Traditional Marseille or Aleppo Soap Flakes?

Our Traditional Savon de Marseille Flakes are hot-saponified vegetable oil soap made in Marseille, while Aleppo Soap is traditionally made from olive and laurel oils. Both are fragrance-free and both have a long history of being used for laundry.

For most people starting with Soap Flakes, I'd begin with Traditional Savon de Marseille. If you already use and like Aleppo Soap, there's absolutely no reason not to wash your laundry with that instead.

What about our fragranced Soap Flakes?

Maison Berthe Guilhem make theirs rather differently. They're made from cold-saponified coconut oil soap and fragranced with essential oils, so they're not Traditional Savon de Marseille and we don't pretend that they are.

They are simply another way to wash with soap, and a particularly lovely one if you want the fragrance to be part of your laundry soap rather than adding it separately.

Soap, Washing Machines and Soap Scum

There is quite a lot of conflicting advice about using soap in modern washing machines, and some washing-machine manufacturers and plumbers advise against using traditional soap flakes because of the possibility of soap deposits building up in the machine.

It is a valid concern. Soap can contribute to what we commonly call soap scum, particularly if too much soap is used, it isn't properly dissolved or you repeatedly wash at low temperatures. Hard water can make this more of an issue too.

It doesn't mean you can't wash with Soap Flakes, but it does mean it's worth looking after your machine. Don't use more soap than you need, make sure your flakes are properly dissolved before use and regularly run a cleaning cycle to remove any build-up.

We use white vinegar or citric acid for this. Both help break down the limescale and soap deposits that can accumulate over time, and a regular hot cleaning cycle keeps on top of it.