Fels Naptha Laundry Soap

Fels Naptha Laundry Bar Soap

Between my landscaping business, market garden, and working on our 18-acre heavily-wooded property, I come into contact with my share of poison ivy and sumac.

The entire poison ivy plant (leaves, stems, berries, and roots) contains an oil called urushiol. This is what causes the contact contact dermatitis for most people when they get it on their skin. Fortunately, you can usually avoid an allergic reaction if you remove the oil from your skin within an hour or so. Fels Naptha laundry bar soap is the most effective way that I have found to remove poison ivy from your skin if you know you’ve been exposed.

They don’t advertise that their soap is effective at removing urushiol from the skin, which is interesting since everyone I have talked to who is familiar with this soap always mentions that they use it precisely for this purpose.

While this soap, as with any other, works best in warm to hot water, I always use it with cold water in the shower. Cold water prevents your pores from opening as much, which is the last thing you want to do if you already have urushiol on the surface of your skin.

The manufacturer does have a warning on the label about using this product on your skin. Would I shower with it every day? No, but I don’t hesitate to use it any time that I suspect that I might have been exposed to poison ivy. You should talk with your dermatologist or physician prior to using it if you are concerned.

I have purchased dozens of bars of this soap over the years, but I can count on one hand how many times I’ve actually used it in the laundry room. With that said, it is a very effective stain remover. I use a cheese grater to shred the bar into tiny pieces that will dissolve quickly in the washing machine. I keep a small container in our laundry room and toss some in the washer when I wash my landscaping clothing. Fels Naptha is one of the best soaps for removing grass stains.