Soaps and detergents

Posted by 27Believe@reddit | preppers | View on Reddit | 11 comments

Does something like Dawn dish detergent have an “expiration”? What about laundry soap and bar soap like ivory?

[-]

Almostheaven522@reddit

I use camp suds. It only takes a drop and they have a mint and a lavender besides the regular. Can use it for shampoo as well. I started using it while backpacking and it works great.

[-]

Dunno, but I've had bottles of Dawn for 5+ years without problems. Haven't had problems with bar soap or laundry powder. Have had problems with the laundry/dishwasher packs changing colors and getting fragile over time. I also have had generic pine sol clone "separate" over time.

[-]

Kabouki@reddit

Yeah, if there's any doubt just get dry soaps. Tends to be cheaper anyways and if you spill it, it's not wasted.

[-]

EbonyPeat@reddit

Bar soap improves with age, it dries out so it lasts far longer. Detergent and laundry soap does not go bad unless it is powdered and gets too moist so it clumps.

[-]

WeekendQuant@reddit

I've been using kirks bars soap for a few years now. Is there an unscented bar soap that's minimalist ingredients and can be bought in bulk? I like how Dove sells 20 bars of soap for $8, but I don't care about Dove.

[-]

Traditional-Leader54@reddit

Soap will last forever as far as being able to get things clean. I believe antibacterial soap will lose its antibacterial properties eventually but I have no idea how long that would take.

[-]

less_butter@reddit

I bought a 5 gallon bucket of Dawn detergent like 20 years ago. I keep it at my cabin where the temperature inside can be anywhere between 100F and -10F. I still have... 4.9 gallons of it. It still works.

I use that detergent for dishes, clothes, general cleaning, and washing up myself.

[-]

27Believe@reddit (OP)

That excites me.

[-]

less_butter@reddit

It's actually a lot easier to get a 5 gallon bucket of detergent now than it was 20 years ago. You can buy them on Amazon.

When I got mine, I got it from a wholesale-only restaurant supply store. A friend-of-a-friend who ran a restaurant hooked me up and took me with them one time.

[-]

justasque@reddit

I’ve had liquid hand soap go rancid, and I’ve had liquid laundry detergent get nasty. Like anything else, figure out your typical rate of use before stocking up, and store your stuff in good environmental conditions. Soap in particular can be made at home, it may be worth considering trying that out.