Important update: Feel free to read this post, but if you’d like to skip to the update on Charlie’s All-Purpose spray, please do. I’m very upset about their active ingredient and would no longer trust anything they sell. Phooey on that! Be sure to scroll down to read the update and the comments.
You would think that by my age I would have learned to follow directions. Charlie’s Soap for laundry instructed me to run an empty-ish load with two scoops of soap and a few rags. The purpose was to clean out residue from other detergents that remains in the washing machine and would interfere with the effectiveness of Charlie’s Soap.
I am lazy. I am frugal. I am green. All these traits allowed me to convince myself that I didn’t need to do the special load. I never thought of it until I was ready to start my laundry and didn’t want to put the regular load off. I didn’t want to waste the energy/water/money to run a load for no reason. I rationalized that I had already been using other natural laundry options for a while, so my machine was probably A-OK.
Whoops.
I really did get better results when I finally caved and ran the nearly empty load. Lesson one from Katie’s laundry experiments: follow directions, people, just like your first grade teacher taught you.
Charlie’s Soap Comes in a Close Second
I ran the same tests with Charlie’s Soap for laundry as I did with my Soap Nuts, namely the odor test. I always figure that all laundry soaps miss a stain here and there, and nothing was super evident with Charlie’s as far as not cleaning the laundry. I can still get a whiff of body odor every so often, so I wasn’t as impressed with Charlie’s as Soap Nuts in the natural laundry detergent race.
I am impressed with Charlie’s Soap, the company, however. I get emails right from the president of the company, which tells me:
1) It’s a small company, and one we ought to be supporting.
2) The company takes pride in its product. I love that!
Here is the pres’s response to my difficulty:
How many times have your test garments been washed in Charlie’s Soap? It can take upwards of 10 (that’s ten) full washes with a full dose of Charlie’s to remove old detergent residues from clothes that are buried in the fibers. Until they’re gone, you can have the Charlie’s Soap cleaning that instead of the BO, leaving, well, stinky clothes. That’s 10 washes to get it completely out, but usually the majority is gone after the 3rd or 4th. If you haven’t washed your test garment that many times by itself, the Charlie’s is fighting an uphill battle. Consider washing it a few more times, then go get it dirty and wash it once as normal to see if the daily smells go away quickly like they’re supposed to.
Do you have hard water? If you do, you might need an additive like washing soda, borax, oxygen bleach, or calgon to help clear the water of impurities so the soap can do its job. (~1/4 cup of no-frills Oxygen Bleach) Hard water + the transition period of removing old detergent residues can be a pain delaying all the good things you read about Charlie’s Soap.
With the soap nuts, in your calcium rich water, a soap will turn into calcium soaps which are insoluble and thus won’t rinse out of clothing. Charlie’s is not a soap but a highly rinseable detergent.
Final Thoughts
I’m a pretty good scientist/experimenter, but I just haven’t kept track of the number of washes on any given item. I bet none of my clothes have been washed 10 times since I started using Charlie’s Soap exclusively in November. I’m just that frugal (and green, and…oh, yeah…lazy too).
So my professional opinion? Charlie’s Soap is probably as good as the company claims. It’s all natural, does its job, and I admire their pluck as a company. My clothes are clean…and that’s what counts.
Charlie’s All-Purpose Cleaner
Charlie’s Soap also sells an All-Purpose Cleaner that comes in a spray bottle. I tested it on my kitchen counter grout/mildew, my bathtub, and my shower curtain. It also can be used on carpets, which is truly excellent to know. I struggle with cleaning carpets, especially naturally!
The Bathtub
I usually just wipe down my tub with a microfiber cloth or use straight vinegar, so I was surprised that it wasn’t a pleasant experience cleaning my bathtub with a “natural” cleaner. I didn’t expect the fumes, they bothered my nasal passages, and they made me worry and second-guess the safety of the product. However, to be fair: I don’t always love the smell of pure vinegar when I clean with that. I’ve gotten more used to it, but my husband and son would both say it’s too strong and bothers them.
Before I would use it again around my kids, however, I emailed the company asking what the active ingredient was, after all.
It is called butylcelosolv. It can form vapors. In the dilution we use it is non toxic and biodegradable. It breaks stains loose. There is no ammonia in our products.
This will not hurt you at all to breathe or to touch. You may want to dilute the cleaner. You can even back it down to 1/4 strength if you wish to. It will do the job. And last longer.
And from the president of the company himself: The APC is natural, non-toxic, safe, effective… and stinky. 
We tried taking the smell out and it wouldn’t clean ANYTHING. We tried covering it up and it didn’t work any more.
However, the main thing to remember about the APC is that it really is a concentrate (new labeling to that effect is coming out soon). If you’re spraying it and you can smell it, chances are you’re using WAY too much. For everyday cleaning and wiping off, like you would imagine using 409 or any multi-surface cleaner, you really should dilute Charlie’s Soap APC to about 1/4 strength. By that time, it has only a faint odor to it. And once you wipe it off, wet or dry absorbent cloth, it shouldn’t smell like anything at all.
Aha. I feel much better. I would like to see the All-Purpose Cleaner come in a bottle with a spray bottle alongside, then. It’s a pain to pour the concentrate from the spray bottle, which is high quality and sprays very nicely, into something else in order to dilute it and get it back into the spray bottle. Just my two cents!
UPDATE: I don’t feel much better. Please see the comments below, but I no longer would use or recommend Charlie’s Soap as a “natural” cleaner. Their active ingredient that they called butylcelosolv is Czech for 2-Butoxyethanol acetate, also known as Butyl Cellosolve. According to the Skin Deep Database, which rates it a 6 (moderate hazard), butoxyethanol has ties to cancer, reproductive toxicity, neurotoxicity, and more. (source) It’s used in hundreds of cleaning products, even as an oil spill dispersant, and “provides cleaning power and the characteristic odor of Windex and other glass cleaners. It is the main ingredient of many home, commercial and industrial cleaning solutions.” (source) It may not be a major environmental contaminant, but it certainly doesn’t sound safe! Charlie’s Soap lists 2-butoxyethanol on its MSDS here if there’s any question.
Here’s a must-read from the Janitorial Products Pollution Prevention Project:
2-Butoxy Ethanol is one of the most toxic of the glycol ethers.
You should use products containing butoxyethanol with extreme care. It is a poison that can easily absorb through your skin to harm you. When working with it, always wear gloves and goggles and be sure the you have enough ventilation.
Check out that site for more scary stuff. The Australian Government also seems skeptical about butoxyethanol, recommending quite a number of labeling requirements for it.
The New Jersey Department of Health prepared this helpful hazardous substance fact sheet, including:
2-Butoxy Ethanol may be a CARCINOGEN in humans.
There may be no safe level of exposure to a carcinogen, so
all contact should be reduced to the lowest possible level.
Sigh. Oh, dear. I’m glad I didn’t use this stuff often or for long. It should be labeled as toxic AND disclose the active ingredient on the packaging, as well as make it very, very clear that the spray bottle is a concentrate!
Kitchen Counter Grout: Mildew
Charlie’s soap All-Purpose Cleaner made a dent in my kitchen counter grout mildew issue where nothing else (even bleach! Yes, I tried some in desperation..) ever does. I sprayed it on full strength and left it overnight, then wiped it off in the morning. The dark color wasn’t gone, but it was diminished. I wondered if the APC is meant to kill mildew or if I just lucked out. The company says: “It will simply remove [mildew stains] from the surface. The mildew is still alive, but alive somewhere else!” Hey, I’m cool with that. As long as it’s not on my kitchen counter anymore!
Shower Curtain: Hard Water Stains
I was most impressed when I tried cleaning the inside of my shower curtain. It’s a “mildew-free” curtain (which is probably off-gassing some terrible chemical that I don’t even want to know about! I love the ease of cleaning, i.e. “none”.) so I don’t clean it very often other than to wipe down the water sometimes with my micro-fiber cloth. When I do attempt to clean it, I use straight vinegar and don’t see any results on the terrible hard water stains, so I don’t bother very often!
Charlie’s Soap APC and a few minutes of wait time knocked the stains right off! I couldn’t believe how clear my curtain was after the All-Purpose Cleaner and a little rubbing with my cloth. Truly night and day.
Final Thoughts
Although I love using vinegar, baking soda and hydrogen peroxide, there are some instances that I’d like a more heavy duty cleaner. For my marbles, Charlie’s Soap has become my go-to for the tough jobs that nothing else will touch. Not anymore (see above update) – I’d rather use bleach, I think. If you’ve got nasty hard water stains, outdoor cleaning issues, or other areas just too tough for the vinegar, I’d highly recommend checking out Charlie’s Soap All-Purpose Cleaner. It’s not cheap, but as a concentrate you need to remember that it will stretch and last a long time. Here are more extensive directions and applications, if you’re interested.
Want to Try Some?
Charlie’s Soap will give one reader the same package that I tested: an 80-load bag of laundry detergent, a bottle of the All-Purpose Cleaner, and a nifty cloth bag for your groceries or laundry. Check out the giveaway post to enter (comments on this post do not count).
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Disclosure: Charlie’s Soap did provide products for my review, but I was not compensated in any other way, nor was I expected to write a positive review.
So do you trust what the company pres told you about the chemical ingredient you can’t pronounce being safe and non toxic? If you trust them, why are reluctant to trust other info on chemicals that is scientifically backed?
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Katie Reply:
January 25th, 2010 at 4:39 am
Tonya,
Katie
No, not exactly. That’s why I asked what was in there. I did some Google searches and was content that it was, at least, safer than your average bleach/ammonia/etc. No, it didn’t make it into the review. I’m a big long-winded as it is…
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Michelle Reply:
March 5th, 2011 at 3:02 pm
Katie, Ive read many things online stating that the active ingredient in the all purpose cleaner is butylcelosol. HOWEVER, and thats a BIG however, you might find this VERY interesting. I found this when i googled
“charlies soap ingredients”
http://www.charliesoap.com/pdf/Charlie's%20Soap%20All%20Purpose%20MSDS.pdf
I have yet to find any blog or lettter from the president stating anything about that ingredient.
I love their soap, but after reading this I no longer trust Charlie Soap.
[Reply to this comment]
Katie Reply:
March 7th, 2011 at 1:43 am
Michelle,
I am SO glad you updated this. Clearly I didn’t dig deeply enough and should NOT have taken the company’s word for it. I updated the post with a lengthy section on this news and what I think (lots of crossed out recommendations from the original post).
I would highly NOT recommend Charlie’s Soap for anything, and I’m afraid their labeling may not be very up to snuff, either. You are dead on right – I don’t trust them anymore either, because 2-butoxyethanol is a very toxic ingredient. It’s a synonym for butylcelosolv, which they quoted at me, but it’s not safe for people to use regularly, especially without gloves and around children. I’m not even sure what to do about this, but I’m angry that I used it!
Thank you again for alerting me to the alternative name of Charlie’s Soap active ingredient. I’m so glad I’m more informed now!
Katie
[Reply to this comment]
Anne Reply:
January 25th, 2010 at 6:02 am
Tonya,
Can you refresh my memory re: Katie’s reluctance “to trust other info on chemicals that is scientifically backed?” It sounds like you’re staying abreast of the info better than I am. Could you cite a few examples? Thanks.
[Reply to this comment]
Anne Reply:
January 25th, 2010 at 6:06 am
Sorry, Tonya, I meant to reply to your comment, but it looks like it went as a reply to Katie’s comment. Please check for it there. Thanks.
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tonya Reply:
January 25th, 2010 at 2:36 pm
The prime example would be deodorant.
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Anne Reply:
January 26th, 2010 at 2:27 am
Thanks. I may have read parts of that post, but I’ll read it more thoroughly within the next couple of days.
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Your comment about needing to clean out your washing machine to use Charlie’s Soap has got me thinking. I have been planning on ordering some Soap Nuts – do you know if they have any of the same sort of issues? I live in an apartment building with shared laundry facilities, so I have no control over what other people might choose to put in the washing machines. Any idea whether this might cause a problem with Soap Nuts? I was really excited to switch to them!
[Reply to this comment]
Katie Reply:
January 25th, 2010 at 3:52 am
Meghan,
Katie
The soap nuts I tested (NaturOli – find the link in my left sidebar) did not come with instructions like C’s Soap. They worked great first time!
[Reply to this comment]
Meghan Reply:
January 25th, 2010 at 2:05 pm
Thanks Katie! I ordered some last week and am waiting for them to arrive.
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Very thorough run-down on the products. On the mildew on the counters – bleach will not kill mildew, it only lightens it. The best thing for that is break out the good ol’ vinegar. Apply it to a dry counter (where the mildew is). That should kill it. It won’t be immediate. But within a few days it should be gone. (That’s the way it’s supposed to work, anyhow). :0) Good luck.
[Reply to this comment]
Christal Reply:
March 15th, 2011 at 10:02 pm
What about Tea Tree Oil? Has anti-fungal, anti-bacteria, anti-viral. I use it in my bathroom, dish/hand soap & all purpose spray. Also got rid of something betweene the toes with 1 application.
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I’m with Meghan – it’s just not feasible to wash out the washing machine before doing laundry when you are using community washing machines in an apartment building. This is one reason I have not bothered to deal with all-natural soaps.
I’ve thought about washing things in the sink. (I had a friend that was in China for a year and had to wash everything by hand. When he came back to the states he continued to wash his clothes in the tub). Maybe that should be my Green Cleaning Goal ?!
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1) I love your thorough review posts, Katie!
2) My cousin is living in China right now and also washing her clothes in the tub with a washboard. I’m pretty sure she’s going to throw everything in a washer the minute she gets home, though! :>)
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I’ve been using Charlie’s Soap laundry detergent for four years – ever since we started using cloth diapers. I love it, partly because as you show, they are a great company with super awesome customer service. Regarding laundry smell – every now and then if I’ve done a really stinky load of diapers, the Charlie’s Soap won’t get the smell out, but then I run a rinse cycle with 1/4 c. vinegar, and it washes the stink right out. Also, if you buy the 5-gal bucket of Charlie’s Soap off of their website, it’s only 12 cents per load.
I’m kind of concerned about the ingredients in the all-purpose cleaner, though. When I googled “butylcelosolv”, I got some not so good results.
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I too have been using Charlie’s laundry detergent & AP Cleaner for several years, and the customer service they provide is second to none. Generally, when I used the APC I dilute it, alot. I have a spray bottle that I use a 1:5 concentration, and I also use it in my Bissell carpet cleaner in lieu of the 3M product. In the carpet cleaner, I probably use a 1/3 of what I would use if I used the 3M product. There is a warning on the side of the bottle that it could harm insects. So last year when we had an ant infestation, well, they got the Charlie’s Soap treatment, and yep, it killed them. Even if the butylcelosolv isn’t the most natural product, I figured it was better than a pesticide alternative.
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Katie -
I went to the Charlie’s website and found their site informational, honest, and I appreciate that.
To answer a green cleaners resolution, I would have to say that I need to study up on it first. According to most naturally made cleaners, they don’t seem to work. However, I am intrigued with the all-purpose cleaner that Charlie’s Soap makes. Very interesting!
One thing I removed from our cleaners years ago is drain cleaner. Now I use hot water to heat up the guck in the drain, then I pour baking soda in the drain until it reaches the top of the drain. I pour vinegar in next and let it work, ideally all day, or all night when no one will be using it, giving it a good chance to work. The next day, I run extremely hot water down the drain for 5 minutes. This method has proven effective in the husband’s sink, not sure why his is always guckier, and works great in the kids’ sink with glops of toothpaste and who knows what else. It has freed up the drains enough to open them up. I have had to use a snake as well, but again, no plumber was called and it saves money, our health not breathing fumes, and the sewers, not pouring toxic cleaners down their pipes.
Thanks for the chance to win, I would love it
Paula
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I really like Charlie’s Soap. We use the liquid laundry detergent and everything comes perfectly clean (but to be fair, we haven’t been using nasty chemical detergents before, so it was an easy transition). The all-purpose cleaner is great too, we buy a big bottle of it and then dilute it into a sprayer.
.-= Rebecca´s last blog ..Tuesday Twister – French Dinner =-.
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Giveaway of soap nuts if you want to check out http://soapnutslaundry.com/2010/01/14/soap-nuts-coconut-scrub-pads-giveaway/
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I signed up for twitter, just to follow you.
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I’m super bummed….just recieved my All Purpose Cleaner from Azure last week! {big- disapointing-can’t believe I just wasted my money-thinking I was using- a better product-sigh}
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Thanks for updating this! I have used the AP cleaner that I won only once, on a super greasy and dirty stove vent in our new house we moved into. I was impressed, but nasty chemicals have no place in our house! Thanks for the alert on facebook!
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Katie, is it the APC that we should avoid, or the detergent for washing clothes as well?
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Katie Reply:
March 19th, 2011 at 3:03 am
Heidi,
Definitely the APC, but I’m just not sure about the detergent. My gut says that if a company is going to be so sly about the active ingredient in one cleaner, can I trust what they say about their other product? Sorry to be the bearer of bad news! Katie
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Good info, Katie. Thanks for the update.
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Googled to find reviews on Charlie’s Soap before I purchase another big bottle.
We have a roommate that cleans with Tide so I will never REALLY know if this stuff is as good as it claims it is. All that aside, I feel Charlie’s Soap is pretty decent and incredibly affordable.
I used to work in the chemical business and reading MSDS’s was literally my job.
As a former professional (a little bit of a joke there) I wouldn’t worry so much about the amount of 2-Butoxyethanol acetate.
Before I start my Dr. Science ramble, please note that Charlie’s Laundry Soap contains absolutely zero ingredients that OSHA finds carcinogenic, flammable, mutagenic, skin irritant etc etc. The only warning they provide is direct contact with the eye can result in irritation. Also worth nothing, the same goes for almost anything with an MSDS.
These two products are two completely different products. Whew, now to the fun sciencey stuff.
Less than 4% of the solution has 2-BA, awfully low amount. On top of that, it is suggested you cut the solution by 75% which would lead you with less than 1% of 2-BA.
Unfortunately with MSDS’s, even if you have simply a trace amount of a chemical in a product, OSHA requires it be listed on an MSDS as if it were the entire ingredient. What I mean to say by this is if a 99% solution of 2-BA causes skin irritation or respiratory issues (even if it is only when used in an unventilated room), Charlie’s Soap has to, by law, report it as a possible side effect of the use of their product.
So yes, a massive dose of 2-BA would certainly be bad. But luckily it isn’t a chemical that builds up overtime like radiation poisoning. You should be able to use their general purpose cleaner, as instructed and especially as diluted above, without any worry whatsoever.
Now, I am not a chemist by trade anymore and I have never actually used their general purpose cleaner. I do have experience with these documents and the reality behind chemical use.
Section VI of just about any MSDS will warn the same thing about how to get medical treatment if it comes in contact with skin etc etc. I once read an MSDS for water that was pretty hilarious.
For instance, with a water spill, nearly as with a Charlie’s Laundry Soap spill, the instructions are as follows:
[Water] must be disposed of in accordance with federal, state and local environmental control regulations.
Small Spill: Mop up, or absorb with an inert dry material and place in an appropriate waste disposal container.
Large Spill: Absorb with an inert material and put the spilled material in an appropriate waste disposal
And finally. Thanks for the review.
I’m not a mom, or a dad, and I’m not as green as I should be (though a move to San Francisco is making me change). Cheers and keep up the great blog!
[Reply to this comment]
Katie Reply:
September 19th, 2011 at 1:58 am
Justin,
Thank you for the “insider” information! It’s good to hear the balance sometimes…the MSDS on water confirms that one should skim those guys quickly looking only for really big issues, eh?
Now I’m curious: Did you decide to go with Charlie’s after reading the results of your Google search or did you find something new?
Katie
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Just read the info on Charlies Soap. Very interesting. I noticed that the MSDS used above was for the All Purpose Cleaner which they say in the description has a solvent added. The MSDS for the laundry detergent has no solvents and states that it contains nothing hazardous. We just started using Charlies laundry powder recently and have really liked the results. I also own a non-toxic carpet cleaning company and have been researching to see if Charlies would make a good product to use professionally on carpets. Obviously the All Purpose would not fit the bill for “green” but I don’t see why the laundry powder would not. I’ll have to find the right concentration and try it on my own carpets first. Great forum. I’ll follow up with my results.
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Katie Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 5:05 am
Martin,
Katie
Thanks, looking forward to it! It’s actually on my post list for this month to share a bunch of ideas that the community gave me for cleaning my carpets in a new home a few weeks back. We ended up using vinegar, but you might be interested in the rest of them, so watch in a few weeks!
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Martin Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 11:28 pm
I look forward to seeing it. I need to offer a word of extreme caution, however, when using vinegar. When fiber artists want to set dyes in fabric they use vinegar. On the right kind of spot vinegar can work fine. On the wrong kind it can take an easily removable spot and make it a permanent stain never to be removed.
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Martin Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 11:33 pm
Just another note. The difficulty in finding a good home brew carpet cleaner is that many have the affect of setting stains. Many that are “green” also leave residues in the carpet that cause premature re-soiling. This is something I want to do more looking into because it would be really great for people to have a truly effective and safe product that they can get their hands on. Even if it is between professional cleanings. Looking forward to seeing your list.
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Katie Reply:
January 27th, 2012 at 12:33 pm
Martin,
I hope you come back to check out the list my readers shared – it posted today: http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/2012/01/27/seeking-a-natural-non-toxic-carpet-cleanerdo-you-steam-vacuum-carpets/
Opinions, please! Thanks, Katie
[Reply to this comment]
Martin Reply:
March 7th, 2012 at 12:32 am
Interesting.
I’m not familiar with a couple of the products mentioned but it sounds like most people get that soap leaves residue. Thats good.
For the red spot in the picture, a professional carpet cleaner MAY still be able to remove that with a red stain removal process. I used Charlies soap on my own carpets and was happy with the results. I need to do more tests as far as concentration and to be sure it is not leaving ANY residue. Will update.
[Reply to this comment]
Katie Kimball @ Kitchen Stewardship Reply:
March 22nd, 2012 at 10:08 am
Thanks, Martin!
Katie
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