Spokane Bans Phosphate Soap

I learned that Spokane is the first city to ban phosphate soaps! Phosphates in water increase plant growth - which sounds nice - but in fact, these plants grow so much they can choke bodies of water. When the plants die off they do so en mass and the normal decomposition process in water is overwhelmed. Think of this like a factory that increases it's production of widgets, sends them down the line but only one worker is boxing widgets up. The worker is overwhelmed. (Are you recalling I Love Lucy's Chocolate Factory epsiode too?)

But many of our favorite soaps we have grown up with have phosphates in them. So what to do? Some folks are smuggling their soaps from across the border. This makes me wonder if they are shopping for all their groceries across state lines to get their fave soaps. If so, is the ride out to Idaho worth the time and gas?

I have been a huge fan of Method soap. Good smell, cute bottles, lots of soapy feeling and suds. Give it a try. Sure it is a little more then 99 cents but sometimes we have to pay more for what we really want. And what we really want is clean water. You can find Method in most grocery stores and at Target.

Here's an older report: NWPR News Phosphates Banned in Spokane