CAS 68956-56-9 Hydrocarbons Terpene Processing Byproducts are derived from turpentine not petrochemicals. Complex mixture of limonene, terpinolenes and similar isomers. Whether it is harmful in Fels naptha soap depends on the concentration. Skin and eye irritant.

Fels Naptha no longer contains Stoddard Solvent. It still contains "terpene processing by-products". Terpenes are a large and various group of plant based hydrocarbons. The most common form people are acquainted with is terpentine. There are no petrochemicals in Fels Naptha.

I have been using Fels Naptha bar soap for a couple of years to make my own liquid laundry detergent. After reading Debra's review, I would like to switch to a cleaner bar soap for grating into the liquid. I've tried Dr. Bronners but it doesn't seem to work as well. Does anyone have any suggestions?

I found the fels naptha soap to work well as a spot remover, but could not continue to use it because it would cause my hands to completely dry out and flake. The other issue was the strong fragrance. I stored it in a sealed container in the garage, but it wasn't worth the trouble.

A liquid soap suggestion for Lisa from SC: I find Sungold's Fragrance-Free Level H Liquid Soap works better than Dr. Bronner's as a body wash- They do have bar soap and laundry soap, but I haven't tried them. ( sungoldsoap.com )

Lisa,
I have found an old fashioned lye soap that I like very much. It is made in the traditional way and I use it to bathe in and the stronger version for laundry soap. It works really well. Check out www.mosoap.com. Deborah

Does anyone know if the same formula was used for Fels Naptha soap from 1955-1960--or how to even begin to find out that info?

My husband bought some "old fashioned lye soap" late this summer at a hardware store near an area where there is quite a bit of hunting. He said the clerk said that hunters buy it so there is no scent to scare off the game.

maybe hardware stores are a gem we have overlooked.

I an 71. I have used Fels Naptha bar soap almost all of my life. Use gloves if it bothers your skin although it has never bothered mine. I have no health problems except thyroid. I have purchased it at local Wall Mart. If you put it in a jar with water to sit it will eventually melt down so you will not have to shave it. I love this old soap. It does a wonderful job and everything smells so much cleaner in the end. Hope this helps.

I started using Fels Naptha as a shampoo and absolutely love it. BUT one day it dawned on me that it may not be safe to use. I wash my hair two to three times a week, and it really made my hair squeaky clean! I'm sad to think I should not be using it. Any input about this?

hello!! a good alternative is Kiss My Face Pure Olive Oil Soap. I love it for making liquid or powder laundry soap and anything else!!! Some soaps are not good for laundry soap, like ivory bar soap, but this one IS good! Here is a link: www.vitacost.com/Kiss-My-Face-Pure-Olive-Oil-Bar-Soap?csrc=GPF-028367731481 Ingredients: Saponified olive oil, water and sodium chloride.

Part of what I like about Fels Naptha for dry laundry detergent is the low cost. Other bars of soap can get expensive, and although I like to be "green" I also like to save money on the cost of doing laundry. Does anyone know of a good "cheap" bar of laundry soap?

An old-school tile setter thinks that Naptha soap makes an excellent tile grout sealer. Has anyone heard of this? Thanks!

Thank you, K Curtis from Illinois. I will definitely try melting the soap in a jar of water. I still have several bars.

Debra, what do you think of PhillyGrl's comment (2nd post) as to whether the soap is safe to use as laundry detergent?

Thanks to everyone who is leaving comments.

Linda, I use plain Ivory soap grated instead of Fels baptha, which is harder to find. but there's nothing like a liquid naphtha solvent for getting difficult stains out, so have it for emergencies in your stain arsenal, high on a kid safe shelf in the laundry room. Nothing beter for weird stains, except perhaps that stuff at the dollar store, "awesome" in the yellow bottle, that gets our random "baby stains" magnificently.

I like Zote soap. It's a Mexican laundry soap made for hand scrubbing your clothes by a body of water, so it's nontoxic. You can find it in dollar stores, including Dollar General, and in the hispanic sections of pharmaceutical stuff in a regular grocery store or drugstore.

I use it to handscrub underwear and stained stuff before I wash. It's very effective. One bar lasts forever. You can buy it in pink or white. The pink is more readily available, and it has not stained anything I use it on pink.

It does have a smell. I like the smell. I read somewhere that its'c citronella, which I normally don't care for.

I keep a semi-liquid watery mess of it in a small soft drink bottle in my kitchen. I've got it to gelatinous consistency.

I discovered Zote before I ever learned about Fels Naptha. Zote is so effective that I am not interested in trying Fels Naptha, with its petrochemicals or whatever.

Some people even wash dishes with Zote, just by putting some wet Zote on a dishrag.

Dipentene CAS Registry Number 68956-56-9
Someone posted the CAS number about chemicals in Fels Naptha. A google search shows it as Dipentene. If that is what is in Fels Naptha, then it is very toxic to soil organisms (your septic system), and aquatic environments (sewage treatment plant discharging to a river). Just reporting the facts.

Hello....I am going to try the zote soap if I can find it...I have looked everywhere for washing soda. Does anyone know where to find this, and if it is safe? I understand it is the same chemical as used in swimming pools? Thank-you so much for all the input...

Jan, if you have a Harris Teeter nearby, you can buy washing soda there, in the laundry section. Just ask if you can't find it. I buy mine from HT all the time.

Please check out the ingredients for Zote soap. It has optical brighteners (which are also in many laundry detergents and serve to make whites look brighter but do not clean,) dye, and perfume, as well as oil of citronella. This last ingredient although natural and non-toxic, can be a skin irritant to some, just as much as dye or perfume.
I found the ingredients listed here:
reviews.ebay.com/Zote-Soap-is-Great-for-Cleaning-and-Fishing-too_W0QQugidZ10000000003252259

Publix, Harris Teeter, and Ingles all carry the Washing Soda and Borax commonly used in making your own homemade laundry detergent. I use a bar of handmade soap instead of the Fels Naptha or Ivory. It can be more expensive if you have to buy it, but my daughter has eczema and the handmade soap doesn't make it worse like most storebought soaps. I make my own handmade soaps from scratch using the cold process so I know exactly what goes into it.

Wow! I was going to try a homemade laundry detergent and found the Zote soap in the laundry section at Wal-Mart (where I also found washing soda and borax). I wanted to know more about the Zote soap and did a google search which eventually landed me here. What a nice find! I hope you ladies can find the things you're looking for. Wal-Mart had washing soda on almost the bottom shelf at the end of the laundry detergent shelves. There were only a couple boxes there. Must be everyone is making homemade soap. :) I have seen the soda in our local grocery store also.

I recently bought a bar of Fels Naphtha and was surprised that it had changed from having a 'utility room' odor to being perfumed! So I checked the ingredients, and, learning nothing useful, went on the internet and found this site. Which is great!

Learning that this soap can affect sensitive skin and may be harmful to septic systems I will use only the one bar. (I had intended to use it for cleaning brushes after painting pictures.)

I am soaking it in a quart jar of water, to use gradually in the laundry.

Now I have a question: assuming the entire bar dissolves in a quart of water, how much do I add to each load of laundry? Or am I creating something that is best not used at all? I am concerned about the environment.

Thanks!