Maybe I have been completely out of touch lately but I totally missed the announcement that phosphates have been removed from dish washing detergent. I have watched in confused frustration as week after week the dishes coming out of my dishwasher don’t look clean at all. Glasses are cloudy, silverware has lost its sheen and there is a film on all my dishes.

After talking to a few people about the same problem I was relieved I was not the only one. Some blamed it on hard water, others thought their dishwashers were broken. Then finally someone had the solution – Lemi Shine!! A beautiful citric acid based cleaner. I was a little doubtful yesterday as I put the Lemi Shine in to the dishwasher. How could this powder make a difference. When I opened my dishwasher at the end of the cycle it was like unwrapping a Mother’s Day present. The cleanest dishes I had seen in months. And the stainless steel interior of the dishwasher was shiny and film free again.

Phosphates are out but Lemi Shine is in. It’s sold at Publix in the dish washing aisle. I put it in the dish washing detergent compartment and put the dish washing powder in the pre-rinse compartment and magically clean dishes! Happy Mother’s Day to all the mom’s out there frustrated with filmy dishes.