Back to basics: Fels-Naptha
Huh? Fels what? Fels-Naptha, an old-school bar laundry soap that's a staple in DIY detergents and is used for numerous home remedies.
Happy 2010 and welcome back to another edition of “Back to basics,” a series of posts where I feature old-school (gotta love the retro packaging) household products that have stood the test of time for good reason: they’re often cheaper, more effective, and more planet-friendly than chemical-heavy modern concoctions.
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Comments
Ever since I was very little my grandmother and mother had us bath in it if we had been out in the woods or working ih the yard just to keep us form getting Poison Ivy. I works if you shower right after you finish or was your hands in between.As a mom ow to I do the same thing as it removes all the oil from the body that causes the rash and other things that you might get,Highly Reconmened for such jobs.
I get just about every kind of stain you can think of out easily.
All I do is:
1) tear paper off 1/2 the bar of soap.
2) wet stain with water from washer
3) wet bar soap with water from washer
4) rub wet bar soap into wet stain
5) let sit while washer fills
6) drop item into washer
7) repeat if necessary (almost never necessary.)
Oh yes I've used it - and let me tell you - NOTHING gets stains out of white baseball pants like this stuff does! It has also "saved" many tops and blouses that were destined to go to the great beyond when other stain removers had failed to remove greasy spots. Fels Naptha is a MUST HAVE for all laundry rooms!
If, by some chance you're in Michigan.... Meijer sells Fels Naptha. :)
I bought my first bar of Fels Naptha when my oldest daughter was born in '99. It's by far the best stain remover for baby "blow outs" that I've ever tried. It's also great on baby food stains. Just dampen the stain and rub the bar into it a bit.
It is tough to get a sliver out of your skin if it is totally under the surface. Or if it's a brittle material, like metal. Or if it's in a young kids' hand and you don't want to dig in the wound with a needle. Mix a small sliver of Fels Naptha with a little bit of sugar and just enough water to make a paste. Put it on the wound and cover with a band aid. In a short time (usually half-an-hour or so), peel up the bandage and check. The paste will draw it out quickly and painlessly.
I've used Fels Naptha laundry bar soap for a poison ivy treatment since the 50's as it works just as well if not better than Calamine Lotion. Just wet the bar and rub over the affected area and let the suds dry on your skin.
Enter your comments here My mother,who is with our Lord after dying last year at the of 96, taught me this years ago. Mix shaved soap with a bit of sugar and water into a thin paste. Use it as a poultice on an infection on your skin. I have found that in many cases it works better than triple antibiotic ointment. It WILL draw out the infection.
