Yes, while TSP may actually boost laundry washing effectiveness, it will also produce a precipitate with hard water - which can redeposit on the laundry and machine innards.
TSP is a good surface cleaner and paint prep, where any precipitate can be rinsed off easily before it hardens. Even so, one must rinse very thoroughly if it's used as a paint prep, because alkaline residue can attack paint. When I use TSP as a paint prep, I do a diluted vinegar rinse before the final rinse, to help to neutralize the TSP.
STPP, of course, is the compound that is most efficacious in laundry applications. It will not form a precipitate with hard water minerals (or mineral laden soiled laundry). Unfortunately it is not available in most hardware stores (none that I've visited, at least) but one can generally find it on-line or at a local chemical supply company.
The author of the article has the right general idea, if one is to ignore his ranting about government regulation, that phosphates may not be the major culprit in water pollution and that government and private industry have both over-reacted to concerns about phosphate pollution. Left out is the fact that human waste contributes substantial amounts of phosphorus to the waste stream, equal to or exceeding that which might be expected from typical use of phosphated laundry and dishwasher detergents. Left also is that phosphorus pollution is not an issue in arid regions, like the American Southwest (which includes most of California). Instead it's nitrogen pollution, in the form of nitrates from raw sewage, for example.
I notice this article is also from the von Mises organization, which is noted for its far right wing/libertarian political stance.
And the author is confused. He claims that TSP was the miracle ingredient in laundry detergents, which it wasn't. It was STPP. I also wonder just how good his results were with adding TSP to the laundry - or if he ever even tried it. It sounds like he made a lot of stuff up just to bash the EPA and environmental regulations in general.[this post was last edited: 11/25/2011-02:35]