Charlie's Soap Questions / Alternatives?

[julieakc]

After reading its raves here I ordered some Charlie's Soap for washing my CDs. I noticed that it says to run an empty load (or with some rags) to clean out the washer of any detergent residue.

So those of you who use Charlie's Soap....do you use it for everything or just for your CDs? If you use it only for CDs how do you handle the residue from your other laundry?

Just seems rather pricey for me to switch all my laundry...so are there other more economical options out there that would be good for diapers AND the rest of my laundry?

TIA,

[holliam]

We use it for everything. We were using Allen's Naturally but Charlie's is easier to find locally. I think it's cheaper online.

Holli

[tarahsolazy]

I just tried it this weekend for dipes, and I am very impressed. I'm going to start using it for everything. I think at 1TBS per load, its not gonna be much more spendy than Tide.

[Joolsplus2]

I've still been using up some other bottles of detergent without any terrible results (except you can TELL the other detergent isn't quite as 'clean' as Charlie's...crazy...).
I guess I ordered the 5 gallon bucket, 1280 loads, 10 cents per load. Compared to all small and mighty at $4.39 for 32 loads, charlies is definitely cheaper.
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 3 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[nisi]

I started out using Charlie's for diapers and switched to it for all my laundry. I don't know if the residue from the other laundry would be a problem or not. I suppose it could be, but it probably depends a lot on individual circumstances. I switched because I like it better :-)

If you've been using the generic or store brands, Charlie's is more expensive, but even shipped it isn't really any more than the name brands. Something to consider when figuring the true cost per load is that the number of loads listed on the package of Tide, etc. are for *medium* loads. That's the bottom line on the scoop (or cap for liquid). With Charlie's, the # of loads on the package is the number of full scoops, which is what you'd use for any load, large or small. (Occasionally I'll add a little extra if I have a really dirty load - think 21mo playing in wet sand all afternoon - but it's rarely necessary.) So, when you take the load sizes into account, Charlie's becomes more affordable. Hope that makes sense. Somewhere I read an article about this sneaky labeling on the major brands. I'll see if I can dig it up. They explained it better than I did, I'm sure :-)

ETA..
Found it!
http://countrysave.com/korner.php
Actually, Country Save sounds pretty nice too, but I haven't tried it.

[lizajane]

where go you find it? i am intrigued... we have major laundry issues here. two boys makes for LOTS of stains.

[KrisM]

Okay, i'm going to get some, too. Is liquid or powder best?

Editted to remove email addy.

[julieakc]

Ok, I did some calculations.

Buying one of the small bottles of Charlies @ $10.98 for 16 loads amounts to almost .69 cents a load; I bought 2 of the small bottles so that drops it a little to .61 cents a load.

I generally buy All Free N Clear at Target for around $5 which says it is for 32 loads, making the cost also approximately .16 cents each, although in actuality cheaper as a) most of the time I have a coupon and b) I have a front loading washing machine so I actually use less than the medium level of detergent so I know I get more than 32 loads out of a bottle.

Using those calculations Charlie's is quite a bit more expensive, however if you buy the gallon of Charlie's @ $20.98 which says it does 128 loads, it makes the cost per load a little over .16 cents each, so pretty much the same as the All.

Hmmm....looks like when I'm done with my bottle of All I should buy the gallon and make the switch over to Charlie's for all my laundry!


Summary: the gallon of Charlie's comes out to about the same, (or even less if you use Tide or another more expensive brand)as buying regular laundry detergent, but it's definitely more expensive if you just buy the small bottles.

[julieakc]

I couldn't find it locally, but the online prices include shipping and it got here pretty fast.

www.charliesoap.com

[nisi]

"Summary: the gallon of Charlie's comes out to about the same, (or even less if you use Tide or another more expensive brand)as buying regular laundry detergent, but it's definitely more expensive if you just buy the small bottles."

Ahh... well, I was talking about the powder. If you want the liquid Charlie's then yeah, it is more expensive than most name brands. :( But FWIW, I have *always* been a liquid detergent user and I had no problems switching to Charlie's podwer. No clumping, gouping, or non-dissolving issues at all.

[mypa]

Anyone use Charlie's Soap and have very hard water? Does it work well, do you have to use more than one scoop? It would be nice to have just one detergent for all household needs, not just CD!

[julieakc]

>Anyone use Charlie's Soap and have very hard water? Does it
>work well, do you have to use more than one scoop? It would
>be nice to have just one detergent for all household needs,
>not just CD!

We're in Los Angeles County and water hear is pretty hard. Since I just started using Charlie's (and right now just for diapers) I can't comment too much, but from the couple of loads I've done it seems good. I was having problems with strong ammonia odors with the wet diapers which is why I wanted to try Charlie's, but I can't tell yet if it's solved this problem. I can report back in a couple of weeks (we're on vacation next week so I won't be around to do laundry), but already I do think I am going to make the switch to Charlie's for everything once I use up my current bottle of detergent.

[Joolsplus2]

Like Nisi, I was a huge fan of liquid detergent...but I went right to the powder, and have zero complaints. It's a nice tiny scoop and is easy to dump in my front loader's dispenser, dissolves instantly, and no paying to ship water around the country (side note, we bought some of the multi purpose cleaner too, and totally love it, as well)

:)
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 3 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[mypa]

Thanks for your reply! I live in Orange County and know for a fact that the water here is not only hard it is VERY HARD. I lived in LA before moving here and I think it's worse in OC. :( I would really appreciate your report back after you've used Charlie's Soap for a while. I currently have to use Calgon water softener with CD and that really helped with stink (no more stink so far!) and made the CDs feel much softer.

[lizajane]

whoo hoo! i ordered it! and the all purpose, too. i am very excited. i was cry big tears if it doesn't help me get my stains out.

[KrisM]

I got the same thing! I can't wait to get it.

[DrSally]

I've been thinking of buying some Charlie's powder, so I'm glad I saw this thread to hear other people's experiences. Currently I use All Free and Clear on all our laundry. What is this "residue from other laundry" issue? Can someone explain that to me? Is it when you use regular detergent and Charlie's for different loads? If we switched, we'd prob use it for everything if it works so well.

[Joolsplus2]

I will cry with you if it doesn't help, lol.

Seriously, I've been using it every day for a couple weeks now and no complaints (it even got rid of a lot of those mystery-grease stains that always appear on the front of our tshirts...and the cleaner, yes, I wash the dog with it and it did a fine job on my garbage can yesterday, lol....)


Julie CPS Tech and mom to 3 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[brittone2]

I'm tempted to try Charlie's, as we still use mainstream brands (mostly TIde) for washing clothes, etc. although I use very little and that works great. Anyway, I've read reviews here, at diaperpin, etc. and I know some people have a problem with using it in conjunction with harder water.

Our water isn't terribly hard but it is a little more on that side. When we had water testing done before moving in, they said it had some hardness to it but we didn't really need a water softener (it wasn't *that* bad).

My worry is that we've always done okay without buildup problems, etc. with CDs using plain old Tide so I get nervous to try something else, kwim? I'm afraid to mess with the system.

Does anyone here have harder water and not have a problem?

[nisi]

I have pretty hard water. Actually, I have SUPER hard water, with a softener that brings it down to a tolerable level ;) I've been using Charlie's for everything since late May and I haven't had any problems. It isn't 100% perfect for the dipes - I still do an occasional oxy-soak when they start to seem not quite fresh - but it's been much better than anything else I tried.

That said, if I had a system that worked for me, I wouldn't mess with it :-)

Nisi
CPS tech and mom to 2 girls, 2/01 and 12/04

[CharmedOne]

I'm intrigued too. Can you still use vinegar and baking soda in your wash, or are they not necessary with this soap? I'm hesitant to wash diapers without a vinegar rinse.

Caroline

http://b2.lilypie.com/3k5Am7/.png

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_gold_12m.gif 15 months

[brittone2]

thanks!

[holliam]

I missed Liza asking where to get it locally earlier in the thread, but they have it at Earthfare if you want to try the smaller bottle before committing to the gallon size online.

Holli

[lizajane]

julie-

sadly, we are both in tears. it has not helped AT ALL. what am i doing wrong????? i honestly see zero difference. and pretreating with the AP spray doesn't do anything. on grass, blood, red mud, mysterious grease stains... the stains are ALL still there. sigh. (i tried a few different ways of pretreating, and none worked. and i did let it sit for a good while to be sure it had time to work.)

[lizajane]

thanks, holli. i went ahead and ordered it online.

of course, now to my other point... that it isn't working for me. i was SO excited about simplifying... i am really trying to get rid of "products" and i have been using vinegar and baking soda to clean, wtih great success. (nothing cleans a tub like baking soda and elbow grease!!! whew! the shine!)

the AP did do a pretty good job cleaning my flat top stove. but i do still have a mysterious spot or two. but i have already used a lot trying to get out laundry stains to no avail.

i really want to know what i am doing wrong! i really want it to work!

[mudder17]

Liza, there is a stain remover recipe in Clean House Clean Planet which is supposed to work on a lot of things (although I don't know about stains set in by the dryer). I believe it's made of glycerin and colorless dishwashing soap. I can look up the exact recipe if you wish. Oh, and for blood, I usually spray with peroxide or soak in a solution of peroxide, water and laundry detergent (or if I get it fairly fresh I spray with peroxide).

By the way, did you get my last e-mail about the wipes?

Eileen

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/33734.gif 30 months...

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http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/33732.gif for Leah

[mudder17]

I was sort of wondering the same thing. It turns out that using Tide with Calgon works the best for us (and occasionally I'll use Sportswash instead), and right now I have tons of Tide, so it wouldn't make that much sense for us to switch right now. Maybe when we run out of Tide (probably take us a year at this rate, LOL!), we'll try Charlies. Hopefully you'll all have good reviews by that point! :P


Eileen

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/33734.gif 30 months...

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http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/33732.gif for Leah

[Joolsplus2]

waaaaah...
oxi clean? (same as peroxide, if you have that in the medicine cabinet...)

:/
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 3 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx