Last Updated: Thursday, October 28, 2010 2010/10/28
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Pinellas County residents have been noticing a white, chalky film appearing on dishes in their dishwashers.
"I bought a new dishwasher, a new hot water heater, and my dishes are still covered in this white film," homeowner Paul Toth said.
"We have to get out the Dawn, fill up the sink, get out the scrubby pad and literally sit here and do it the old fashioned way," Toth said. "I'm one of those guys, you don't like to do things twice if you don't have to. It's almost gotten to the point where I'm going 'Why we are using the dishwasher anymore because it's not working?'"
At appliances stores like APSCO on East Bay in Clearwater, salesman Bobby McDearmon is hearing many of the same complaints.
"It's unbelievable. Somebody buys a nice, top of the line dish washer, something with a stainless steel interior and then a couple of months later they're in here yelling and screaming because it's not performing properly," McDearmon said.
His store has started giving away free samples of a product called 'Lemi-Shine' with every new dishwasher they sell.
"We actually got ahold of the company that makes it so we can give it out as a free sample, just because we know the hard water is so bad with the types of soap that are available to us today," McDearmon said.
While the water in Pinellas County does have a lot of minerals in it, the county's utilities director Robert Powell says the water isn't completely to blame.
"Looking at all the data, there hasn't been any significant change in the water that we're delivering to customers since 2002. The big change that has occurred has been on the detergent side of the picture," Powell said.
Powell said in response to states banning detergents with phosphates in them, companies have lowered the amount of phosphate in the detergents we buy. Phosphates help keep dishes spotless, but when they drain into waterways they can cause an overgrowth of vegetation that can kill wildlife.
Powell said the minerals that cause the white, chalky film on the dishes are not harmful to consumers.
"It's an aesthetic issue, not a health issue at all," Powell said.
Comments
It's the water!!
2010-10-28 23:21:00Seriously...
2010-10-28 23:15:00Dishes
2010-10-28 21:23:00Not just in Pinelles but Pasco and Hillsbroug
2010-10-28 20:45:00I have the issue too..
2010-10-28 19:51:00Spend a thousand for a water softener or do like I do.
2010-10-28 16:55:00Spots on the dishes? Let me ask my wife.
2010-10-28 16:50:00Glad I'm Not Alone Here
2010-10-28 16:42:00white chalk on dishes
2010-10-28 16:21:00No help !
2010-10-28 16:05:00Want hard water
2010-10-28 15:38:00"Eco Friendly" Detergent
2010-10-28 15:34:00They're lying
2010-10-28 15:13:00water softner
2010-10-28 15:02:00OMG! I thought it was just ours!
2010-10-28 14:49:00My pots and pans
2010-10-28 14:39:00Film on dishes
2010-10-28 14:38:00kathy
2010-10-28 14:38:00minerals
2010-10-28 14:32:00Dishwasher
2010-10-28 14:31:00White chalky stuff on dishes
2010-10-28 14:30:00HARD WATER ANYONE
2010-10-28 14:29:00White residue
2010-10-28 14:28:00Water
2010-10-28 14:26:00Just returned Cascade to Sam's Club
2010-10-28 14:18:00My solution
2010-10-28 14:07:00Dishwasher
2010-10-28 13:48:00Dishwasher Water Problem
2010-10-28 13:14:00film on dishes
2010-10-28 13:10:00White Residue on Dishes
2010-10-28 12:54:00easy fix
2010-10-28 12:47:00Hot Water Heater?
2010-10-28 12:29:00lemi shine
2010-10-28 12:26:00Chalky film
2010-10-28 12:07:00dishes
2010-10-28 11:47:00Cascade Tablets are the problem
2010-10-28 11:39:00happens to me too....
2010-10-28 11:30:00Chalky film on dishes
2010-10-28 11:29:00white chalky film
2010-10-28 11:17:00film on dishes
2010-10-28 11:16:00IT THE CASCADE!!! TRUST ME!!
2010-10-28 10:56:00Water softener
2010-10-28 10:53:00White chalky film on dishes
2010-10-28 10:53:00Water Softeners
2010-10-28 10:47:00CLR
2010-10-28 10:45:00Water quality
2010-10-28 10:32:00Obviously there *has* been a change in the water
2010-10-28 10:30:00Chalky residue in Hillsborough also
2010-10-28 10:30:00Pasco also
2010-10-28 10:26:00I don't have a problem - don't use the drying element.
2010-10-28 10:23:00glad I'm not alone
2010-10-28 10:21:00water softner remove hardwater
2010-10-28 10:19:00DANGEROUS
2010-10-28 10:14:00Water Quality
2010-10-28 10:09:00Finish
2010-10-28 09:52:00Dish Washers
2010-10-28 09:50:00White film on dishes
2010-10-28 09:46:00Chalky film on dishes and glasses
2010-10-28 09:39:00GROSS
2010-10-28 09:39:00Chalky film
2010-10-28 09:32:00Chalky film on dishes & dishwasher
2010-10-28 09:31:00white on dishes
2010-10-28 09:29:00Lousy Water
2010-10-28 09:29:00Acid
2010-10-28 09:25:00I am in Hillsborough having the same problem
2010-10-28 09:24:00Dishwasher Magic
2010-10-28 09:22:00white film
2010-10-28 09:18:00Dishwasher chalky film
2010-10-28 09:10:00chalky film
2010-10-28 09:09:00lemi shine
2010-10-28 09:00:00Lemi Shine
2010-10-28 08:59:00white chalky film on dishes
2010-10-28 08:57:00me too
2010-10-28 08:52:00total bunk!
2010-10-28 08:50:00http://www.baynews9.com/article/news/2010/october/166536/White-chalky-film-appearing-on-washed-dishes-around-Pinellas-County
Is anyone here thinking?