Kirkman's Brown ( I believe it was originally called (Kirkman's Borax Soap) had been a competitor to Fels Naptha for years and was an all purpose household cleaner as well. According to my mother, I recall that she said they used this (as well as Fels Naptha, Oxydol and something called Selox)on laundry and floors. Of course in the 40's they did laundry in the bathtub on a washboard then went through the process of rinsing, boiling, bleaching, boiling, bluing, etc...
I haven't seen Kirkman's soap in years but I recently saw Colgate's Octagon "all purpose" soap in Shop Rite and its label indicates it is "excellent for prewash spotting, dishes and helps keep your stove, cabinets and woodwork sparkling clean"...
As to "Kirkman's Castile" - I think you meant "Kirk's Castile". That is primarily a bath soap. For many years it was a P&G product and was called "Kirk's Coco-Hardwater Castile". It was notable for great sudsing even in hard water and had a base of primarily coconut oil and a strong, clean soap fragrance. I recall that it was a bit harsh, though. More recently, P&G sold the brand somewhere in the 90's to a private company that renamed it "Kirk;s Original Coco Castile Soap". It is now touted as "all natural, hypoallergenic skin care without animal byproducts or synthetic detergents". For a long time, Trader Joe's carried it, but no longer and it has become somewhat difficult to find. It is somewhat gentler now and I can occasionally get it at Shaw's supermarket - so like powdered Fab, I buy up whatever I find whenever I find it. I must say, I do like it - it does suds up incredibly well and still has a clean fragrance.
They have also expanded the product line to include an unscented bar soap, deodorant soap, liquid hand soap, shampoo, and body wash.
The website - "
www.kirksnatural.com" indicates a list of stores where the products should be available and "Whole Foods MArket" is one of them. You can also order from the website. As with all websites, the product is a bit more expensive and then there is shipping to consider. If Shaw's has it in stock, it is $1.00 for a 4 ounce bar - it is $2.00 per bar on the website. But I guess the lower price doesn't mean anything if they don't have it in stock - and I haven't ever seen it in my local Whole Foods...
