Shown here are results from dishwasher tests, for new government water efficiency standards, run by members of the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM). (AHAM)

Published July 20, 2015
FoxNews.com

The home appliance industry has a problem with the Obama administration’s new dishwasher regulations: They’re a wash, so to speak.

The recent proposal from the Department of Energy is meant to boost dishwasher efficiency by setting stricter limits on the amount of water each dishwasher can use, among other changes. Under the plan, washers could use only 3.1 gallons of water for a single load.

But an appliance industry group says the new measures would be counterproductive — as they’d force users to run their dishwashers more, and hand-wash, just to get the same results, in turn using more water.

“[The regulations] would result in dishwasher performance that is unacceptable to consumers, essentially turning back the clock to the days of hand-washing dishes,” the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) said in a statement.

Robert McArver, vice president of policy and government relations at AHAM, told The Hill that the government is trying to “squeeze blood from a stone that just doesn’t have any blood left.”

The “new” dishwasher I bought to replace the one lost in the house fire was notably inferior to the old one, that’s in 2006.  Then the FF’s (i.e. The Fucking Feds) screwed around with the formula of dishwasher detergent so things got even worse.  Then I was browsing the appliances at a Sears store and the salesman told me that the EPA has ordered the dishwasher manufacturers to stop making unit without a “food particle trap” that captures anything washed off the plates and bowls and retains it within the machine (WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO DO THAT?).  The homeowner must then manually clean the trap, yukky!  But he said, “All units develop a bad breath problem anyway”.

So I had already pretty much decided not to buy another dishwasher when this one finally died.  I started life washing dishes manually, and I guess that’s how I’ll end up.

Fuck The Feds!

If you still need to get your dishes clean with whatever machine you have now;  here’s a clue, the restaurant, hospital and hotel industry put their foot down and demanded they be able to still get dishwasher detergent with the old formula.  So its available, just on online and order “Commercial or Professional” grade detergent.  You can’t find it on the supermarket shelves but it’s readily available online.  But you may have to buy it in case lots.  It’s worth it.

Another item for the folder, “America ain’t a Free Country anymore”.

Update: The old formula dishwasher detergent isn’t found by the name “Commercial or Professional” anymore.  Appearently that erked the Feds.  Look for “Cascade with Phosphates Professional Fryer Boil Out 85-oz”.

Same stuff.  I bought it (I bought a LOT of it) by the six box case from Walmart for $75, I’ve included the current link for a single box from Amazon, below.  Be sure to read the user comments.

https://www.amazon.com/Cascade-Phosphates-Professional-Fryer-85-oz/dp/B00VHD3LGO