Duz Ad

[kenb]

I came across a great website while looking for for vintage ads.

There are dozens and dozens of vintage ads on this site...quite a few appliance ads too.

http://dowhatnow.typepad.com/do_what_now/2007/11/index.html

 

[laundromat]

Toilet soap????????????????????????? I feel flush!!!!!!!!!!

 

[paulg]

Bad joke.

Here is a 1950's era joke my mother told me long ago...
Q: Why did the lady take a box of DUZ to bed with her?
A: Because DUZ DOES EVERYTHING!

 

[kenb]

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...

 

[danemodsandy]

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.

 

[maytagbear]

Likewise, the

slightly diluted perfume is "Eau de Toilette."

Perfume
Eau de
Cologne.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[launderess]

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.

 

[launderess]

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.

 

[danemodsandy]

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.

 

[supersuds]

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.

 

[phillygrl]

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.

 

[supersuds]

I should have said "hardly anybody wants a laundry soap these days."

Where do you get it? I thought granulated soap was no longer made.

 

[toggleswitch]

~I use laundry soap exclusively.

Haven't seen this around in ages. Where does one get some?

 

[tomturbomatic]

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.

 

[westie2]

Soap powder

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

http://www.charliesoap.com/

 

[phillygrl]

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!

http://www.charliesoap.com/faq/#q15

 

[supersuds]

Thanks for the expanantion. I've seen Zote in one store I visit occasionally.

 

[launderess]

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.

 

[phillygrl]

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?

 

[launderess]

Normally when using pure soap for cleaning,one wishes a good layer of creamy suds on top of the wash water. The layer of suds indicates that not all of the soap is being used up to soften water, and enough remains to deal with soils and oils.

To understand the above one must understand a bit of chemistry, but won't bore you with a long lession, it is enough to know that soaps bind with hard water minerals (calcium mainly) which is why water with soap is cloudy. Man made detergents, OTHO do not of themselves soften water, hence the need water softening chemicals from phosphates, to washing soda, to Zeolites, to citrates and so on.

While there are low foaming man made surfactants,soap will always foam except in the presence of hard water and or excessive soils. Think of taking a shower in hard water, it takes more soap to get up a good lather than with soft water.

Problem with using soap to soften water is that as the soap binds with hard water minerals, it forms soap scum, which sticks to everything and can be very hard to dislodge.

Both borax and sodium carbonate (washing soda) are precipitation water softeners, that is they do not sequester hard water minerals, but bind them up, the same as soap. Much the same as soap this can cause scum and such that will stick to everything it touches.

If after repeated laundering in your home-made soap your laundry starts to look dull and grey, then you've got soap scum build-up which must be stripped out.

Another thing, pure soaps do not ever rinse out of textiles, because of the fat and oil content. While this can make certian fabrics feel softer without using fabric softener, it can also lead to not only build up, but textiles actually developing a rancid odour from all that built up oils/fats.

L.

 

[phillygrl]

Thanks Laundress!

Many thanks for the explanation. I have been using soap based laundry products for about 28 years (good grief!). My clothes have not developed a dingy look. Whites get a dose of oxygen bleach to keep them white, and an occasional dose of bluing "gets the yellow out". (Can anyone refresh my memory on what laundry product that line came from?) Work whites eventually get dull, but so what. If anyone is interested there is a company in California that produces a soap based HE laundry product. I have used it. The shipping is expensive for my location, your mileage may vary. And I hear it is available locally in some California locations. Their bath soap is wonderful, with a nice almond scent. The shampoo is very good too. Here's the link to the Seafoam Laundry Soap page.

http://calbenpuresoap.com/seafoam.htm

 

[neptunebob]

I was trying to find out about the New Look for Guiding Light and look what I found!