Add Wisconsin to the list:

Doyle signs law to limit phosphorus in dishwasher soap (www.jsonline.com)

A law that will limit phosphorus content in automatic dishwasher soap sold in Wisconsin has been signed by Gov. Doyle. The law will take effect July 1 to give retailers time to sell their current inventory of soap and switch to phosphorus-free detergent.

Twelve other states have already passed similar laws at the urging of environmentalists.

That’s July 1, 2010. If you’re a fan of good dishwashing soap, then stock up now.

Hanging an LCD television flat against the wall is one of the more common practices for using wall mount kits for LCD TVs. The reason is because once the TV is turned off, or set onto a screen saver mode where you can use pictures as a screen saver, you hardly can tell that there is actually a television there. This makes for a very subtle decoration, while still allowing you to view a large clear picture.

Mounting televisions in the corners of the walls requires a bit more strength, but more and more manufacturers are doing their homework to ensure the mounts hold tight. You typically see this setup in commercial shops, like pizza shops, sports bars, etc. These places need to allow for many different viewing angles which just isn’t possible when you are using a flat mount kit. You have to make sure that these types of wall mount kits are anchored firmly to ensure that the TV isn’t going to land on the floor one day.

Having a hanging wall mount setup will allow you to easily move the TV around to find the perfect angle, while still freeing up your wall space. These setups hang from the ceiling by use of a leg that typically hides the wires inside of it. You often see these types of mounting setups being used in peoples bedrooms, and offices where they need to have a good view of the television, but also cannot afford the wall space, or don’t have an area where the television will properly fit without requiring a large bulky entertainment center.

Get more useful information about the different types of TV wall mounts at the LCD TV Wall Mounts Guide.

It is easily known why the television is the staple in most households, because more and more programming is coming over the airwaves every day to help and entertain you and your family, and it leaves no question why we have gone to such larger, higher quality televisions over the years. But now that you’ve gotten this huge television, what are you really going to do with it? Do you have an entertainment center that you can fit it into, in the middle of the room? What not consider some of the flat screen entertainment centers that are being produced.

These types of entertainment centers are being produced more and more because of the simple fact that LCD and plasma television prices have dropped so much over the last few years, practically everyone is able to easily afford a flat screen TV now days. These TVs are awkward though, by the way they are shaped, and don’t typically fit into most standard entertainment centers, which is why you are going to need a flat screen entertainment center. The types of stands are built specifically for a flat screen TV will give you the options of hiding the wires, as well as being able to position the TV in any way that you want.

You can go as elaborate as you want with an entertainment center for flat screens, because of the overall space that they take up being considerably less than an entertainment center for a large CRT or floor model television. You know what I am talking about, the corners are sticking out of every door way, causing serious injuries when you walk by without noticing, or you are one of the people who have absolutely no floor area in your living room because of the massive TV stand you purchased with your old TV.

There are designs for flat screen entertainment centers ranging from all glass models, to light wood, dark wood, even all black models that have accent lighting in them to help increase the elegance of your living room. Replacing your own entertainment center with a new entertainment stand for flat screens that has these types of features in it could easily cause you to spend more time on the couch in front of the tube. The amount of work that manufacturers are putting into their TV stands is simply amazing, and you can tell they are aiming to please the consumer; you!

Here’s a quick update on the phosphorus dishwasher detergent legislation going through Wisconsin.

Phosphorus is hard to shake (www.examiner.com)

On July 1 2009, the Wisconsin State Assembly referred a bill to ban phosphorus from dishwasher soap to the Senate’s Committee on Environment with the same reasoning behind the fertilizer ban almost four years ago. Several other states will enact laws banning phosphorus soaps by July 1, 2010. The Soap and Detergent Association, a trade organization that represents North American manufacturers of cleaning products, stated that they would be phosphorus free by that deadline.

So all is well. No more manufactured phosphorus polluting our environment.

The author of this piece, Brian Barger, seems to infer that this legislation is already enacted. From what we can tell, it’s not law yet. It has been passed from the Wisconsin Assembly and has been read through (WI-AB 281). We think it will go through but it’s not there yet.

Here’s an interesting link:

• The Soap and Detergent Association

On their site, they have an article about phosphates in dishwashing detergent:

DETERGENT “ALTERNATIVES” – THE FACTS

Claim: The environmental impact of detergent “alternatives” will be lower than that of laundry detergents because no chemicals are used.

Fact: Washing with detergent “alternatives” will have the same environmental impact as washing with water alone. But then, they only get clothes as clean as washing with clean water.

…As a result, it is totally false and misleading to describe laundry detergents as being toxic or pollutants. They are designed to go down the drain when their cleaning job is done, and be safely treated in municipal sewage treatment facilities or in septic tank systems. Detergents and their ingredients are well researched by toxicologists and environmental scientists, their fate in the environment is known, and they can be used by consumers with confidence in their human and environmental safety.

Interesting. The debate goes on!

Wisconsin is about the 15th state looking at adopt such a ban which affects soaps like dishwashing detergent. The phosphorus contained in the detergent goes into wastewater, which ends up in lakes and helps promote the growth of algae, which uses up available oxygen in lakes, which fish need. Environmental groups and fishermen are in favor of such a ban while users of detergents scramble to find suitable ways to get things clean.

Phosphorus limits will be good for us (www.journaltimes.com)

Cutting the level of phosphorus has had a marked impact in Spokane, Wash. Officials said similar restrictions there reduced the chemical by 14 percent within 10 months of the law’s onset.

The timing was far from ideal. With detergent makers still scrambling to perfect low-phosphate products, some residents decided the only way they could get the grime off their dishes was to flout the law. They drove to Idaho and “smuggled” in Cascade or Electrasol.

Wisconsin consumers shouldn’t face the same dilemma. By the time the law takes effect in July 2010, the detergent industry’s heavy hitters expect to have a more potent line of green products on shelves. That’s why Illinois, which passed its law in 2007, purposely held it in the starting gate until next summer.

Time will tell if good dishwasher detergents will be available. This is just one instance of government and law being pushed too far ahead of technology, which caused trouble for residents of states that were early adopters.

Right now, several Madison, WI beaches are closed due to increased algae:

Algae advisory on Wisconsin lakes and rivers (www.wkowtv.com)

Algae is a common problem. The blue-green variety that floats like paint or pea soup even caused the recent closure of Madison’s Hudson Beach.

“Just a little can cause irritation to the throat,” said Chuck Warzecha, an environmental health specialist for the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.

This algae growth has happened for a number of years now as the above article mentions.

Assembly advances ban on dishwasher soap with phosphorus (www.jsonline.com)

Household dishwasher detergent that contains phosphorus would be banned Wisconsin, under a bill that is poised to pass the Assembly.

“Excess phosphorus leads to weed and algae growth that’s degrading the quality of our lakes and streams,” bill author Rep. Spencer Black (D-Madison) said Tuesday. “People don’t come to enjoy our lakes and rivers if they’re fouled with weeds and algae.”

If this would pass and become law, then it would take effect in just one year – July 2010.

Apparently one reason for doing this is to join the bandwagon of other states that have similar bans on phosphate in dishwasher detergent. Opponents of this bill see this as just another way that the government has control over what people buy for cleaning their dishes. Phosphate free dishwasher detergent is notorious for not cleaning dishes very well and some argue that since people have to wash their dishes several times, this kind of legislation actually makes things worse in terms of water consumption.

There are a lot of lakes in Wisconsin – about 15,000. The Capitol city of Wisconsin, Madison, has 4 lakes in the middle of it: Lake Mendota, Lake Monona, Lake Waubesa and Lake Wingra. Algae growth on those lakes has been a problem for a number of years.

Md. Dish Soap Bill Might Help Clean Bay (www.washingtonpost.com)

Maryland lawmakers are taking aim at a product in every kitchen that happens to be polluting the Chesapeake Bay: dish soap.

Washing dirty plates and silverware, it turns out, contributes to a dirty bay because of detergents that make the dishes sparkling clean. The soaps contain phosphorus, which gets dumped into the Bay and depletes oxygen vital to fish. Now, environmentally minded lawmakers want to all but eliminate phosphorus from dishwashing detergents in the state.

If you can’t find phosphate free dishwasing soap in your area, look for low-phosphate alternatives.

You can also make your own, home brewed detergent by combining 1 tablespoon of washing soda (which is baking soda processed for washing purposes) along with 1 tablespoon of Borax. That’s it.

For others, they will choose to import brands like Cascade over state borders or order it online and have it shipped in.

Phosphates are the main cleaning agent in many detergents. They break down grease and really help to remove stains. But, these kinds of chemicals are difficult to remove in waste water and usually end up in lakes, rivers and streams, where they help to promote the growth of algae. The algae then eat up the oxygen in the water that fish need to live.

• Method Lavender All Purpose Cleaner
• Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Liquid Hand Soap
• Clorox Greenworks Dilutable Cleaner
• Clorox Greenworks All Purpose Cleaner
• Seventh Generation Carpet, Spot & Stain Remover
• Earth Friendly Products Floor Cleaner
• Scotch-Brite Cook Top Cleaner Starter Kit
• Carbona Clean It! Stainless Steel Cleaner

Along with many more green cleaning products.

Happy Earth Day!