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As of September 1, 2007 this blog has been moved and consolidated into http://blog.msodistributing.com

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Using Soap Flakes To Reduce Eczema

I spoke with a customer today who told me Soap Flakes helps reduce the eczema outbreaks of her one year-old grandchild.

The child is allergic to almost all cleaning and laundry products and is so sensitive to them, that when her parents took her to a restaurant recently and wiped her mouth with a cloth table napkin--washed in who knows what--the child's lips swelled and reddened.

I've heard of people using Soap Flakes (among other products) to reduce eczema from solveeczema.org, (their blog) but I had never spoken with anyone in detail about successfully using Dri-Pak Soap Flakes in this way.

By law we cannot make any claims about Soap Flakes as to health or skin improvement else we'd need to be regulated as a cosmetic product...which Soap Flakes is not. So we make no health claims or promises. Soap Flakes is just pure soap. Really nothing special except that pure plain 100% vegetable based soap with no additives is often hard to find.

I was surprised to learn recently that Dri-Pak Soap Flakes manufactured for sale in the USA use a 100% vegetable based soap while the British version of Dri-Pak brand Soap Flakes (sold in England) use a tallow based soap. I had always thought all Dri-Pak Soap Flakes were identical--using a 100% vegetable base. I'm always learning. :) Anyway, ours are 100% vegetable based. (MSO)
Click here to buy Soap Flakes

I Stand Corrected

In my previous post I mentioned using Fels-Naptha® heavy duty laundry bar soap along with Soap Flakes to remove a stain and yes, it worked great.

I also mentioned Fels-Naptha as being a 100 year-old soap, and it may well be, I'm not sure what to believe anymore. However, the current Fels-Naptha soap is not the same as the old Fels-Naptha soap. Or so I was told by a laundry expert yesterday.

In the 1930's and 1940's Fels-Naptha apparently contained naptha – short for naphthalene. Yes it is spelled differently. Naphthalene is a petroleum-based product distilled from coal tar, often used in moth balls and charcoal lighter fluid. It also is the base from which Napalm is made.

Anyway, the current bars of Fels-Naptha soap clearly state "CONTAINS NO NAPHTHALENE". So the "new" Fels-Naptha uses other non-specific ingredients such as: "Cleaners, soil & stain removers, chelating agents, colorants, perfume."

Regardless, Fels-Naptha works great. It's just that it does not seem to be the "original" Fels-Naptha soap. Which probably is a good thing.

But I wonder, is it a soap bar, or is it a detergent bar? Both? Neither? It probably doesn't matter, but I do wonder.

Last time I checked, Dri-Pak Soap Flakes were made of pure 100% vegetable-based soap with no other ingredients added. Period. (MSO)
Click here to buy Soap Flakes

Grape Juice and Soap Flakes

Yesterday night we had a major thunderstorm and our power went out. It was hot too. Our refrigerator couldn't keep things cold enough and this morning we found melting freezer items and other refrigerated food that had to go.

As I was opening a semi-frozen can of concentrated grape juice to dump down the drain, the top flew off. Concentrated grape juice went everywhere. Including on the new shorts I just bought 2 days ago!

This concentrated grape juice is what, 3 times stronger than regular grape juice?

After five minutes of cleaning up the kitchen, I changed clothes and put the shorts into a bucket of cool water. (No power to run the washing machine.)

The situation didn't look good. I used some Fels Naptha® soap first, rubbing it on the stains from both sides of the fabric. The juice spots turned black! I kind of gave up.

I put a couple of tablespoons of Soap Flakes into the bucket and swished the water around to dissolve the flakes. Then I put the shorts back into the bucket figuring they were probably headed for the trash.

I had other chores to do and about five hours later I checked the bucket.

What do you know, the shorts were totally clean. I mean totally. No spots whatsoever. No indication of there ever being a stain on them.

Now I know Fels Naptha is a miracle soap and that may have done the trick more than the Soap Flakes. All I know for sure is that the Fels and the Soap Flakes worked wonders.

No washing machine was needed. Cool.

Fels Naptha and Soap Flakes have been around for over 100 years. Not many products survive that long but these two have. And I know why. They work. (MSO)
Click here to buy Soap Flakes

Using Soap Flakes in Arts and Crafts Projects

Many people ask us questions about using Soap Flakes in their arts and crafts project recipes.

Questions like: What are Soap Flakes made of? (100% pure vegetable soap made from palm and coconut oils.)

Can Soap Flakes be used in a particular recipe that requires soap flakes as an ingredient? (Uh, yes!)

Are Dri-Pak Soap Flakes like Ivory Soap Flakes? (Very much so, except Dri-Pak Soap Flakes are a 100% vegetable based soap - no tallow. I believe the old Ivory Snow and Ivory Flakes used a tallow-based soap. Tallow is made from animal parts, fats and so on. Also Ivory added a fragrance to their soap, Dri-Pak does not.)

Are Dri-Pak Soap Flakes like LUX Flakes? (Yes, almost exactly, except LUX Flakes had perfume sprayed on them whereas Dri-Pak Soap Flakes do not.)

The most asked question is how many cups of Soap Flakes are in a one pound bag? (About 4.5 cups.)

There are many craft and art-related recipes that call for using Soap Flakes to make soap-on-a-rope, soap finger paints, or other easy soap making craft or art projects. Often these projects are crafts for kids.

Advice

We notice that some recipes that mix Soap Flakes and water suggest using way too much water.

It doesn't take much water to bind Soap Flakes together. So whether you are making a soap bar from Soap Flakes, or whether you wish to create a block of soap you can carve into a soap sculpture, here is the approach we recommend...

Do this little experiment first to get a feel for how things work.

1. Put a little pile of Dri-Pak Pure Soap Flakes in the palm of your hand. If you have sensitive skin perhaps gloves are in order, however Soap Flakes are very gentle.

2. Add just a little hot water from the tap, maybe half a teaspoon, maybe a little more.

3. Work the soap around in your hands as if you are making a snowball, or a meatball. Alternate between making a ball and then flattening it out into a pancake with your hands. Then, roll it, squeeze it, work it back into a ball, then back into a pancake and so on. Before long there are no more soap "flakes", only a moist clump of soap. (Your hands get kind of sticky and messy in this process but when you rinse them off with water -- Wow. Clean, and soft.)

4. Shape the soap into the shape you want and let it dry. Just let it sit somewhere undisturbed. Within a few days the soap becomes quite hard. At that point, you are either done -- because the soap shape you made was how you wanted the soap to end up -- or, it's time to carve the soap into a sculpture.

5. If sculpting, try using a bent paperclip, a fork, any object really, and gently carve away; creating the form you wish.

It is almost impossible to screw-up unless you use way too much water. (Even then, if you have enough Soap Flakes you can add them and thicken the mix.)

Always start by adding a little bit of water to your Soap Flakes and see what you've got. Then add a little more water. If your mixture is too moist, add a little more soap. Go by feel. It is very easy -- and your hands end up impeccably clean. (MSO)
Click here to buy Soap Flakes

When Softness Matters

Doing a load of laundry a few days ago; I was machine washing some microfiber slacks and a Coolmax dress shirt. I always use Soap Flakes to wash these kinds of garments. I also had a new short-sleeved white 100% cotton shirt that also needed to be washed.

I had previously washed the 100% cotton shirt two times I think using regular detergent, but it was still rather stiff. The fabric did not feel relaxed or particularly soft.

I put the cotton shirt in along with the microfiber slacks and the Coolmax dress shirt and oh my gosh - after spin drying - the cotton shirt was very soft.

Now dry, the shirt feels better than it ever has. The way the fabric feels is wonderful, entirely different. No longer rough and stiff but soft and relaxed.

The tag line for Soap Flakes has always been "When Softness Matters".

I knew washing sweaters and delicate items with Soap Flakes cleaned them well and kept them soft but I had not considered using Soap Flakes on clothing that was a bit too stiff or uncomfortable.

I'm not sure it will work this well every time, but my gosh, I now have this great new comfortable shirt, rather than a rough scratchy thing, and it is all due to using Soap Flakes, warm water, and the gentle cycle on my top loading washing machine.

I'm slow I guess. When Softness Matters, use Soap Flakes! (MSO)
Click here to buy Soap Flakes

How to Dissolve Soap Flakes

Soap flakes dissolve best in hot water, the hotter the better. However, please be aware that some garments may be harmed by washing in hot water...so always check your garment labels!

Soap flakes, at least Dri-Pak Soap Flakes, will also dissolve just fine in warm water.

The key is to "agitate" and to give it a little time.

In a Washing Machine

If you are using a washing machine, put in your Soap Flakes and let the machine add some warm water. Don't put your clothes in yet! Start your wash cycle and let the machine action agitate the soap and water for a good two or three minutes, then check the water. If there are no flakes floating in the water, they must have dissolved. If you see some flakes still floating around, agitate a couple of minutes more.

An alternate method is to start filling your machine with some hot water and Soap Flakes. Move your machine cycle forward to prematurely stop the filling, and agitate for a couple of minutes. Then, move the cycle backward. Finish adding cooler water, and go on to wash as usual.

Once you know how this process works for you, in your machine, it will become an automatic wash habit, you won't have to be checking the water all the time. Reading about this makes it seem much harder to do than it really is.

By Hand

If you launder a few items by hand in a bucket, tub, or sink, you can see everything as it is happening. You're doing it yourself. You are there. Hands in the water, eyes on what you are doing, you get the picture. Laundering by hand allows you to feel the entire process.

Start by putting some Soap Flakes in first, probably about a tablespoon's worth per gallon of water. Then, add some hot water and carefully swish it around. Maybe add more hot water if necessary. After it looks and feels as if the Soap Flakes have been absorbed into the water, you may want to add more water, perhaps cooler water. Then begin washing your fabric or garment. And no matter whether you launder by hand, or in a machine, always rinse well!

The Effects of Hard Water and What to Do About It

If you have extremely hard water, or if your water is quite cool to cold, or if you are using a whole lot of Soap Flakes, dissolving Soap Flakes may be more difficult.

If you have hard water, consider adding a water softening product to your wash water. There are a couple of them widely available, Calgon and Rain Drops. Dri-Pak has a wonderful old single-ingredient water softening product as well, Aqua Softna. However we do not stock this product in the USA as yet.

Washing soda, or Dri-Pak Soda Crystals (slightly different from washing soda), also offers water softening characteristics. The soda acts as a degreaser and as a laundry "booster" too. Washing soda or Soda Crystals adds more power to plain Soap Flakes. It will boost the power of most detergents as well.

Beyond using water softening products in hard water, you can simply use more soap. Although, as the soap attacks the minerals in the hard water; potentially, soap scum may be created. Most people want to avoid that!

Soap scum doesn't hurt anything unless it is left to build up for too long creating clogs. A good washing in hot water and Soda Crystals, no fabrics or garments - this is just a clean out - removes all but the toughest soap build ups in washing machines. Most people will not have to do this, however if you find yourself in a soap scum situation, Soda Crystals and hot water is your way out!

Using Cooler or Cold Water

If you intend to use Soap Flakes in cool or cold water, consider mixing up a small batch using very hot water. You can do this directly in your washing machine and add cold water after the flakes have dissolved. Also, remember that the cleaning power of Soap Flakes is diminished somewhat when you wash in cold water.

Another approach for cooler water washing is to make a Soap Flakes concentrate. Then, add the concentrate to your water, at whatever temperature. The concentrate ought to dissolve quite well as the soap has already been dissolved during the process of making the concentrate.

To make a concentrate, use very hot water. Not much, maybe a quart or two, just enough to dissolve the amount of Soap Flakes you wish to use. The "correct" soap-to-water-ratio will becomes obvious to you after one or two times doing this. Stir and watch the process. The mixture may become gel-like as it cools, but this doesn't hurt anything. You can always add more water at any time to thin it out.

You Can Do It

Using soap and water is not complicated, yet people always have questions. I'm one of those people! I found myself wondering and worrying the first few times I mixed in some Soap Flakes to my warm water. The dissolving is not "instant" in the way many modern products are. But Soap Flakes work just fine. Generations have used them successfully for over 100 years.

You can too! (MSO)
Click here to buy Soap Flakes