Charlie's Soap Powder Review: It Removed Detergent Residue Well

by Donit

Donit shared this very comprehensive Charlie's Soap powder review with me.

Donit says:

After reading rave reviews of this detergent, and then finding it on sale at my favorite on-line store, I had to try it.


It takes a great deal to impress me. Sadly, rarely am I ever impressed. But Charlie wowed me!

First, you have to understand that laundry to me, is like a mad scientist in a lab. I sort diligently, and alter the concoctions of enzymes and detergents to get the best results I can get.

Clothes are expensive! Finding clothes you love and fit well is sometimes hard. I want to care for my items in the best way I can to make them look new and last. I also to prefer to do that inexpensively, but until now, haven't found a way....

I have an HE washer and had to clean it with a vinegar cycle twice a month, to keep the residue down. I could see it build up on my door, so I know the entire inside of the washer had to be coated also. I feared it would have a shortened life, due to detergent residues. I had no idea my clothes were retaining the residue also.

The first cycle with Charlies Soap Powder was the cleaning cycle recommended. After that cycle, and for the first time since new, my washer was residue free! DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP! (You will never have to clean the washer again!)

I noticed with the first load that the colors of my clothes were more vivid. I thought maybe I was trying to convince myself of this. So I took comparably dingy towels, saved one back and washed the others. It was NOT my imagination! Just the first washing made a difference! Future washings have brightened even more. Charlie's says it takes a few washes to get all the former detergent residue from the clothes.

After seeing the brightening effects of a few washings of my whites and lights I gathered up my "graying" black clothing items that were supposedly already clean, and again, held one back and washed the rest. I couldn't believe how deep the black color was after one wash. I always thought the detergents I used rinsed away clean. But even still, always double rinsed. I can see clearly that my former detergents were leaving a residue on everything.

Also, I was never one to use cold water unless I had a blood stain. To me, I really didn't think it would clean. I have reverted to using cold water with Charlie's Powder, and am still getting the amazing results of CLEAN!

I found a couple of shirts with food grease spots that I had missed pretreating with my old laundry ways. They had been washed and dried. I forgot to try and pretreat them with Charlie's, and washed in a regular load. I remembered after pulling them out of the dryer, and lo and behold, I didn't have to pretreat. The "set in grease stains" were gone.

My clothes are so bright, so soft after using Charlies. You don't need fabric softener, so there is more savings!

The clothes also smell CLEAN, not fragrant or perfumed. Just clean!

One tip I've learned is don't use a bit more than recommended! There is no need to waste the product. Its hard to think this teeny scoop is enough to clean a load of filthy work clothes, but rest assured, it is. If you alter the suggestion in any way, use LESS, about a teaspoon, on lightly worn items. It is MORE than enough.

With this detergent laundry is fun to do now. (did I say that? LOL)

Charlies Soap Laundry Products {Referral Links}

Taylor says:

Thanks so much for sharing all your thoughts and tips about using Charlie's Soap powder Donit. I've gotten even more good reviews of this product below from other readers. Your review was so comprehensive I put it on top! :)

If people are wondering, from reading the review, what Donit is talking about when using the cleaning cycle the first time, Charlie's website and product instructions suggests the following:

Run a large empty load with a few old rags and 2 doses of Charlie's Soap to remove possibly harmful residues from your washing machine left behind by other detergents.

I'd love to hear from even more readers who have used this detergent with their experiences and thoughts about it. You can share your own review here.

Charlie's Soap Laundry Powder Review - Great For Laundering Diapers

by Sarah

Sarah has shared her Charlie's Soap laundry powder review.

Sarah says:

We have used Charlie's Soap for about 18 months, since our daughter was born. We tried it because we were using cloth diapers.

This detergent is great for cloth diapers and for families with sensitive skin. We started using Charlie's when our daughter was born because we heard great things about it from our local cloth diapering community.

I do all the laundry in our house, and at first, I was skeptical, because you use so little powder to do a load of wash (so the initial investment looked pricey to me, but it turned out we were paying pennies per load). But even using one scoop of Charlie's, per the directions, clothes were amazingly clean and soft.

Clothes washed in it didn't aggravate anyone's eczema or smell like a florist in a can. They were just clean.

Here are some pointers with it though, especially as it relates to washing cloth diapers. We have neither very hard, nor very soft water, so I can't speak to how differences in that would change Charlie's Soap's effectiveness.

In addition, if you move on from a cloth-diapered baby to an everything-staining toddler while you use the detergent, like we now are, some items of clothing may take an overnight soak in Charlie's to wash completely clean (same as you would do to stain-treat diapers).

If you're not sure you want to make the commitment to Charlie's Soap you can order a sample size, to see how you like it first.

Taylor says:

Thanks Sarah for your review of this eco-friendly laundry detergent.

I do know that Charlie's makes a laundry booster and hard water treatment product that you can add to your water, if it is hard. Has anyone used it? How does it work for you?

I always want to hear more reviews of laundry detergents, especially as it relates to your cloth diapering? You can share your review here for this product, or read more information about it.

In addition, you can share your laundry detergent review here for any brand, telling me how it works for you.

Hang In There . . . It Was Awful At First But Getting Better

by Beka
(East Tennessee, USA)

Our local grocery recently added Charlie's Soap to their offerings. I'd been wanting to try it since we started cloth diapering when my son was born last October. We have a 1 year old LG Combo machine.

Bought the 100 load tub of powdered, threw out our last 1/2 cup of Purex then prepped my machine as instructed with three tub clean cycles and rags.

The first 2 weeks were terrible. Nothing came clean and everything smelled disgusting.

I would put diapers in and they would come out with poo still on them. This had never happened before.

Shirts went in smelling like the fried chicken my husband cooked for dinner and they came right back out smelling of it and more.

Whites needed a rewash with bleach every single time.

Disappointed is an understatement but I didn't give up. I started adding 1/4-1/2 cup of washing soda to each load. That helped a little.

Our towels started coming out fresh and absorbent like I had been expecting but our clothes were still not meeting my expectations.

I was now having to pretreat all our clothes with Shout and I had never bought, nor needed, a bottle of Shout in my life. Still wasn't getting great results.

A few more loads go by and I made a laundry rinse with vinegar, rubbing alcohol, and lavender. Things continued to improve.

I also started using more than the recommended amount of Charlie's powder. If it says 2 scoops I do 3.

The cycle we now use most often with the best results is Normal wash warm, cold rinse, StainSense (longer cycles), Extra Rinse, Water Plus. It takes longer and uses more water...so much for my pretty new HE machine with a speed wash cycle that never gets used.

It's been over a month now and I am way happier with the product than I was initially.

We still have to pretreat the baby's clothes.

Several resources mention that the buildup in your machine and in your clothes can take a while to go away and you'll get better results once that happens.

Hang in there and keep trying. I almost gave up multiple times but we've finally found the right routine to make it work for us.

I've Finally Found An Environmentally Friendly Detergent That Works & I Can Afford It!

by SR101 Reader
(Austin, TX)

I've finally found an environmentally friendly laundry detergent that works AND I can afford!!!

Does it get better than that??

Do I miss the smell of Gain, Tide, etc.???

Well, yes, but I remind myself those are all chemicals that my family's skin does not need to come into contact with.

Although they do not have a "scent", they smell nice/no odor. I highly recommend it.

AND it is easy to take when we travel since you need so little!!

Your Clothes Will Smell Clean & They Are

by Glenn
(Greensboro, NC)

I have been using Charlie's Soap as my primary laundry soap for years. It is made close by in Mayodan, NC and I like to keep my spending in-state whenever possible.

Originally it was only available by delivery, but I've noticed Fresh Market and Lowe's Foods now stock it.

At first you'll notice it is considerably more expensive than other products. That's because you only use 1 oz. for HE washers and a bit more (1 1/2 oz) for top loaders.

There are two formulas to choose from; one is the powder, the other the liquid. Each call for one oz. Both clean well.

The liquid is more convenient for cold water use where the powder would need to be dissolved in warm water prior to use.

I'm a firm believer that if the product is good, one needn't require additives such as pre-spotters, boosts, oxi, etc. And this product is all I use.

I have both on hand, using the liquid for prespotting.


Suds are a minimum so one rinse is generally enough.

If you prefer to add bleach, that's fine. I cut my quantity in 1/2, though, using it as a disinfectant rather than whitener.

Whether you dry them on the line (personal recommendation) or use the dryer, you'll notice a remarkable difference than what you were using.

On the rare occasion of skin reactions, try 1/4 cup of white vinegar in the final rinse to remove whatever you're allergic to.

Your clothes will smell "clean." And they are.

Charlie's Soap Powder Is Great For Our Whole Family's Clothes

by Daniel

Daniel says:

I've used this detergent less than one year, so far, but I plan to keep using it.

I tried it based on a recommendation from a friend who has been using it for quite a while, and stated that she saved a lot of money because of the economical amount of Charlie's she used per load.

Overall, I'm happy with the Charlie's products I've used. I like it because I avoid issues my wife has had with previous detergents. Specifically, she has had several bad skin reactions to other detergents and Charlie's seems to be mild enough, so that her skin is not irritated.

Additionally, as I mentioned above, I use significantly less Charlie's Soap per load than I was using when I used Tide or All. I use it with all of my family's clothes, delicates, jeans, blends, etc. I have not experienced any problems with harm to the material.

I have used it to remove difficult stains like grass and ketchup. The only stains that Charlie's has not been able to remove were a blood stain from one of my kid's cuts and some barbeque sauce. I had to pretreat those 2 stains.

Unfortunately, I am not able to find Charlie’s Soap in any of my local stores, so I have to order it online. I’m usually able to find the 80 load size container for about $12 from Amazon, it’s usually marked down from the list price, so it’s a good deal.

Taylor says:

Thanks Daniel for sharing your review of the powdered version of Charlie's Soap laundry detergent.

Has anyone else used this product for washing their clothes? I'm always looking for more reviews, especially of how you've found it works on stains. You can share your review of this detergent here, or read more information about it.

Charlies Soap Laundry Products {Referral Links}

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