New for 1933,,, It's Chipso Condensed Flakes

[toploader55]

I just came from the Local Watering Hole, and the Bartender who knows about my Appliance Collection Gave me a Christmas Present. He was at an Estate Sale and thought of me, and got me this.

 

[toploader55]

I never heard of this one

It was made by Proctor and Gamble

 

[toploader55]

Pic 3

UnOpened

 

[polkanut]

Is there still detergent left in the box?

 

[toploader55]

This is so Cool

I do not have any Vintage Detergent in my Collection

 

[toploader55]

It Keeps your Hands Soft

And Makes Glasses Sparkle ! It's just the Last Word in Detergents !!!

 

[gorenje]

WOW! Lucky you
Thanks for posting it.

 

[washernoob]

Haha! Wow! Thats way cool! Its in awesome shape! Somebody had that tucked away safe! For all this time.

 

[launderess]

IIRC

Chipso was originally produced for commercial laundries of the time, then made it onto domestic use. Either way it was one of P&G's best selling (if not the best selling) laundry product. Not until Tide came along did Chipso sales begin to slip as housewives and laundries took to the new "detergent".

As more and more detergent offerings hit the market, Chipso and the rest of soap based laundry products either died off due to slow sales, or were recommended for use in cleaning nursery laundry, danties, silks and or woolens. Even here soon there was Woolite (which was mainly SLS in it's early forms), to act as competition.

Some soaps such as "Fels Naptha" did their best to compete. There was "Fels Instant" which was merely their soap in powdered form. Being as Fels always contained petrol (naptha, stoddard solvent, whatever), along with OBAs and a bit of soda, it could lay some claims to being more powerful for shifting soils and stains than a pure soap product. Fels Instant also touted the softer results that come from using soap based laundry products, built in fabric softener was the term.

Indeed many soap based laundry products such as Ivory Snow (powder and flakes), claimed to wash softer then detergents. P&G amoung others soon got busy and created something new for laundry day, fabric softeners. This new item was meant to counter the often harsh feel fabrics had by being washed in detergent. In reality all the stuff contained was mainly large amounts of tallow and or other oils/fats to replace the same which was left in textiles when washed in soap. So instead of a residue from the wash, you got to add one in the rinse.

 

[toploader55]

Thank you Laundress.

You are always a Fantastic source of Information.

I hope you are well and wish you a Great Holiday Season.

 

[launderess]

Right Back At Cha!

Really is amazing how everything "old" is often new again isn't it?

Now of course there is a move towards surfactant based fabric softeners (anyone remember Downy "Advanced", or whatever it was called. Only purchased one bottle, and by the time one went to look for it again it was gone. Recall being struck by the froth that appeared on the glass porthole of the washer as the rinse water was spun out. That told me we "were not in Kansas" anymore! Always wondered what happened that caused P&G to withdraw the product so fast.

 

[launderess]

Chipso Was Introduced By P&G In 1921

For "industrial" washing machines. Dreft was launched in 1933 as the first synthetic detergent for home use, marketed for "fine" laundry as well as dishes.

Like Woolite and other similar products later on, Dreft was great for light duty laundry, but couldn't deal with shifting heavy dirt, for that soaps ruled until Tide came along in 1946.

 

[toploader55]

1921...

WOW.

When I googled Chipso, One of the links said 1933. I guess I should have researched it more. I was very excited about receiving this gift amd just wanted to post it right away.

Again Laundress, Thank you for the information. Eddie

 

[launderess]

Oh No, Not The 1930's

P&G had advertisments from the 1920's touting "Chipso"

 

[toploader55]

Thank you.

How cool is that ???

 

[westingman123]

'fess up, Laundress!

Where did you find that advert, dear? It would make a great poster for any laundry room. I'd love to find a copy to take to the printer. Come, come now! Share.

 

[launderess]

Happily For You, One is For Sale

Knock yourself out! *LOL*

http://www.tias.com/9105/PictPage/1923113241.html

 

[launderess]

And Another Thing

Chipso's claim to fame was it's mildness when compared to other soaps such as Fels, Octagon and others.

This gentleness supposedly came from (at least according to P&G), Chipso was a "lye free" or at least had much less of the stuff than other laundry soaps of the time. Hence it also being gentle on hands (all those references in adverts to wash day red hands), regardless if madame was washing laundry,dishes or the floors.

Because of it's near pH neutral properties, Chipso was also good for woolens, silks and wouldn't fade colours. Again this is all per P&G's ads, but there is some truth to it, after all Ivory, Lux and other mild soaps were sold during the same period for laundering woolens, silks, danties and other fine laundry.

Soap chips were preferred by commercial laundries, washer women, etc because if thin enough/made properly they dissloved almost instantly in hot or warm water. Soap powders at that time had a tendency to form balls, especially when used in industrial washing machines of the era.

As the above advert states, women and anyone else had been making soap "chips" by shaving off bits of soap with a knife or carpenter's plane for ages. P&G saved housewives from this labour and perhaps injury by purchasing pre-flaked product.

Have seen vintage sacks of soap chips though not sure if they were Chipso, and they were probably sold to commercial laundries.

 

[westingman123]

...and I thank you!

Or curse you, I'm not certain which. That link may end up costing me a fortune!! LOL

 

[toploader55]

Jogging my Memory (What's left of it)

My Grandmother made her own soap until 1975. I never saw her make it but she would save Fat, render it add Lye or something, and then pour it into foil lined shoe boxes to cool. Next was cut it into Bar sized "Cakes". Then she had a Old Grater and would grate it into her 1969 FilterFlo as it filled. Let the machine agitate for a few minutes and then added the clothes. The poor Dear is gone now. I do wish I saw her make the soap, but have many great recepes for Dinner and Pastry from this wonderful Hungarian Woman. Miss her alot.

BTW, I had her Machine until 1989. Never broke down in 20 years. Until my sister got her hands on it when I sold the house to her. She killed it inside of one year. Poor Old Filter Flo.

 

[neptunebob]

Have you noticed that every side of that box oozes enthusiasm! Every side has an exclamation point! Wow! It really cheers me up when I wash with Chipso!

 

[launderess]

Not Totally Uncommon

For adverts from the early part of the last century and even before. You have to consider the target market.

Today of course marketing departments spend vast sums to find other ways to pull consumers strings. Usually something related to sex, sexual attraction and or status.

In defence of Chipso and others one must remember just how much back breaking work went into laundry, and housekeeping in general until modern products and machines(that were affordable and worked) came along. What today's washers and dryers can finish in less than an hour or so took two to three days of heavy work previously.

P&G was actually one of the first consumer product companies to send field workers out into homes. They did this to find out not only how theirs and other products were being used by housewives/consumers, but to gather research information on how to improve.

To my mind's eye, the front of that Chipso box is designed so well for "shelf appeal". It is screaming a safe and easy way to do laundry that won't harm coloured clothing. What housewive in the 1920's or 1930's could argue with that? *LOL*

 

[neptunebob]

But if you look up at the poster, really, is it much more hassle to chip the soap yourself? It would be same as what you would do with Chipso. I guess even then they knew about hype.

I do like the pastel colors in the poster.

Oh, and I can't believe how white the 50s Frigidaire washer is.

 

[launderess]

Will Give You That

Shaving off bits of soap, or using a grater isn't that difficult. However either method can lead so injury/cuts and not often produce consistent thin flakes.

Have a carpenter's plane purchase for making soap "flakes" from the vast supply of soaps one has in supply. While it is eaiser than grating, and produces less dust, still requires some effort. Using the plane is also slightly less risk to scraping one's fingers/hands raw on the grater.

 

[petek]

What a great looking box and I love that name. Does make you feel chipper. That's why I like early advertising, all the flowery descriptions etc.

 

[whirlcool]

And you didn't have to agitate the clothes. Just soak them and rinse them out. I still would have agitated them somehow?

Are you going to leave the box sealed, or try some of it?

 

[launderess]

There was some mechanical action.

When used by a washing machine, it did the work. Should Madame lack such a device and or the laundry was being done by hand, it was first soaked in a hot/warm water bath with Chipso. After the soaking was done the soapy water was squeezed through the textiles, with perhaps extra attention to badly soiled areas.

The print is tiny, but it's on the box under directions for "wash", as well in the advert under "the Chipso way".

Common to popular belief, good hand washing laundry did not involve attacking every item with a washboard and or beater. Rather periods of soaking in hot or warm sudsy water was supposed to do the work, with less wear and tear on whomever and the items being washed as well.

Washboards, beaters, brushes and the lot were reserved for soils that simply would not shift after several prolonged soakings/pre-treatments.

Good laundresses whom followed the above, and had a reputaion for not harming the wash enjoyed a large following, and had many customers.

Think about it, imagine having to put every single item in a family weekly wash through the wash board. One would be there for ages! *LOL*

Have a vintage advert for Persil, and it too shows a housewive banishing beaters, scrub brushes and so forth, then tells how the new "savon" will "soak" her wash clean, in essence doing much of the hard work for her.

 

[jetcone]

Clever

Chipso= Chipped Soap!

Nice history Laundress ,thank you! What did you mean by SLS? I'm still on my first cup of coffee today.

Jet

Congrats on your Box of Chipso, Toploader!

 

[mickeyd]

What a great morning read! Thank Youse all

I just love how she's off to play in her dashing outfit, the hardest part of her washday left to Chipso. It's so beautiful and full of promise that you forget about coming home for all the hand wringing.

And not a washer in sight LOL. But don't ya just want 2 or 3 nice big set tubs off the kitchen? I sure do. Gorgeous ad, very fetching, Cimberlie.

Ah Eddie, what you can find in a watering hole. Please do try some Chipso in your W-O.

 

[whirlcool]

I think perhaps people wore their clothes a little longer between washings than we do today. It was real work manually washing your clothes!