Duz Ad

Automatic Washer - The world's coolest Washing Machines, Dryers and Dishwashers

Help Support :

I remember my mother telling me that joke, but I had forgotten it until you brought it up!

Still not sure about that toilet soap. lol...
 
It's Not What You Think:

"Still not sure about that toilet soap."

"Toilet soap" was the name for a soap mild enough to be used on a woman's face. This usage of the word "toilet" stems from the French word toilette, meaning a lady's efforts to groom herself for public view.

Palmolive, Ivory, Camay, Cashmere Bouquet, and Lux were all popular toilet soaps at the time of this ad. Duz was comparing its mildness to hands with these brands.
 
Toilette

Was not just for ladies, but was French for the rituals of washing and or bathing (what there was of it) in the old days. This could be anything from merely wiping one's hands and face with a barely damp towel in the morning, night or whenever one needed to "freshen-up" to full fledged bathing by immersion in water or showering.

Toilette also encompassed the ritual (some times elaborate), of not only "bathing" but dressing, applying make-up, arranging one's hair, etc before going out in public, or at least leaving the private part of one's household (bedrooms) to the public spaces.

The opening scene of the film "Dangerous Liaisons" shows both Le Vicomte de Valmont and La Marquise de Merteuil going through their morning "toilette".

L.
 
Toilet Soap

Was the name given to soaps that were milder and gentler than say the normal lye and brown general purpose soaps found in most homes in the days when soap was all there is to clean with. Anyone who has made soap at home, or remembers their grandparents whipping up batches from rendered fat around the house/farm can attest to the blessings of "toilet" soap! *LOL*

L.
 
Men and Toilettes:

You're right that the term toilette properly applies to both men and women, but it commonly hasn't been used for a man's grooming since about the nineteenth century. Too feminine-sounding, or something. But it was definitely used for men in the days of the Louis.
 
I think it's interesting to see Duz positioning itself as a superior alternative to detergents. Nobody wants a laundry soap these days, but I do remember a lot of people complaining about detergents making fabrics stiff and scratchy.
 
I use laundry soap exclusively, and find that my wash is softer than a detergent wash. Washing in detergent when on vacation clothes do seem to be stiffer. Could be why many people feel the need to use a fabric softer with a detergent wash.
 
You don't need a fabric softener with soap because soap leaves a coating on the fabrics. Unfortunately, in an automatic, that film can build up on inside surfaces. In the late 40s and early 50s, some manufacturers made both detergent and soap formulas of their products. Soap was cheaper, but if you had the slightest amount of calcium-magnesium salts in the water, you had to use an alkaline-based water conditioner along with the soap to achieve good laundering results. Gradually detergents with the builders for handling hard water minerals already in them won the day. The other factor was the growing portion of the washing machine market being taken over from wringer washers by automatics. Most automatics just did not cope all that well with the high level of suds that a strong solution of soap and water produced when agitated vigorously, especially the brands with perforated tubs which whipped up a heavy froth between the basket and outer tub during spin. The resulting drag caused motors to burn out quickly, among other things.
 
Soap powder

Here is a link to Charlie's Soap. The only place that makes real soap powder.

 
Charlie's "Soap"

Charlie's Soap is a detergent powder, not a soap powder. See the link below for the answer to why he calls it soap.

As to where I get my laundry soap, I roll my own. There is a large group of people who make their own laundry soap. Lots of recipes for it on the internet. I use homemade soap powder. I grate Zote laundry bar with my KitchenAid mixer, on the grater/slicer attachment. I do alot of bars at a time and pack each grated bar in a zip top bag. To make the powder I use 1 bar grated soap, 1 1/2 cups borax, 1 1/2 cups washing soda. Shake it all together in an old OxyWash tub. Use 1 scoop (an old OxyWash scoop), about 2 tablespoons for a wash load. You can use any bar soap, I really like Zote soap.

Pure soap flakes are still available on the internet, but the price is really high. I hear our friends in the UK can still buy soap flakes at the grocery store, lucky dogs!


2-19-2008-11-22-17--phillygrl.jpg.gif
 
Pure soap is just too much effort for laundry, but do like the scent of vintage Fels, Ivory Snow, Lux et al, so will add a small amount when using unscented low foaming (HE) detergent.

Whatever is in the "HE" detergent to decrease foaming, keeps the soap from causing a foam bath in my Miele, and find a detergent soap blend gives the best of both worlds. Much like
the detergent plus soap craze currently on both sides of the pond.

Lux soap flakes are no longer sold nor even made in the UK. However another brand has popped up, perhaps that is what one is seeing on UK shop shelves.
 
I find my soap blend to be low sudsing. I had no over sudsing problems in my old White Westinghouse frontloader, and have had no problems in the new Frigidaire Affinity. Maybe it is the addition of the borax and washing soda that keeps the suds down. Could be that Zote isn't sudsy. I don't know, are there any more knowledgeble members out there that can explain why my soap blend is low sudsing?
 

Latest posts

Back
Top