Housekeep No. 1 is built on organic unrefined coconut oil, the one plant oil that saponifies into a soap rich enough to lather freely and strong enough to lift grease. A measured amount of potassium carbonate and citric acid works alongside it, holding the minerals in hard water so they cannot bind with the soap. That is what keeps the lather full and the rinse clean, whether your water is soft or hard.
For laundry, use a quarter cup per large load. If your machine has a dispenser, pour it there and let the machine do the mixing. Otherwise put the clothes in first and pour the soap over top, then turn the drum or stir the basin a few times so it spreads evenly through the load. A 32 oz bottle carries you through roughly sixteen large loads. Turning garments inside out before they go in is worth the extra second — it puts the soap against the side of the fabric that actually needs it, and keeps printed and darker surfaces facing in. For a pre-treat, put a few drops straight onto a collar, a cuff or a food stain, work it in with your fingers, and let it sit ten minutes before the wash.
One more from us: hang dry where you can, rather than reaching for the dryer. The heat and tumbling of a dryer are what wear fabric down over time, and air drying is gentler on fibres, colour and shape. It matters most for smaller items and for anything delicate or special, which come out of a hang dry noticeably better kept.
For dishes by hand, stir two tablespoons into about half a cup of water, then work from that as your wash water, lifting it onto your sponge, brush or cloth as you go. That small amount is enough for twenty to thirty dishes, depending on how heavily soiled they are. Let the lather sit for a moment on anything greasy before you scrub, and rinse in clear water.
Housekeep No. 1 lathers well in cool water, so there is no need to run the tap hot for the sake of the soap. Use warm or hot water when the job calls for it, not to make the soap work.
Because this is a true soap and nothing more, it is as kind to your hands as it is to your dishes. You can wash a full sink without gloves and finish with your hands feeling soft rather than tight and stripped.
Housekeep No. 1 is made without synthetic preservatives, so a little care keeps it at its best from the first wash to the last.
Housekeep No. 1 is a concentrate, and it is meant to be diluted at the moment you use it: a small measure into your dish water, or straight into the drum of the machine. Keeping the bottle itself undiluted is what keeps every pour at full working strength, so a little continues to do the work of a lot right down to the last wash. Take out what you need and close the cap behind you.
Keep the cap on tight between uses, pour carefully rather than quickly, and wipe the neck and the threads with a dry cloth if soap collects there, so the cap continues to seal properly. Set the bottle back from the faucet and away from the machine's lid, where standing water and splashes can find their way in.
Store it upright at room temperature, in a cool, dark place such as a cupboard or under the sink, out of direct sunlight, and out of reach of children and pets.
The scented version may deepen slightly in colour over time, and its scent may soften as the essential oils settle. That is natural and does not affect the soap.
- Organic Unrefined Coconut Oil
- The whole of this soap. Coconut oil saponifies into the most soluble and hardest-working soap of any plant oil, lathering freely in cool water and holding its lift against grease on a pan or soil in a collar.
- Distilled Water
- Dissolves the alkali and turns the soap paste into a pourable liquid. We use distilled water so no minerals interfere with the soap, which is also why we ask you not to dilute it at home.
- Potassium Hydroxide**
- The alkali that transforms the coconut oil into liquid soap through saponification. It is fully used up in the process; none remains in the bottle.
- Potassium Carbonate
- A gentle mineral softener. It holds the hardness minerals in your tap water so they cannot bind with the soap, which is what lets the lather build properly and keeps dishes and fabric free of any dulling film. It also keeps the finished soap clear and easy-pouring rather than thick.
- Citric Acid
- Fine-tunes the pH of the finished soap so it stays mild on the hands through a long evening at the sink, and helps it rinse away completely without residue.
- Organic Lemon Essential Oil
- Present in the Lemon & Lavender version only. Cold-pressed from the peel, it is the bright top note of the blend, and the scent most closely tied to a kitchen that has just been set right.
- Organic Lavender Essential Oil
- Present in the Lemon & Lavender version only. Steam-distilled and softly floral, sitting underneath the lemon. It is the reason this soap belongs with bedding and towels as much as it belongs at the sink.
- Organic Tea Tree Oil
- Present in the Lemon & Lavender version only. Distilled from Melaleuca alternifolia, a traditional household oil valued for its sharp, purifying character and the green edge it gives the blend.
The full ritual
Made to be used, not rushed.
Housekeep No. 1 is built on one oil and one purpose. Organic unrefined coconut oil, water, and the lye that turns one into the other — a soap complete enough to lift grease from a pan and soil from a collar, and simple enough to name in a single breath. It is fully biodegradable: what goes down the drain returns to the ground as soap and water. And it is kind to the hands that use it, leaving them soft rather than tight at the end of a long evening at the sink. Clean plates, clean linen, clean hands — all three, from one bottle.