UKC

I'm in the process of washing my jacket, trousers and gaiters but I'm having problems finding any soap based products from the local supermarket.

I can see shelves of bio and non-bio detergent, but can I see any packaging that says soap?


Could somebody please advise what soap based products I can use to remove the detergent washing powder that I used to remove the grease and stains at the local supermarket?

I've took a chance on an ecological washing liquid for fine fabrics and wool called "Ecover Delicate".

Is this suitable?

The ingredients are
>30% water
5-15% Anionic surfactants
<5% Non-ionic surfactants
Soap
Table salt
Citric acid
Perfume (type: Limonene)
preservative (0.02%): 2-Bromo - 2- Nitropropane - 1, 3 - Diol


Cheers

In reply to The Lemming:

I think (though might be wrong) Stergene is normal 'soap' rather than more fancy detergent.

In reply to Tall Clare:

The whole thing confuses me. I used to live next to a local Spar shop which sold pure soap flakes which was simples.

But life is never that easy.

In reply to The Lemming:

Oh my god there's a website for everything:

http://www.soap-flakes.com/whataresoapflakes.html !!

and it seems that Boots sell soap flakes.

(this thread is useful because you've just reminded me to think about what to wash clothes in before seeing my eczema-riddled baby nephew at Christmas)

In reply to The Lemming:
Anionic surfactant is a very broad term covering a range of chemicals, could mean anything from fairly benign through to OMG instant skin dissolving.

I'd avoid using it on GOretex without knowing a bit more about it.

In reply to The Lemming:

Bar of soap and a grater.

In reply to Removed User:


Doh!!

Why didn't I think of that?

Especially as I did this last time.

In reply to Tall Clare:

I've used this product before and a very good job it did.

In reply to Tall Clare:

Those are the flakes I use (Dri-Pak).

Supermarkets don't seem to sell soap flakes any more, sadly, but, yes, Boots do seem to.

The OP's Ecover Delicate isn't a pure soap-based cleaner.

Grating soap is only okay if it's a pure bar soap; hand soap generally has other stuff in it too...

In reply to captain paranoia:

Supermarkets round here sell soap flakes as do Wilkinsons. Normally found alongside the household cleaning products rather than the washing powders

Tesco sell a liquid soap (I can't remember the name off the top of my head (I'll report back when I'm home), or you can get Dri-Pak Liquid Soap off ebay etc.

The problem with soap flakes is that they tend to not be very soluble, and then come out of solution in your pipes the other side of (or worse, inside) your washing machine and cause a blockage/flood

In reply to Dan_S:



Beginning to worry as my grated soap flakes from a bar of simple soap isn't going as smoothly as I planned.

The other half will have my knackers on a skewer if I kill the washing machine.

In reply to The Lemming:
I grate bars of veg oil based hand soap. The really cheap unscented stuff, it's about 31p a bar in morrisons.

In reply to The Lemming: ? You can buy pure soap flakes in my local Tesco and ASDA, instructions tell you how to dissolve in hot water so you put it in your machine.

In reply to The Lemming: ahhh - my washing machine has started to smell over the last few months. I chuck in towels and do them at 90C which temporary helps. I use to wash water proof jackets and trousers with pure soap flakes - much cheaper than Nikwax. No sign of blockage but I wonder if partial blockage causing smell? Nikwax doesnt seem quite so expensive now.

In reply to m0unt41n:

try using a 'de-limescale' sachet, and also try washing with some vanish oxy-action stuff (chuck a scoopful in with anything white). It sorted mine out.

In reply to The Lemming: The co op still sells LUX soapflakes

In reply to ebygomm:

I suspect there are regional variations, plus the supermarket size issue; mini-mart, supermarket, hypermarket, Tesco's-stock-every-consumer-item-in- the-world-market, etc.