Skoot, I donÂt know how long it would last or if it does much of anything to be honest. This all came about a few years ago when my Son was in college they burned a sample of Nitron A 35 in a gas chromatograph to see what was in it. Turns out to be water, beer, soap (mild like baby shampoo or bath), and a common enzyme found in human saliva, papaya seed, and the yucca plant (meat tenderizer ADOLFÂs) No I wouldnÂt use it in sandy soils since the product is made for heavy clay soils. It is suppose to soften them up and make them absorb water better. Same thing any surfactant will do. No it wonÂt hurt soil microbes as long as you donÂt over do it like anything else. The beer and enzymes will feed microbes. Problem could be the shampoo if you used the wrong kind or too much. No I donÂt use it, I have rich sandy loam yard. My personal thought is it wonÂt do any harm. On the other hand I do not know or claim it would do any good. Only thing I do use once in a while is use a potion like Jerry Baker published of using ammonia and a lemon scented soap to hose end spray around the patio plants and surfaces before a party of guest like a BBQ. Seems to run the bugs off, makes things smell fresh, and puts a shine on the potted plants and ivy growing. I originally posted this a couple of years back because I seen a lot of folks buying the Nitron A 35 product, and knew how to make your own for pennies rather than buying for dollars. If you have ever had the product it smells, looks, and taste like dilutted soapy beer. That is what it is.

The funny thing that got me ready for motherhood the most was that while I was pregnant with Rhiannon and couldn't get a teaching job, I worked in a nursing home. I did just about anything, and towards the end I did mostly baths. After changing all the adult undergarments a babies diaper was nothing. Also learned lots of tricks about putting on clothes on those who aren't cooperative. But the biggest thing was that we had residents that couldn't eat solids so every meal that they served, they would put in a blender. It could be a ham sandwich, pizza, roast, apple pie, broccolli, anything that the regular meals consisted of was purreed for the residents who needed help eating or didn't have teeth or other problems. I learned so much about respecting the elderly and have such an appreciation for them now because of my experiences. Stacie

I have recently been using Fels Naptha as a pretreater for stains. Wet the stained area and rub the stain with a bar of Fels. Rub the resulting soapy stuff in well. Somtimes I use an old toothbrush to get it into the fabric well. Let it sit for 10 minutes before laundering. I find the "new" Fels Naptha has quite a strong perfume, so I keep the bar in a plastic container. As to it not being the same as grandmom's Fels, Stoddard Solvent is also called white spirit in other parts of the world. It is a type of naptha, which is a petroleum distillate. It's the naptha in Fels Naptha that makes it the most effective soap for removing greasy oily soils. Perhaps Dial is being more specific in naming the particular type of naptha being used in the formula. They have also highly scented the product. It no longer is "the soap with the clean naptha odor" touted in the old ads. I have used Zout for years, and loved the results. I recently ran out of my original formula Zout. It was very lightly scented. The Zout I replaced it with is still effective, but I object to the way it perfumes my clothes, hence the switch to Fels.

Here's the recipe I've been using for about three years...I get all my ingredients at our local Krogers...I also add a bottle of oil of essence I find at Hobby Lobby or Michaels...otherwise it has virtually no smell! I also picked up an empty pool chemical bucket last summer at a garage sale for 50cents...it's a little over 6 gallons and I can triple the recipe... Laundry Soap You will need 3 basic ingredients; a soap of some sort, washing soda and borax. The Soap: The most typical type of soap to use is Fels Naptha. It is an old-fashioned type of soap usually found in the laundry aisle. The other options for soap are Ivory or another brand called, Zote. Any of these will work. I use my own homemade soap and find it works quite well. If you use Ivory or your own homemade soap you will need to use the whole bar. Washing Soda: This is not to be confused with baking soda. They are not the same thing. Washing soda is sodium carbonate or soda ash (baking soda is sodium bicarbonate). It is a white powder. Its purpose is to help remove dirt and orders. The brand to look for is Arm & Hammer Washing Soda. I find it in the laundry section of my grocery store. Many people have a hard time finding this locally. I know you can purchase it on-line, even through Amazon.com. I would also suggest asking your grocery store manager if it would be possible for the store to get it for you. Borax: Borax is a naturally occurring mineral: Sodium Borate. It is a white powder. ItÂs purpose is as a laundry whitener and deodorizer. The brand to look for is 20 Mule Team. It comes in a 76 oz. box. You should be able to locate this in the laundry detergent aisle. Again as with the washing soda, if you cannot find it ask you store manager or look online. The Recipe 1/3 bar Fels Naptha or other type of soap, as listed above ½ cup washing soda ½ cup borax powder ~You will also need a small bucket, about 2 gallon size~ Grate the soap and put it in a sauce pan. Add 6 cups water and heat it until the soap melts. Add the washing soda and the borax and stir until it is dissolved. Remove from heat. Pour 4 cups hot water into the bucket. Now add your soap mixture and stir. Now add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir. Let the soap sit for about 24 hours and it will gel. You use ½ cup per load. Optional: If you want your soap to have some sort of scent you can scent this with ½ to 1 oz. of essential oil or fragrance oil of your choice. My favorite scent is orange essential oil.