FAQ

Soap Flakes are made of pure soap and a very small amount of moisture - water. That's all! The soap base is made from 100% vegetable oils--palm and coconut.

Yes. Exactly the same.

Yes, they should be. The color, the amount of moisture, and the formation of the flakes themselves may vary from batch to batch. Usually the color is white, but over the years it has ranged from brownish to yellowish to white. Sometimes the flakes have a little less (or more) moisture making them more or less dusty. Sometimes the flakes are more broken and are not perfect little diamond shapes. These are things beyond our control. At all times the flakes should be meeting the performance and quality specifications set forth by Dri-Pak. The soap should perform as it always has in the past but sometimes color or other variations may be present as mentioned above. If you feel the soap is not performing as you wish, or that it is not what you expected, please contact sales@msodistributing.com and request a complete refund.

Yes, in most communities. The 1 lb. bags are LDPE recycle # 4; the large 9 kg bags are LPPE recycle # 4.

That depends. You might get as few as 9 washes or more than 50. When you wash an item by hand using about 1 gallon of water, you will probably use in the palm of your hand, an amount of Soap Flakes about the size of a half-dollar coin. Many many washes are possible per pound at that rate. (Great for a quick clean up while traveling or hiking and completely biodegradable.) Often people mix Soap Flakes with other ingredients such as washing soda, Soda Crystals, baking soda, or borax which makes it hard to say just how far in terms of washes Soap Flakes will go. Then to, front loading washing machines use four times less soap per wash than do top loading washing machines. There are approximately 4.5 cups of Soap Flakes per pound weight.

Yes. However finding the precise dosage and the best machine cycles for front loading machines is quite personal. It is best to experiment at first to find what works best for you. For most people, our Soap Flakes Usage Instructions (PDF) are complete enough to obtain excellent results.

Yes. Not only does this help the rinsing process, many people say it acts like a fabric softener and may lower the pH of the fabric making it more comfortable against the skin.

Yes. Making a liquid is one way to be sure that Soap Flakes have completely dissolved. This works well if you intend to use Soap Flakes in cooler water temperatures. To make a liquid, use enough hot water to dissolve the amount of Soap Flakes you wish to use. Stir. Let the mixture cool. The mixture may become gel-like, but this causes no performance issues other than it may not be as easy to pour. (Hint: Add more water if you want to thin it out!) See our "Articles" section on this website for some recipes and ideas.

Aside from what is suggested on the side of the box or bag, or in the Soap Flakes Usage Instructions (PDF), in general you should use enough Soap Flakes and water to "ensure a rich creamy lather". With very little water you can whip Soap Flakes into a thick foam, with more water you get a soapy mixture. With even more water you might not see many suds, so you would go entirely by "feel", feeling the mixture to see how slippery it is. There is no "correct amount" of Soap Flakes to use. You may use as much--or as little--as you want. Always rinse well. Experimenting will lead you to the proper dose for your needs.

Yes. Mix 50/50 Soap Flakes and Soda Crystals or however much you want. More Soda Crystals will help to clean your wash better but the items being washed might not come out as soft as if more Soap Flakes had been used. Look for the recipes in our "Articles" section on this website for additional mixing ideas.

Technically no. MSO Distributing has never promoted or marketed Dri-Pak Soap Flakes as "castile" soap. The meaning of the term "castile soap" seems to have changed over the years. Originally, castile soap was made from an olive oil base and may have originated in the Kingdom of Castile in Spain. Even now, soaps containing less than a 100% olive oil base are often called pure castile soap. Dri-Pak Soap Flakes are made from a pure vegetable oil base of palm and coconut oils. Since there is no olive oil used, we do not see the castile connection. It seems as if the term castile soap has become larger in scope to describe all vegetable oil based soaps in general. We do not see a "right or wrong" with the terminology. It appears the term "castile soap" is used and misused to the same degree. Some of the retailers to whom we sell have described Dri-Pak Soap Flakes as castile soap. We assume they mean an "all vegetable base soap", which Soap Flakes is.

Indonesia, a country in poverty, is where many less than ideal practices have taken place. Palm oil is valuable and many there have sought to increase their standard of living by cutting down palm trees to sell for their oil. However the palm oil used to make 100% vegetable based Dri-Pak Soap Flakes comes from Malaysia. An entirely different, and "middle income", country. The company that produces the Malaysian oil is a member of the Roundtable for Sustainable Development of Palm Oil, which means they are committed to growing and harvesting using sustainable methods.

Most likely yes. Soap is very basic. How can one NOT use soap in an almost unlimited number of ways? Very few people use Soap Flakes to clean "everything", although they probably could! Some people use Soap Flakes with water to wash floors, walls, and for cleaning carpet spots in addition to laundry use. People have told us they use Soap Flakes for washing dishes by hand, or as a shampoo, or to soften their bath water. We've had industrial companies buy Soap Flakes to use them as a lubricant when drawing wire through dies and we've had inquires about using Soap Flakes as a compound to reduce hydrogen bonding in adhesive making. People buy Soap Flakes to wash chickens, sheep, horses, dogs, boats, cars, to maintain their soap finished furniture, to polish rocks, and for a variety of craft projects. We are always amazed at all the uses there are for Soap Flakes. Rather than anything miraculous, Soap Flakes are simply pure soap. And pure soap has become quite unique due to its apparent rarity in the US marketplace.

We mean there are no additional ingredients in Soap Flakes. There are no perfumes or other additives of any kind--just 100% vegetable base soap. Due to British manufacturing standards, Soap Flakes are made in a "food grade" manufacturing facility and are therefore quite "clean". This does not imply that anyone should eat Soap Flakes!

We mean this in a laundry sense--washing clothes or fabric by hand--not in a machine. Another term sometimes used is "hand laundry", which is doing laundry manually--by hand. When using Soap Flakes to launder by hand, you can expect excellent results because you can see, feel, and monitor the washing process--adjusting it as you go. This is an especially good method to use when traveling; while on the boat, or on the trail, as well as when a quick freshening of delicate or special fabrics is required at home.

Well, you can buy Soap Flakes here at MSO Distributing's Online Store. Click on Shop. Also there are a few online resellers, such as DwellSmart, and several resellers on Amazon.com. Typically Dri-Pak Soap Flakes are not sold in stores in the USA.

Yes. You'll see the discount in your shopping cart. You can also call us or write to us asking about discounts.

Yes. We carry 19.84 lb. (9 kg.) bags of bulk Soap Flakes. Each bag contains the same soap flakes as are in the smaller packages.

Soap Flakes have stood the test of time giving satisfactory results to generations of users. MSO DIstributing guarantees your satisfaction or your money back. Let us know, we'll make things right.

Check out the "Articles" section of our website. Also there is a nice overview at www.soap-flakes.com

Yes. But a supply remains. And we have it. In mid-2016 production of Dri-Pak Soap Flakes ended. However there is no shelf life on Soap Flakes and MSO has in stock an approximate two year supply. So as of 2016 there is no shortage of Dri-Pak Soap Flakes in the USA as yet. Dri-Pak was the last remaining manufacturer of Soap Flakes – including the Lux brand. The machine that ‘flakes’ the soap was made by Vickers and was well over 100 years old. Not only had it reached the end of its service life, it was extremely inefficient in terms of energy use. The dry version of soap flakes also contain palm oil, which has environmental concerns with regards to wildlife habitat. Additionally demand had been gradually declining year after year as consumers chose easier to use products that better fit their busy lifestyles. In response, Dri-Pak developed a liquid variety of soap flakes that has all the benefits of dry soap flakes with none of the disadvantages. The development began years ago and Liquid Soap Flakes have been around for years but were not available in the US until now. The cleaning power is just as effective as the dry flakes. Liquid Soap Flakes are ideal for delicates and woollens but are also perfectly suited to washing waterproof outdoor gear and for those with skin sensitivities.

Yes, for most people. Plus, there is a money back guarantee if you do not like how Soda Crystals work for you. Also note that when a product survives the test of time, being used by generation after generation, performance--not hype or advertising promises--is what keeps people buying again and again. In fact, until a few years ago, Dri-Pak hadn't invested one dime in advertising Soda Crystals for almost 30 years! They didn't even have a marketing department! Nevertheless, Soda Crystals might not be the best product for you. And if that is the case, we offer a complete money back guarantee at any time for any reason. Just let us know and we'll cheerfully refund your complete purchase price including shipping.

Please look at our Products page and read and see more about Soda Crystals. You can also look at our Pictures page and our Videos page, there are Soda Crystals items there as well. There is a menu at the top of each page of this site where you can select Products, Pictures, Videos, etc.,, or if you are on a tablet or mobile phone, there is a little three horizontal line button (hot dog or hamburger button they call it) on the right side of your screen that when pressed will show a menu of pages.

Yes, they are the same.

When stored in a dry cool place in a sealed container the soda can be kept for a long time. Supermarkets in England use a 730 day product shelf life for an unopened pack. If kept in an "open" bag; the soda would over time lose part of the water molecules and could become less easy to dissolve. The soda may become lumpy or hard making it more difficult to dispense or measure out. However the cleaning effectiveness of dissolved "old" soda would be the same as of "fresh" soda."

Please check out Wikipedia and do some research on the main ingredient sodium carbonate decahydrate. Then check the other trace ingredients too. Magnesium hydroxide and Amorphous silica.

In Europe, ingredients laws are more strict than here in the US. Dri-Pak maintains the following website that lists every ingredient in their products. Please visit www.productingredients.net Also please note that there are many kinds of silica, Soda Crystals contains a small amount of amorphous silica.

Absolutely not! Soda Crystals are different. Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate, Soda Crystals are sodium carbonate decahydrate. In some countries Soda Crystals are carefully used in food preparation and water treatment. And veterinarians sometimes use Soda Crystals on dogs who ingest foreign objects, but in general, you should consider Soda Crystals a cleaning product and exercise appropriate caution.

Almost, but not quite. Washing soda is usually sodium carbonate anhydrous, which is a dusty dry powder. Soda Crystals are sodium carbonate that has been mixed with water, dried, and turned into crystals.

Yes. It’s totally safe and ok to do.

A chemical reaction takes place and the aluminum is left with a tarnish-like finish that may be hard--or impossible--to remove. This is most likely to occur with soaking or heavy washing of aluminum in a regular or strong Soda Crystals solution. It is best to avoid contact between aluminum and Soda Crystals all together...unless of course you are using the solution and some aluminum foil to remove tarnish from silver as can be viewed on our video page. If you accidentally tarnish or blacken aluminum--which of course you should not be doing by not contacting the aluminum with Soda Crystals--you can try wiping or soaking the darkened item in some freshly squeezed lemon juice; the acid *may* reverse the blackening reaction a little bit. No guarantees though.

Certainly! That's a perfect combination. Mix 50/50 Soda Crystals and Soap Flakes or however you want.

With 200 years of safe and effective use, there are no unknown side effects. There are no known ones either. Soda Crystals just work. Indoors or outdoors, almost everywhere on almost everything.

To buy from MSO Distributing go to our Shop page. Also available on Amazon.com and at DwellSmart.com. Rarely found in US stores on store shelves.

Yes, you will see a discount appear in your shopping cart as you add more units. Soda Crystals also are available at wholesale prices if your company or organization qualifies. Please contact us for specific information.

Soda Crystals have been around for 200 years, giving satisfactory results to generations of users. MSO guarantees your satisfaction or your money back. Contact us for details on returns and refunds.