Filth, Smut, Grime and Dreck...........................................................34/365

Yes, I said it.  This post is about all that is dirty.  Well, at least what's still dirty coming from my dishwasher.

It started last fall when I noticed that my black nylon utensils came out of the dish washer looking like this:

I usually soak then scrub spatulas, using a little dish soap before putting them into the dishwasher, and yet this is the result.

And then there are the 20 year old Ikea bowls that used to come out crystal clear, even though they have become slightly etched over the years as glass does:

I mean, seriously?  Those are fresh out of the dishwasher!

When I remember to do so, I add vinegar to each load and it seems to help, but often times I forget and it makes me want to wash everything over again by hand.  Even washing by hand doesn't seem to work as well as it used to. 

Could it be the hard water we have here in Nevada?  Possibly.

Could it be that it's time for a new dishwasher?  I hope not.

So of course being the investigative journalist that I am (ha ha) I Googled "why aren't my dishes getting clean?" and came up with this:

Dishes not getting clean? Your dishwasher might not be the one to blame

Turns out soap manufacturers are taking phosphates out of soap including laundry soap, and now they just don't clean as well. 

Granted phosphates apparently aren't good for some environments and cause algae to overrun lakes and such, but still...

I know, I know there are a lot more important things in this world to worry about.  I just really miss my sparkling clean dishes. 

Must stock up on vinegar.  In fact, maybe I'll buy stock in vinegar.  Yeah, that's the ticket.