I did not even see this post. I just asked the very same question in the other thread. Funny!

I have had much luck with hard water using my own homemade soap flakes, so I am interested.

Here is a link that might be useful: my new blog

Nice blog, flutterby! Beautiful plant pictures, too. Please let me know if you get any answers to the soap question on the other thread.--Roses

Thank you Roses, I will let you know if I hear anything.

I just tried CS and we have hard water. It is not from a well but we don't have a water softener so it is hard but not too bad.

I only used it a couple of times and my husband started to break out (on his body) He thought it was the soap for sure. That is the only thing I changed so it is a good chance it was the soap. I recently went back to my old detergent and my husband's skin is getting back to normal.

I am still using the soap for my dishrags and bath rugs, mainly just to get rid of it.

It did seem to clean well. However our clothes are not very soiled. Currently we use method brand.

I also only use cold water to wash clothes. The CS did appear to dissolve well in the cold water.

-Renee

Thanks Renee, that is good to know. I have sensitive skin so I don't think I'll try this one. I don't break out or anything but I itch really bad after using some things. I used to make homemade soap for personal use which was absolutely wonderful for my skin, especially the milk soap. When I got the idea to grate up some of the plain soap for laundry, it did not do well. I got gray clothes with spots on them from it. I was told it was because of the hard water and that I could try adding washing soda.I could never find that in the store so I gave up using my homemade stuff. The search continues.

My husband also has very sensitive skin. He gets hives from dust sometimes, so I would have to agree that if you have sensitive skin also it may not work well for you (although the soap is supposed to be for people with sensitive skin!).

Maybe it just doesn't rinse away as well with our hard water.

-renee

Hello, I'm a Charlie's Soap user. :) I used to be a Tide gal. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Charlie's soap. I don't know what my actual water hardness level is...but, I have Detroit city water. For those with sensitivities, Charlie's does not contain the additives that other detergents have and it will 'strip' those out of your clothes over time. If you are getting a reaction, this may be to the other detergents being stripped out. This is a PERFECT detergent for hunting and military clothes because there aren't any chemical 'brighteners' or scents that are deposited on your clothes. I have no ties to that Company. They make a great product and their customer service is excellent. If you have any questions, go to their website and ask. They are super helpful. Denise

I agree with sspye, I *LOVE* Charlie's Soap. I believe in it so much that at Christmas I gave samples of the laundry powder and the All Purpose Spray to my quilting group. We now buy it by the caseload several times a year and share the savings.

While I don't have hard water, I do have sensitive skin. With the CS I have not have any problems, and have been able to eliminate buying dryer sheets. Clothes come out clean, soft and fresh smelling. No perfumes. I agree that the skin reaction may stem from Charlie's pulling out the residual soap and chemicals from clothes and the walls of the washer.

Originally I purchased their liquid product at a quilt show. It was so good that I saved it to use on my best, or most delicate items. Once I discovered that their laundry powder was available and cheaper (you only use one tablespoon) I began buying through the internet. There are good prices on eBay and directly from Charlie's. Their Customer Service is great.

I could also go on and on about their All Purpose Spray. Because of it, I have been able to get rid of most of my other cleaning products. I make up several spray bottles with different dilutions and they clean road tar, ovens, windows, carpets, eyeglasses, ring-around-the-collar -- you name it.

Did I mention that I *LOVE* Charlie's Soap?

Here is a link that might be useful: Charlie's Soap website

if my husband didn't have any reaction to the soap I used before CS (which was also an all-natural soap) then how come he would have a reaction to the left over soap in the clothes?

That really doesn't make sense to me. Of course it doesn't make sense to me that he was allergic to it, but when I stopped using CS he did get better very quickly so it does seem that he had problems with it.

I also line dry everything and don't use dry sheets and stuff so I know that wasn't the problem.

Anyways, I promised him I wouldn't use it anymore. I tried it at least. I really like the soap we use now, it is just expensive so I thought I would try something cheaper.

-renee

I've seen this pop up from time to time, and I would like to fix it if I can be invited to post the fix. I just don't want to be kicked off for being a commercial.

You need to be invited in? Like a vampire? O.o :grin:

I say, post on! I've already ordered some based on high reviews I've seen elsewhere, so I'd be interested in hearing a fix, just in case this happens to me.

scryn: While your husband could have reacted to Charlie's, it is more likely that he reacted to the build-up of other residue on the clothes or washer that was released by Charlie's. I say let's invite Taylor from Charlie's Soap to explain this to us. Like I said before, their Customer Service is great.

Folly

P.S. I think that he has to be "invited" because we are all prohibited from advertising in our postings. He's a stand-up guy who is just trying to abide by the rules.

No, I know, folly. I was just feeling a bit whimsical. I hope it wasn't taken wrong. I really want to hear Taylor's possible answer and/or fix!

Howdy,

Thanks for inviting me. I tried to post a few things where it didn't look like there was a question posed to me before and I got the garden web police sending me a nice little note. So I try to be vague unless otherwise asked.

I'll try to answer two questions at once. To the price issue, some other people have asked me why Charlie's Soap is so expensive, and I can't figure out what they're seeing. When you get enough to get free shipping, the bag is $13.79 for 80 washes. That's 17 cents per load. I just went to the grocery store where they were selling 120 load bucket of brand T for over $0 which makes 16 to 18 cents depending. If I'm missing something, someone please let me know.

On to the allergic reaction question. When you make the transition to Charlie's Soap, the first thing it does is start to pull out detergent residues. It's not that residues are in and of themselves bad, but they do distract the CS from working to its full potential. For individuals with sensitive skin, we recommend cleaning their clothes 3-5 times after cleaning the machine itself and before letting that person wear them. You don't have to do this all the time, just the first time. Because while another residue may be "hypoallergenic" when used as directed, Charlie's pulls all of it out at once, and on that first or second wash, it's all just layered on the outside of the fabric. Put that on, and yeah, you'll break right out. The Charlie's Soap itself is long gone (rinsability test done at Clemson Unif) It just didn't finish, and it left all that other stuff to be right up next to your skin. After those residues are gone, then dirt and whatnot, comes off in just the one normal wash.

I saw this first hand, a few months back. My sister brought me a shirt from Goodwill. I didn't know where it had been so I decided to wash it. One wash, and my laundry room REEKED of detergent perfume. It took 3 washes to get it down to a dull roar. I figure, one more and it will be gone, but I just haven't gotten around to it.

I hope this helps a bit?

Okay, so this was a bit of a commercial, but I tried to make it an accurate portrayal of the Charlie's Soap transition.

Great info, thanks.

I'll try to remember to come back and post a review (good, bad, or neutral) after I get my soap. Which should come soon, I hope. :)

That's all anyone could ever ask for!

...oh, and a message for Taylor. My old Speed Queen TL washer finally bit the dust and I bought a new Kenmore Elite HE5t. I love my Charlie's Soap in the new front loader even better, especially since my new washer is so efficient.

I promised some feedback, and I'm back to make good. I've waited until I used it for a couple of weeks for a fairer evaluation.

Caveat: I found out that we have soft water. People with hard water may want to use some Borax.

Pros: Softer clothes. No scent (and none of the rancid smell I always found with "unscented" detergents). Warm fuzzy feeling of knowing that I'm putting fewer harsh chemicals into the water supply. No need for wasteful fabric softener. Does clean clothes well.

Neutral: I still have itchy skin, which I've had for years. It's probably just my skin, and not any detergent, but I was hoping that this would help some. I also now have even more reason to look into reclaiming/diverting greywater from the washer. (This is a neutral because that means work. It probably should be a pro.)

Cons: I have to be a little more careful with pretreating stains, because it seems to let a little more spots through. Also: Static cling, but this is countered by snapping out clothes before wearing and using more moisturizing lotion on my skin.

Overall: I'm very happy with this product and have already ordered more so that I can give away some to my mother. She has long been bothered by scented cleaners, so I'm taking some down for her to try. Maybe I'll get her hooked on it and and longer have to deal with that musty/rancid smell when I visit. :-)

witeowl: I've been checking back periodically hoping to get your follow-up. And I'm glad to see that your experience tracks with mine. Also, CS doesn't seem to fade dark fabrics like my former detergent did.

P.S. Glad to see that tip about snapping clothes to combat static cling.

Folly

Thanks for the post! Anyone who ever has any questions can always ask. I have a suggestions about lots of things, but I'll wait for someone to ask me at our place to go into it.

I bought a bottle of Mrs. Meyer's laundry detergent a month ago. It's a pretty natural product too, and does a super job of cleaning. I am a professional gardener and you can imagine what kind of stains I get on my work clothes, and also an avid cook........yet a different type of stain. Mrs. Meyer's has a light scent of natural oils and it doesn't leave your clothes reeking, but I can detect a clean, fresh scent from my basket of clothes when I put them away. I do not use bleach or any booster with it, but things like my white linens and even my pastry cloth with it's ground in grease ring are coming whiter with each wash. It seems to leave the clothes a lot softer as well, when they are line dried. I'm loving it.

My son is very sensitive to laundry detergents and can easily break out (even with the name brand expensive ones) and I started using a product called melapower which is non toxic. Since my kids are small I try to use all non toxic and green products in my home. He has not even an itch, I am so happy with this laundry detergent. Hey scryn, maybe this would help your husband, it is not expensive either. let me know what you think..... dahdbs@comcast.net

thanks, I did use melapower for a while. It didn't bother my husband like charlie's did. It is just annoying to have to order the melapower (had to get it online) We use method now and I can get it at a number of stores in my area. It is also natural and contains no phosphates. I wash all my cloths in cold water (I know! But I am cheap!) and it works really well in cold water. I probably never had luck with charlie's because our water is so cold.

-rj

Hi, I am a mother of 3 and all of my children (1 as the youngest) were diagnosed with sensitive skin, one differ from the other in terms of degree and allergens causing the attacks. My son had continous battle with rash here and there and when I consulted his pedia,my detergent seemed to be the culprit.I've researched and very lucky to have encountered Charlie's. Bought 1 jar last week and washed my son's and daughters' clothes first. Up until now,no problem with any rash,or itching and it really makes the clothes clean, and yes whites are whiter as I noticed first hand. Colored clothes seemed unaffected,didn't notice fading. Tried to wash dark blue jogging pants and jumper to put it to a test on dark garments, it worked as an angel, great results on all our clothes, whatever color it may be.I am so happy and satisfied that I've already ordered for 2 more jars of my newly found gem � ( it really is to me for many reasons a picky Mom would have) via online. And also with this I would like to say..thank you Charlie's for making our lives easier...goodluck to giving us quality and environment safe products...