Bio soap????

[tommy the cat]

After a conversation with Jase I have wanted to get a cheap and easy bio/enviro friendly soap.
Now the spec must allow me to use the 'soap' for dishes, washing clothes inc wool, and washing hair and body.
So what do you use?
The only thing that I have found so far is Sunlight pure soap......this seems to tick most of the boxes but not sure about how biodegradable/envirofriendly it is?
I've looked at some of the bio washing up liquids but they have warnings about getting it in your eyes which sounds like fun to wash with.
Your thoughts please Dave
Ps lets not talk about fat and wood ash...

 

[Belargehair]

Perhaps a glycerin soap? Also great for softening leather I believe.

 

[British Red]

Check the ingredients of all soaps and detergents. Anything with palm oil is about as enviromentally friendly as agent orange

This oil is produced from trees grown in massive monoculture plantations established after the rainforest is cut down.

Can't find an ingredient list on Sunlight online. If they wont state what fat base they use - avoide them

Red

 

[johnnytheboy]

What about the lifeventure soap, it works for clothes food and oneself, I havebeen using it for a few years and it is good enough

 

[tommy the cat]

Check the ingredients of all soaps and detergents. Anything with palm oil is about as enviromentally friendly as agent orange

This oil is produced from trees grown in massive monoculture plantations established after the rainforest is cut down.

Can't find an ingredient list on Sunlight online. If they wont state what fat base they use - avoide them

Red

Didn't have the ingredients on the packet either!!!
Ok back to the drawing board....glycerine soap???
D

 

[tommy the cat]

Hmnnn..Fri, 10 Feb 2006 14:05:02 -0800

Different formulations in different countries? Haven't seen bar soap
for a long time but cakes of Sunlight bath soap here (Australia) are
labelled as 'pure soap'. Don't know what is normally added to 'unpure'
soap but the ingredients listed on the packet of Sunlight soap are:
Sodium tallowate, water, sodium cocoate, and/or sodium palm kernelate,
glycerin, fragrance, sodium chloride, titanium dioxide, etidronic acid,
tetrasodium EDTA.

 

[British Red]

sodium palm kernelate is the evil stuff

Pure olive oil soap is good stuff - less than a quid from Holland and Barrett.

Oliva - Pure Olive Oil Soap
Made from pure unrefined olive oil, Oliva is kind and gentle to the skin.Oliva is not tested on animals, contains no artificial colours or perfumes, is completelyvegetarian. 100% biodegradable

http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/pages/product_detail.asp?pid=1088

I see no reason why it won't work on hair, clothes or pots

Red

 

[forestwalker]

Or make your own. Our latest batch was about 2/3 moose and 1/3 coconut fat (the latter from the grocery store, the former "obtained directly from the original producer"). Many other fats can be used. No, you do not need any very special equipment (a thermometer and a mixing wand is as special as it gets.)

Any soap you want to use on your body will be a somewhat poor dishwashing detergent; you want the soap to have an excess fat content (i.e. some of the fat is not saponified), but you want your dishes as fat free as possible. But sure, the bar of soap you use on your hands and face will help clean your dishes. And just about anything works on your clothes, at least for field porpoises.

 

[locum76]

whats wrong with ecover?

 

[Eric_Methven]

I'll also go along with the Olivia olive oil soap. It looks like a solid square bar of carbolic, but it's not. It is good for all the things you want from soap and I can recommend it from personal experience.

Eric

 

[tommy the cat]

To be honest I first started looking for something to wash wool with.
I have been using soap flakes for wool but the missus hates the smell ( to be honest it does smell a bit milky.)
So was looking at 100% soap for that purpose then read that it said suitable for washing plates and body. The negative is the palm oil which I didn't think about so will not be buying it again.
The olive oil looks the way to go wonder if it would be ok on wool.
Ta Dave

 

[Chris the Cat]

I have just ordered some 2% pine tar soap from the 'Carbolic soap company'
( my old fav 'Granppars wonder pine tar soap' used palm oiul,this one doesn't,is made in the UK,and comes in a 200g ,tripple milled bar! Check it out! )
Hope this is of help.
Chris.

 

[Greenbeast]

yeah any 'proper' soap will work, those involving fat/oil and sodium (or potassium) hydroxide not these modern detergent bars

i make all my own from various fats and oils

i use it for body and clothes and dishes (don't wash my hair with anything but water) and its biodegradable

 

[forestwalker]

The olive oil looks the way to go wonder if it would be ok on wool.

It will. When washing wool I use grated bits of our homemade soaps (generally not 100% olive oil, but that would work just as well). It even works in the washing machine.

 

[EdS]

I have just ordered some 2% pine tar soap from the 'Carbolic soap company'
( my old fav 'Granppars wonder pine tar soap' used palm oiul,this one doesn't,is made in the UK,and comes in a 200g ,tripple milled bar! Check it out! )
Hope this is of help.
Chris.

Unfortunately it still uses palm oil - I've some at home

 

[Chris the Cat]

Bum!
C da C.

 

[EdS]

Bum!
C da C.

my exact words - I'll double check tonight though

 

[machifu]

How about this one: http://www.seatosummit.com/products/display/73

 

[Eric_Methven]

Olivia olive oil soap is perfect for wool. I get mine from Wingham Wool Work (scroll down to bottom of page). It is cheaper in Holland and Barret though so I'll get it from them in the future.

Eric

 

[tommy the cat]

Thanks folks. Good info again.
Daveyo