Anyone use Charlie's Soap for laundry?

[KIN]

I'd love to hear what your thoughts are on it. I purchased a small bag and am trying it out, but I'm not convinced yet. :rolleyes: Do you use fabric softener of some kind with it? Thanks!

[Kendra]

We love Charlie's Soap. Because we stay away from fabric softener to protect two of our daughters with eczema, we use vinegar in place of fabric softener. I can't recall what our clothes felt like before we went this route, but they feel soft enough now.

Does that help?

[Lorna in the boonies]

I use it. I switched over about 4 months ago and have been very happy with it.

My dh has very sensitive skin, and using Charlie's Soap has helped with that.

My clothes are getting just as clean as they used to get with Tide, and I don't have to buy expensive for-sensitive-skin-so-it-never-seems-to-go-on-sale fabric softener any longer (though I switched to using vinegar for the last 6 months or so I used normal detergent).

I don't use any fabric softener (or vinegar, either) at all any longer and haven't noticed a need for it -- everything is coming out soft. While my towels certainly wouldn't pass for brand-new-from-the-store-soft towels, they are much softer than they had been when I was using Downy and hanging them out on the line (I hang all my laundry out and never use my dryer).

I'm happy and won't be going back to Tide or anything else any time soon. While I don't see it as the miracle product so many seem to view it as, I have been very pleased with it.

Hope this helps --

[KIN]

Do you think it makes your clothes pill??? I don't know if it is the soap or the fact that I'm examining everything so carefully to be sure it's clean, but some of my things seem more pilly than they were. What about baby spit up? Do you use some kind of spray on spot remover?

[Miss Peregrine]

I really, really want to like it because I like that it's not Tide or some other mass marketed stuff. And because I would rather have something more eco friendly, but it just does not work very well here. I ended up with stained clothes, dingy clothes and they felt strange.

As proof of how much I want it to work, I just bought another bag hoping to try it again *sigh*

[Kendra]

Hmmm... no pilling here.

I do use Zout for spots on the non-eczema owners' laundry, and if it's really bad, I soak in Biz. I really have to be careful just for two out of the nine of us, but it is so nice not to have to switch detergents and sort out laundry for two of us. Can you imagine? And with a newborn coming, I think I'd just be sorting and washing all day long!

[melissel]

Ooh, I've been wondering this very same thing! *scribbles notes furiously*

[Kendra]

That seems weird to me. Maybe we have different water? Ours is on a softener and is well water...

[melissel]

I really, really want to like it because I like that it's not Tide or some other mass marketed stuff. And because I would rather have something more eco friendly, but it just does not work very well here. I ended up with stained clothes, dingy clothes and they felt strange.

As proof of how much I want it to work, I just bought another bag hoping to try it again *sigh*

Keep in mind that your clothes may look dingier because there are no optical brighteners or color-safe bleaches in Charlie's. They make a HUGE difference in that respect, but they're also the main "pollutants" in conventional detergents. That was the first thing I noticed when I started using a natural detergent.

[Lorna in the boonies]

I haven't noticed any pilling.

Our water is very hard and is well water.

[Miss Peregrine]

That seems weird to me. Maybe we have different water? Ours is on a softener and is well water...

I have heard that it doesn't work as well in hard water. I don't think our water is hard though...

Keep in mind that your clothes may look dingier because there are no optical brighteners or color-safe bleaches in Charlie's. They make a HUGE difference in that respect, but they're also the main "pollutants" in conventional detergents. That was the first thing I noticed when I started using a natural detergent.

True and very good point. I do have that bag just sitting here. Like I said, I really want to use it. :)

[Faithseed]

In fact, I just received a 5 gal bucket! Hopefully that will last a while....but with the farm work, one never knows!!

It's true that Charlie's doesn't have any brighteners. If I have something really dingy, or mud on socks, or something, I'll add a scoop of oxiclean. That' does the trick. If it doesn't, I'll soak the load overnight in oxiclean and Charlies. No grime has yet survived this treatment.

Also, note that while using regular detergents, your clothes retain some of it in the fibers. It will take several (sometimes 3-4) washings to get it all out. After that, it is smooth sailing. Think of it as a Charlie's Soap Right of Passage for your clothes :rolleyes:

Hope this helps!

[ophelia3431]

linkage please

I should make the time to prepare my own but to be honest with DH's crazy work schedule as a scout de and with the 2 monkeys in cub scouts(I lead both...sigh) and the dragon and 4-h as of late... just plain old life really I haven't gotten around to it so id like to try some premade

[Miss Peregrine]

Charlie's Soap (www.charliesoap.com)

[melissel]

It's true that Charlie's doesn't have any brighteners. If I have something really dingy, or mud on socks, or something, I'll add a scoop of oxiclean. That' does the trick. If it doesn't, I'll soak the load overnight in oxiclean and Charlies. No grime has yet survived this treatment.

Well, I was going to come back and say this very thing :D That's what I did when I was washing using just baking soda and vinegar.

You all have convinced me to go for it, too. I'll put in my order for Charlie's tomorrow. I love that they have free shipping.

But now I have another question. Has anyone noticed if it makes a difference whether you use powder or liquid?

[melissel]

True and very good point. I do have that bag just sitting here. Like I said, I really want to use it. :)

It's hard when you're used to powerful conventional detergents. I've been using Arm & Hammer for a long time now, but recently I got a small free bottle of All from Freecycle. After a few loads, I was totally amazed at how much brighter the laundry was looking! Then I realized it was all the added components, and was sad that I'd eventually have to go back to my crummy, dingy laundry, LOL! I do think Oxyclean is a good supplementary product, and I think it gets the whites and light colors brighter than the detergent alone. It's an OK trade-off for our household.

[ophelia3431]

ty

(i feel silly... id have never thought it was charlies soap .com ):o

[Rebecca in GA]

We made the switch to Charlie's about six months ago and won't go back. We have soft water, which may make a difference, but our clothes have never been softer or fresher. I don't notice any dinginess or pilling. I especially love that Charlie's takes every smell out of pajamas, underwear and sheets that have been subjected to overnight wetting.

I have one child with severe eczema and his skin has calmed down immensely since we started using Charlie's. Price-wise, because we were using Tide and Downy, it's actually cheaper for us to use Charlie's. And no, we don't use any type of fabric softener or even vinegar.

We use rags for cleaning, and sometimes they get musty or sour-smelling. I wash them on hot with two scoops of Charlie's and they come out fresh.

So, there's my commercial. ;)