Buy phosphate-free powders, rather than liquids, and add some vinegar to the rinse cycle.

"Maybe next time you'll think twice before bringing illegal dish soap into this town."

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—They’ve been dubbed “Bubble Bandits”: Rogue Spokane Washingtonians have started crossing the border into Idaho to buy dishwashing detergents full of phosphates, which became illegal in Spokane in July 2008. The reason? Many people who live there don’t feel that phosphate-free detergents (those sold by green-minded companies like Seventh Generation, Ecover, and Method) get the gunk off their dishes, or get rid of stains and water deposits, as well as phosphate-heavy brands like Cascade and Electrasol. And by this time next year, many more Americans may be faced with a similar dilemma.

THE DETAILS: While Spokane residents may be test subjects now, similar bans will take effect next year in 12 states, and many detergent manufacturers are fiddling with existing formulations to find alternatives to phosphates, which are very damaging to waterways and aquatic ecosystems. Spokane County lawmakers instituted the ban after realizing the havoc phosphates were wreaking on the Spokane River, which at one time was one of the most endangered rivers in the country, according to the advocacy group American Rivers.

Phosphates have a few different purposes in dish detergents, says Adam Lowry, cofounder of green cleaning products company Method and a chemical engineer. “Detergents work better in soft water,” he says, “and phosphates are the cheapest and most effective chemicals for softening water.” In a dish soap, phosphates suspend food bits in water and keep them from redepositing on dishes once the food is washed off. “The problem is,” he adds, “when it gets out of the dishwasher, it’s plant food.” When the phosphates enter waterways, they feed algae blooms that kill off fish, plants, and virtually everything else living below the surface.