This old technology and rather primitive cleaning agent was very common in laundry and dish washing detergents.

     Unfortunately the phosphates being essentially a fertilizer would cause significant algal blooms in the bodies of water that the drains led to. A sad example of this problem is what is currently occurring in the Mediterranean. In the early 1970s the use of -cleaning products containing phosphates was either banned altogether or seriously restricted.

     Although it is the active ingredient in at least one toilet bowl cleaning tablet, trisodium phosphate is generally not good for cleaning bathrooms because it will corrode metal.

     Trisodium phosphate may be used with chlorine bleach to remove mildew from wood. Care should be exercised because trisodium phosphate can cause dark stains on redwood.

     Visit the cleaning agents page to learn what other cleaning products you should avoid.