Fels Naphtha safety

[patandchickens]

I guess my question would be, how MUCH Stoddard solvent.

BTW note that WD-40 is largely Stoddard solvent.


Pat

 

[Henrietta23]

I take it no one here has tried homemade bar soap as a substitute for the Fels?

I haven't made my own laundry soap yet, I can't find anything but the borax. I read somewhere that the washing soda, sodium carbonate, is also pool ph balancer, but haven't looked, as it is not pool season here for a while. Any opinions on this?

I see no reason to make my own if it is not better for me and for the environment. Even if it washes out of my clothing, it is going to ultimately end up in our water supply. That is something I think about more and more.

That's part of my concern too. I not only want the detergent I make to be inexpensive, I need it to be healthy and environmentally friendly as possible.

 

[Beekissed]

I don't think its any worse for the environment than the commercial brands.
The purpose of making homemade soap is the savings involved, which can be substantial, especially if you have a large family.
You can make your own and it can cost 3 cents a load.

I do know that it is supposed to be better for your septic system than commercial detergents. Those of us dependent on septic tank performance find this aspect particularly attractive.

I'm with Pat on the question of~how much solvent is in this soap?

An article I found said this:

In the United States, "Stoddard
Solvent" seemingly can be used to describe any hydrocarbon solvent
used for its original purpose of dry cleaning.

Here is a link to information on health and environmental impact of Stoddard's Solvent:

http://www.temarry.com/chemicals/stoddard_solvent.htm

 

[Henrietta23]

Thanks Bee. We're on a septic system too, so that is good to know. I still hadn't heard back from the company but when I looked at the Dial site again I found the MSDS. Here's a link: http://www2.prosarcorp.com/dialconsumer/
I still haven't looked at it. I'm going to now.

 

[Helena]

Here's what's in Ivory soap (info excerpted from site at bottom of post):

Ivory Soap^(TM) (Moisture Care Skin Conditioning Bath Bar -Unscented) ingredient list:

sodium cocoyl isethionate (detergent)
paraffin (petroleum wax)
sodium cocogylceryl ether (detergent)
glycerin (humectant -- attracts water)
water
magnesium stearate (colorant)
stearic acid (stiffener)
magnesium carbonate (absorbent)
coconut acid
sodium isethionate (antistatic agent)
sodium sulfate (prevents dripping)
sodium chloride (salt)
magnesium laurate (detergent)
lauric acid (prevents erosion)
sodium laurate (detergent)
trisodium etidronate (preservative, prevents erosion)
masking fragrance (this soap says it is unscented!)
PEG-90M (binder/emulsion stabilizer)
titanium dioxide (whitener)

99-44/100% Pure -- DECODED!

Proctor & Gamble determined that in order soap to be 100% pure, the constituents would have to be only fatty acids and alkali. It was determined that the 56/100 of the ingredients of Ivory soap did not fall in the pure soap category. In 1882, an Ivory advertisement appeared that stated the slogan "99-44/100% Pure". This calculation was created by Proctor in which 56 was subtracted from 100 to account for a result of 44. The 56 consisted of the following impurities: uncombined alkali, 11%; carbonates, 28%; and mineral matter, 17%.

This is simply a game with numbers to deceive the public. Ivory soap by their own admission, is only 44% pure.

http://thebathshop.com/aboutus.html

 

[freemotion]

Yikes....I never really liked the smell of Ivory, or any artificial scents, really. I prefer homemade unscented soap to anything artificial.

I will try a batch of laundry soap with homemade soap after a few weeks of using the fels naptha, for experience. As a massage therapist, we have a lot of oily stains on everything, so a stronger version may be needed.

We have to also remember that soap is made with caustic lye, so there will probably always be some level of chemical traces....but I am not talking about the commercial brands, which are hardened chemical soup! Yik!

 

[the simple life]

Nothing in the world is really pure anymore and we just have to pick and choose the lesser of two(or many) evils when it comes to stuff like this.
The world is surrounded by chemicals and we ingest them every day, I would say laundry soap no matter what it is made of is a lesser concern unless you are highly sensitive to detergents, because they at least wash out for the most part.
I still think the homemade soap has to be the lesser of the two evils when it comes to the commercial soaps
I make it though because its cheaper, and thats it.

 

[Beekissed]

Same here, TSL!

 

[Henrietta23]

I wasn't disagreeing that making your own is better than the commercial stuff. I just don't want to be using a product when I don't know what's in it.
Edited because I got defensive and cranky. Was sick with a stomach bug yesterday and now DH has it. I'm exhausted and don't feel like apologizing for wanting more information about a product before I put it into the environment. Oh well, I sound b*itchy anyway.

 

[freemotion]

Henrietta, you're allowed....personally, I am always struggling to "pick my poison." What can I do to be more "green" and more ss and more health conscious without going insane? (More insane, that is.... )