WoS: The Dishwasher Detergent Battle.

My confidence in the good guys winning is limited at best.  The good news:  dish washer detergent makers have changed their formula.  Phosphates have been removed from the detergents.

The bad news...

Sue Wright from Austin, Texas, says for months her cups and glasses have been coming out of her year-old dishwasher covered with black specks. She called three repairmen to her kitchen, but her dishes were still dirty.

"I looked at a plumber's rear end for about two months this summer sticking out from under my sink," Wright says. "I was just totally frustrated. I couldn't figure out what was going wrong."

Finally, after months of aggravation and expense, Wright found out the real reason for her speckled cups. This summer, detergent makers took phosphates out of their detergents.

. . .

"I'm angry at the people who decided that phosphate was growing algae. I'm not sure that I believe that," Wright adds.

and

Sandra Young was so mad that she called Procter and Gamble, which makes Cascade, to complain. But when she did, a company representative told her to be more careful about what pans she puts into her dishwasher.

. . .

But not everyone is willing to adjust. Sandra Young figured out a way to undo the phosphate ban — at least in her own kitchen.
She bought some trisodium phosphate at a hardware store and started mixing her own formula.