I was tooling around to find some recipes, I ran smack dab into the Phosphate Regulations headed our way.
Phosphates are inorganic chemicals commonly found in cleaning products and detergents that act as water softeners and grease cutters. In a nutshell, it’s the ingredient that cuts the grease on your dishes and makes your white laundry white.The good news is that this information has started to filter up to the right people and manufacturers are slowly phasing them out (hopefully for good). Citric acid is the front runner for phosphate’s replacement. It’s an organic acid containing natural preservatives so it’s perfect for creating your own environmentally friendly cleaning products. Check out the Soap Queen Blog for some eco friendly cleaning recipes.
Bramble Berry has never carried any products containing phosphates for the 11 years we’ve been in business. And, to the best of my knowledge, none of our customers made dishwashing detergent or laundry soap with phosphates either. The handmade laundry soap I’ve used has performed admirably over the years, without phosphates. Thanks to new formulation rules, our rivers and streams will be more healthy and by utilizing alternatives, such as citric acid, our clothes and dishes will get just as clean.
