Is this a natural bar soap? I"m thinking no since it's made by Purex, a company that uses chemicals in its cleaning supplies.

Fels-Naptha soap contains sodium tallowate and sodium cocoate or sodium palmate kernelate and sodium palmate. Sodium hydroxide is the lye used to make soap with tallow, coconut oil, palm oil or palm kernel oil. It also contains water and talc. Coconut acid, palm acid and tallow acid are fatty acid emollient and surfactant cleaning agents from plants and animals. PEG-6 methyl ether is an extract of juniper. Fels-Naptha also contains glycerin, an emollient; sorbitol, a sugar alcohol derived from fruits, corn and seaweed, a moisturizer; and sodium chloride, ordinary table salt. Pentasodium pentetate and/or tetra-sodium etidronate are inorganic salts used as emulsifiers and dispersing agents. Titanium dioxide is an opaque white pigment. The soap also contains fragrance, source not specified and acid orange and acid yellow colors. Fels-Naptha contains solvents that dissolve greasy stains, including oil, grease, perspiration, chocolate, baby formula and cosmetics. The wet bar is rubbed into stains before putting clothes into the washing machine or grate about one-third of an ounce of the bar into the washing machine as a detergent booster. It has been used as a folk remedy for contact dermatitis caused by exposure to poison ivy, poison oak and other skin irritants, but the Dial company warns that Fels-Naptha should not be used directly on your skin.Considerations: Some of the ingredients in Fels-Naptha are of concern, such as titanium dioxide, which is known to contaminate the ocean and lakes and harm wildlife. According to Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), Fels-Naptha is safe for consumer use in the laundry, but the MSDS warns about occupational hazards, and those working with Fels-Naptha soap in industrial settings are required to wear safety gear including goggles and gloves because it is an irritant.What is Naphtha?Naphtha is the name for a petroleum derived solvent, and includes such solvents as gasoline and kerosene. Originally Fels-Naptha contained benzene, another name for naphtha, which dissolves oil and so is very useful for oily stains. This ingredient is what made Fels-Naptha such a success, making it possible for homemakers to get their laundry cleaner with less effort. However, Fels-Naptha no longer contains benzene.http://www.livestrong.com/article/176905-information-on-fels-naptha-soap/

How do you grate this for your homemade detergent. It seems very hard... have you tried a food processor or just hand graters?

I just use a serrated knife (in my case a steak knife) to grate against the edge of the bar and shave off bits of the soap. It will look like coarse powder.

I want to use this to make laundry detergent. Does it have a smell? Is it pleasant?

Yes there is, but by the time you make detergent with it it's pretty faint. It's a clean smell. Not a beautiful floral smell or anything, just kinda clean kinda old fashioned smelling too if that makes any sense? But for me when I make my liquid detergent with it, I barely smell it anymore anyways. If you want more of a smell to your clothes after you wash them, you'll probably want to add some essential oils or use a fabric softner of your choice. Hope that helps.

How well does this work on old stains?

It depends on how old the stain is. If it's an old rust stain, it will get some of it but not all of it. Old protein based stains like blood it takes some scrubbing but it will get it out.

Fels-Naptha Laundry Bar and Stain Remover, Tough Stain Removal, 5 Ounces

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