Naptha is most commonly used as a pre-stain treatment that lasts longer than remedies sold in giant plastic bottles. Not only is Fels-Naptha cost- and planet-conscious, it’s also highly effective particularly on stubborn, oily stains like lipstick, chocolate, baby formula and perspiration.
Grated Fels-Naptha is also a staple in homemade laundry detergent recipes along with 20 Mule Team Borax (Fels-Naptha’s sibling product in the 1890s) and Arm & Hammer Washing Soda. It’s said that one bar of Fels-Naptha can help make a year’s worth of laundry detergent. Talk about cost efficient….
And like any good “Back to basics” product, Fels-Naptha is extremely versatile. It can be used to remove soap scum in bathrooms, clean paintbrushes, sooth bug bites, treat poison ivy, oak, and sumac rashes, and when used in combination with other natural ingredients, a Fels-Naptha-based tonic helps keep bugs and weeds at bay in gardens. And here’s an interesting tidbit: it’s rumored that in the 1920s and 30s, jumbo-sized Fels-Naptha was the preferred type of soap used by mothers when “washing out the mouths” of potty-mouthed children.
It must be noted that Fels-Naptha isn’t environmentally flawless. As one point, it contained a key petrochemical ingredient, Stoddard Solvent, and continues to contain artificial colors and fragrances. And, like most household cleaning and laundry products, Fels-Naptha can irritate the skin and eyes when overused. So please, even though it’s a bar soap, don’t take showers with the stuff.
(Fels-Naptha once contained Stoddard solvent, a skin and eye irritant. According to the ingredients list on the Fels-Naptha website, Stoddard solvent is no longer included in the soap.[1] Wikipedia)
Bathroom
- Bathtub/Shower - to clean, rub a wet bar of Fels Naptha on a sponge and wipe down the tub/shower. Rinse.
- Grout - to clean, rub a soft brush across a bar of Fels Naptha before scrubbing the grout.
- Sink - to clean, rub a wet bar of Fels Naptha on a sponge and wipe down the sink.
General Cleaning
- Aluminum - to clean and shine, rub a damp rag across a bar of Fels Naptha and buff the aluminum to a shine.
- Dish Soap - to make your own, dissolve 1 part Fels Naptha in 2 parts water.
- Drawers - to open smoothly, rub the tracks with a bar of Fels Naptha
- Hands
- to remove grease, wash hands with a bar of Fels Naptha
- to remove ink, wash hands with Fels Naptha
- Paint Brushes - to clean, wash the bristles with Fels Naptha
Laundry
- Laundry Detergent - to make your own, try this Laundry Detergent Recipe. I have been using it ever since I found out about Fels Naptha and have perfected it over the last 15 years.
- Poison Ivy - to remove the resin from clothing, wash clothes with some grated Fels Naptha.
- Pre-treatment - to make your own, dissolve 1/4 bar of Fels Naptha in 2 cups hot water and 1/2 cup vinegar. Pour mixture into a spray bottle. Spray the item and allow item to sit for 1-hour before washing.
- Shoes - to clean canvas shoes, run a soft brush across a bar of Fels Naptha and brush away the dirt before washing.
- Stains
- Baby Formula - to remove, rub the stain with a wet bar of Fels Naptha and soak the item in Borax and water for 30 minutes before washing.
- Chocolate - to remove, rub the stain with a wet bar of Fels Naptha and soak the item in Borax and water for 30 minutes before washing.
- Makeup - to remove, rub the stain with a bar of Fels Naptha prior to washing.
- Oil Based - to remove, rub the stain with a wet bar of Fels Naptha and allow it to sit for 1-hour prior to washing.
- Wine - to remove, dissolve 1/4 bar of grated Fels Naptha in 1-gallon of hot water. Soak item for 1-hour prior to washing.
- Whites - to make them brighter, dissolve 1/4 bar Fels Naptha in 1-gallon hot water. Soak the item for 1-hour before washing.
- Wring Around the Collar - to remove, rub the area with a bar of Fels Naptha, then using a soft brush work the soap into the area before washing.
Beauty and Healthcare
- Cold Sore/Fever Blisters - to dry up, wash the affected area with Fels Naptha and rinse.
- Poison Ivy - to treat, immediately bathe, washing with a bar of Fels Naptha.
Outdoors
- Deer - to repel, dissolve 1-bar of grated Fels Naptha in a 5-gallon bucket 1/2 full of hot water. In a cheese cloth, put 2 bunches of chopped scallions, 2 heads of unpeeled garlic, 4 eggs (uncracked) and 1 small can of chili powder. Place the cheese cloth in the bucket and crack the eggs. Top the bucket off with more hot water and replace the lid. The the mixture sit for 1-week then pour it into a sprayer. Spray the area that you want to keep the deer away from. Reapply every 2 weeks or after it rains. Beware, this smells nasty!
- Garden
- Insecticide - to kill bugs, dissolve 3 tablespoons Fels Naptha in 1-gallon of hot water. Allow mixture to cool before spraying on plants.
- Repellent - to keep bugs away, cut Fels Naptha into 1-inch pieces and place them at the base of your plants.
- Hides - to tan, dissolve 1 bar of grated Fels Naptha for each gallon of water. Heat the mixture over low heat until it reaches a boil. Allow the mixture to cool before submersing the hide in the gelatinous liquid. Allow the hide to sit in the mixture for 1-2 months.
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