Question for Launderess about Fels-Naptha Soap

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cleanfresh

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Hi. I'm cleanfresh. A new group member. My question is in regards to your posting on the topic of Fels- Naptha soap. You shared that you have a nice collection of Fels bars that "still reek of naptha". What I would like to know is exactly what does vintage Fels-Naptha smell like? Could you please describe its odor? Thanks
 
don't want to usurp Launderess's response but as far as I know "naptha" is similar if not the same as what used to be used as fuel for old cigarette lighters - like the trusty Zippo. I believe that various health concerns led to its removal from Fels more than a few years ago...

I know some people who used to add a little kerosene to the wash to help remove greasy stains. Perhaps it's a similar action as naptha. In any case, kids, don't try the kerosene trick at home, especially not in a washing machine. Spotless laundry isn't worth buring down the house for.
 
Urup away..

Sorry, CleanFresh, have no idea what true "Naptha" smelled like so can only assume Fels smells like it as they advertise on the label "The Golden Bar with the Clean Naptha Odor".

The ingredient list on my vintage bars of Fels does not show any sort of fragrance, IIRC so guess it is the naptha talking.

Yes, Napthalene (aka "naptha") can be pretty nasty stuff, not something to be played with and was removed from the consumer market for health reasons. Speaking of kerosene, P&G who made a white laundry soap with naptha was sued by the feds because some of their product contained kerosene instead of the naptha per label. While all petrol base products/solvents will remove greast/oils, naptha is better than kerosene.

One must remember at the hey day of naptha laundry soaps, this was as good as one got for serious soil removal and over coming the limitations of using soap for general laundry. Modern detergents contain a cocktail of enzymes and other chemicals which have largely replaced petrol and it's by products on laundry day.

Being as the above may, NOTHING rids laundry of serious stains the way vintage Fels soap does. From greasy ring around the collar/cuff stains, lipstick, make-up, ground in dirt, some types of ink, and so on, just a quick rub with a bar of Fels has never let me down.

Launderess
 
P.S.

Old man Fels invented and IIRC patented a process for binding naphta with the soap/fats oils so that it did not evaporate away either during the process or on the shelf. Proof of this is in the many, many vintage bars of Fels (and have seen/owned some over 50 years old), that still smell of naptha and work as good as the day of production.

P.S.S.

The beauty of using naptha soaps was that the housewife/launderess did not have to rub so hard to get her laundry clean. Instructions for using naptha soaps in vintage laundering guides/Fels wrappers and advertisements told only to "soap" the items well with the product, then allow the soaped item to sit for several minutes (a bit longer for very dirty/stained items), then complete the laundering/rinsing process. In the days when laundry was done by hand in tubs this was a blessing as it lightened wash day blues very much indeed. The petrol/naptha did the hard work of dissloving stains/soils removing the need for rubbing and scrubbing.

Another beauty of naptha soaps is they worked in warm,cool and even cold water for removing soils. Regular soaps require warm, hot and even boiling water to really work well, but again because of the petrol/naptha less effort/high temp was needed. For those whose wash day involved limited supplies of hot water, and or those whom had to heat the same and fetch it out to where ever laundry was being done, this again was a blessing.

Of the two, "white" naptha laundry soaps were deemed more gentle than the blonde Fels which contained washing soda, optical brightners, silicate and other ingredients too harsh for laundering fine laundry such as silks and colours.

Aren't you glad you asked?

Launderess
 
Was going to mention "Lestoil". It's name/use fits in with Fels in that the petrol based solvents do the work so one toils less (get it?), it's so easy when you use "Lestoil".

Be they citrus based or petrol, nothing cuts muck,grime and oils better than solvents. As for using Lestoil in the wash, it's scent is VERY hard to remove from both clothing and the washer. Only Lysol in the brown bottle has a more powerful scent with holding power.

Speaking of solvents, cleaners and petrol, anyone remember a product called "Grease Relief"?

Launderess
 
I remember seeing Lestoil in TV ads in the 50's. My mom also used Fels naptha. She also made her own soap out of bacon grease. Big brown bars, as I recall. I remember my dad complaining at her one Sunday because she wanted him to wash his hands with some of that homemade soap. Or maybe it was Fels.

The chemistry involved with incorporating naptha into soap can't be all that complex. And since the patent has most likely long since expired, the process may be public info. Are you interested in making your own genuine ersatz Fels?
 
"Why bother? The vintage Fels is easily enough found at reasonable prices. Anyway have such a huge supply am quite well stocked for the duration."

Are you sure? I did a search for Fels with real naptha, and came across a post that offers $150 for a single bar of Fels with real naptha in it. A box of Fels Naptha granules was being auctioned starting at $100. The Fels Naptha soap you can get in the shops today, as I understand it, is not the same was what Grandma used. Probably less toxic, but not the same.

I'm still searching for the chemical process that Fels used to "bind" naptha to soap.

I did find that Fels was quite a philanthropist. There's a Fels Foundation that supports various community services in Philadelphia.

I also learned that safe-crackers like to use Fels Naptha soap as a kind of clay dam to hold nitroglycerin and a firing cap to blow upon their prey. LOL.
 
Have purchased several large lots of vintage Fels from various sources, and never paid more than $10 for 14 bars. Have one box of "Instant Fels" that cost $4.00, both prices not including shipping. One just has to know where to look, and know what to buy/bid on.

There are people selling vintage Fels soap bars at obscene prices, I never bother with them. There was also someone selling a case of the new stuff for a good price, but do not really fancy the modern Fels. Sides have quite enough at the moment, *LOL*

Yes, old man Fels was quite free with his money, especially to worthy causes.

Oh, the new Fels contians Stoddard Solvent instead of Naptha/Napthelene (sp?). Not sure but the modern product may or may not contain sodium silicates,water softeners, fabric whiteners and all the other goodies found in the vintage product.

Launderess
 
I see that you have researched fels like I have. LOL. I've been to the website where it described the process that Mr. Fels used to prevent the naptha from evaporating out of the soap. I also happened upon a website with info about how Proctor & Gamble was sued for false advertising in claiming that their naptha soap contained naptha when it did not! Yes, I agree some of the prices for the vintage fels soap bars and instant fels granules are ridiculous. Some are even claiming that it's vintage when it isn't. I can tell by the labels. I know the labels. Stoddard solvent is a petrolatum solvent and is in the naptha family. It's a hydrocarbon just like naptha. Something to the effect of a rose by any other name. A lot of chemicals have other names that the chemical is known as. The MSDS for stoddard solvent describes its odor as similar to kerosene. I wonder how the Instant Fels granules smell?
 
Yes, that is correct. Stoddard Solvent is a solvent/dry cleaning fluid. Give me a minute to find that website. By any chance, are you thinking about trying to make your own version of Fels- Naptha soap?
 
Was searching the Internet on another matter, and one is reminded why one went off Fels a few years back. Naptha and other petrol products are not the most healthy chemicals to be exposed to for medium or prolonged periods of time. This is probably behind the big "Contains No Napthalene" wording on modern Fel's soap bars. What Dial does not state is they simply removed one petrol product for another.

I always wear gloves when using Fel's and when grating do so outdoors with a surgical face mask covering my nose and mouth. Keep meaning to purchase a grater to make soap "flakes", but always forget when at the store. Am simply not paying the highway robbery prices vintage Fel's soap graters go for on eBay.

Scent of Fel's Instant Flakes.

Have a box in my soap/detergent cupboard and near as one can tell the scent is not the same as vintage Fel's soap. Keep in mind am only sniffing the unopened box as am keeping the item in tact for "show" purposes.

Launderess
 
Believe it or not, WD-40 is sometimes recommended to remove certian stains like ink and lipstick. Again these are the type of stains which require solvents and petrol in all it's variations fits the bill.

Dry cleaning was invented by in 1855 by Jean Baptiste
Jolly, a French dye-works owner, who noticed that when a maid upset a kerosene lamp on his table, the cloth was cleaner where the petrol was spilled. After further experiments and refinements, dry cleaning was "invented". This is the reason the process was often known as "French Dry Cleaning". It is also yet another instance of a man taking credit and making money from a woman's efforts! *LOL* After all the name of the maid is lost to history, but M. Jolly goes down in history.

Launderess
 
Good stuff shared Launderess! You are so right!! And the thing is, as I shared with you, Fels-Naptha NEVER contained naphthalene. But the company knows that a lot of people don't know that naptha and naphthalene are two different chemicals. So to ease the public's health concerns they put that disclaimer on the label. I read on one website where they were explaining why people back then accepted new products without questioning certain things. The article stated that at that time, people trusted the government, science, and companies to only sell products, ect. that were good for them. In the 60'S and 70's society at large became more health conscious, concerned about the environment, ect. I, too shared on the thread that Stoddard Solvent is a type of naptha. All napthas are petrolatum distillates and are hydrocarbons. Neat trick by the company. Just call the chemical by another one of its trade names and folks won't be the wiser. Just another ploy to calm the public's fears. Yes, some of the prices for vintage Fels are ridiculous. And, all of it isn't even vintage!
 
New Products.... That Worked!

Yes, people tended to take more things at face value without question "back then", as oppossed to today; however in the case of Fels soap it was a product that actually worked.

There is no getting around petrol is a great solvent which for the lack of anything better, was good as a housewife was going to get for a myrid of cleaning problems including laundry. Today's housewives have absolutely no idea what back breaking work housekeeping was not that long ago. Today there are rows and rows of all and sundry types of cleaners for everything from walls to laundry to floors. Back then soap and water was pretty much about it. Strong enough soaps will indeed cut grease and grime, but it will take some elbow grease. In a time when laundry took two or three days to complete, you can't blame anyone for seeking a faster way to get things over with.

What is interesting about vintage Fels soaps is that it really was close to a detergent as one could get back then. Containing not only soap, but washer protection agents, fabric whiteners, water softening agents, and of course naptha.

Today's cleaning products may not contain naptha, but the replacment chemicals, especially solvent based are more likely than not petrol based/hydrocarbons. So one has to wonder how much more safe these modern products really are.

L.
 
Fels soap was a revolutionary product that was truly ahead of its time. It was the forerunner of today's modern detergents. The ads for Fels, especially from the 20's and 30's, referred to it as "the housewife's helping hands". The naptha quickly loosened the dirt from the clothes thus saving the housewife, like you said, a lot of elbow grease. Knew it contained naptha but didn't know it contained fabric whiteners, ect. I've been enlightened. You're correct about today's cleaning products. A lot of them DO contain solvents. Not long ago, I read on a website that some dishwashing liquids contain naphtha. Don't know how true this is. But when you think about it, quite a few dishwashing liquids do claim to really cut grease. And, what can't be beat for cutting grease? A solvent!!
 

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