I did quite a bit of research about Staph infections after I caught one in a steam room, and it appears that Staph causes about half of acne, and is present in cases of psoriasis as well. I am aware of the mite connection to rosacea, but also suspect Staph with that, too. Too much playing around with Staph with ineffective treatments that allow it to survive can lead to the Staph superbug, MRSA, that everyone has been scared by lately. One thing that has been discovered, for example, is that a preparation with less than 3% of Tea Tree oil can actually lead to the production of a more resist Staph germ. The Staph germ is a commensual that lives on the skin and easily spreads there. If you have a lesion from it you can pretty much assume that it is infectious, and that the germs are at least present in a 4 inch square area around the blemish. Acne is produced when a hair root becomes infected with it. In my opinion, Eczema is an attempt by the skin to dispose of a germ it cannot kill by sloughing off instead. I strongly recommend pump soaps, because bar soaps can harbor the germ--even, in some cases, germicidal bar soaps. For actual blemishes, 10% benzyl peroxide (which will bleach clothes) is very effective for many strains of the germ if applied consistently at least twice a day until the blemish is completely gone. COMPLETELY is the operative word, because with staph, if you don't treat it completely and kill it, you are better off not starting--it can evolve into worse forms which are much more difficult to treat. That is, apparently, why dermatologists use cortisone preparations so frequently to deal with it. It keeps the patient from scratching the irritated skin, but does not challenge the germ. I'm a bit confused as to just what dermatologists actually know and think about these conditions; my two theories on the matter are that either they disagree among themselves, or they don't want to panic people into being overly conscious about a germ that is omnipresent. However, after having read up more on Staph, if I had an infant, I would certainly not allow his or her bare skin to touch the average grocery cart seat. In my experience, vinegar does help Rosacea; and, by extension, it might also be helpful in cases of eczema and even some acne as well. Because of the reaction of my dermatologist when I mentioned vinegar, I stick with the distilled white vinegar, which has no other organisms in it to add to the confusion. (Where other organisms are desired to balance off the effects of a course of antibiotics, stick to the recognized dietary sources of yogurt, apple cider vinegar, sauercraut, Kim Chee, Activia, etc. and the probiotics carried by most health food stores.) I used vinegar for several years on my rosacea, and rarely had to resort to the prescribed Metro Cream. Salicilic Acid is available in a number of tube treatments over-the-counter; it is not as strong as the 10% benzyl peroxide but can be useful in shampoo and bathing form--the liquid soap I use with that is OXY. Dermarest has come out with shampoo and skin treatments that have salicilic acid in them which I have found to be quite helpful. The next step up from salicilic acid is the benzyl peroxide, but it is only useful for small areas as it is so drying; it's really self defeating to use it for anything but an actual lesion. Next is coal tar and similar things. Neutrogena makes a coal tar shampoo that seems quite effective. You have to find out, for your own condition and skin, what is best in terms of how much, how long, and how often you can use a preparation. In between the heavy-handed approaches, I use the pump baby soaps for bathing, interspersed with a new eczema and psoriasis wash made by Flexitol Naturals. It is part homeopathic and part herbal, but it seems to help. So far I haven't had as much success with the cream, but I used that in my ears, probably not the best place to try it first. I think anyone with these conditions needs to entertain the idea that a germ may be a factor, and use some common sense about constant reexposure. Avoiding touching the nose directly, but using a tissue to scratch it, is one easy step (Staph can live in the nasal passages even if cleared from the rest of the skin). Changing pillowcases several times a week instead of just when the sheets are washed (that should be done at least weekly) can be helpful with facial skin problems. Nightly showers should be taken, but with care not to over-dry the skin. Less affected areas should not be washed after using your hands to wash more infected areas...for really severe cases, use disposable latex gloves on the worst areas, to avoid spread. Wear clothing next to the skin that can be laundered thoroughly in hot water. Wipe down computer keyboards and telephones regularly with alcohol. In hospitals, Staph is cleansed from the skin of patients with persistent infections using Dakins Solution. It is a mixture of chlorine and a buffering agent; the formula for that can be found on the web, and some pharmacies have it available for sale if asked. It is very drying to the skin and should probably be used just prior to a shower. Don't forget eyeglass frames, hairbrushes, and other frequently used items. Hairbrushes can be sprayed with a chlorine solution and then washed in the dishwasher; eyeglass earpieces and etc. can be wiped with alcohol on a disposable tissue. Long-term antibiotic treatment for acne can result in a more resistant form of Staph, so it is a two-edged sword. It is definitely not a treatment that should be stopped without consultation with the physician who prescribed it, because stopping an antibiotic too soo can allow a resistant germ to reproduce instead of being killed. Doctors seem to think that Hydrogen Peroxide solution will kill staph. In my experience, if you are dealing with a resistant strain, it will just spread the staph if you wipe down an area with it. Applying alcohol is even worse--it will allow the germ to get into the skin. By prescription, you can still use hexachlorophine if you are an adult (it was found to cause nerve damage in young children), and if all else fails there is a skin wash used for surgical preparation (it's red in color) that you can try, if the usual disinfectant soaps don't work for you. The Cetaphyl line seems to be that one dermatologists like for moisturizers and waterless skin washes; they are noncomedonic and come in pump form. According to a book I have on skin care, they include newly available lipids in their formulation that do a better job of moisturizing. An ingredient in shampoos and skin products that the book recommended avoiding is sodium lauryl sulfate (laureth is OK)--it tends to be comedonic, or pimple-forming. Several of the herbal and vitamin suggestions in this thread look promising; the only thing I can add is that, when I was trying to eliminate my origional infection, I found references in old herbals to the use of elderberry bark and pokeberry root preparations for resistant skin infections. The efficacy would apparently be the organic cyanide in these plants. I tried making up a solution by boiling some of each together, and it did seem to help a bit as an external application.

My goodness, are all of the posters in this thread living in households where no adult males live (or hang out)? I have never known an adult male -- not one -- who previously used canned foam shave cream and then tried a real shaving soap or shave cream (with hot water and a brush) who ever let canned foam touch his beard again, for the rest of his life. The experience with real shaving cream is a once-and-done experience, and what is done is the aerosol stuff; you simply cannot get to the garbage can quickly enough to dump it. And the reason that the can gets dumped is not that the can left rust rings.

Bumblebeez, your first sentence is kind of an interesting comment to make in a Money Saving Tips Forum! LOL I'll address some of your questions. As far as the cleaning ability, of course it depends on the formula but people who have used it reports it works as well as name brands (with the possible exception of enzyme detergents), and why wouldn't it? It's made from the same types of ingredients. I'm not claiming it's identical but washing soda and soap are in virtually every detergent. Same goes for the smell unless you expect it to have a chemical smell and you can put additives in there for that if you like. Personally I wash clothes to remove stench rather than put stench into them. Oh and is it good for the washer, well, depends on how you define "good" for the washer, but it's laundry detergent so if you're suggesting that it would damage the washer, you can be assured it will not. I should add that there's a lot of chemistry involved in laundry and the combination of detergent formula, machine, cycle, type of soiling, amount of soiling and even water makes a big difference in laundry results. And btw, few have quit using the homemade once they started using it. There's been a couple who decided it was more convenient to buy but usually when they get it for the right price. Or they keep a special formula for certain things. As far as cost, some of the recipes I looked at before weren't cost-effective for me so I didn't make it. I do have a recipe now that is essentially washing soda, borax, soap and baking soda which would compare quite favorably. "But then how would I get those big boxes of detergent home from the store?" Not everyone in this country has a car but somehow they get the laundry detergent home. Possibly by walking, taking a bus, a cab, or have it delivered... or maybe make their own? ;) I will agree with you that I enjoy having a vehicle. I don't drive new vehicles often and it's not a status symbol for me. Often I've thought it would be nice to not have one and when you think about the costs it could be very cost-effective for many people to get rid of their cars. But it's a choice that people make. Some like to make their own detergent and they do it for a variety of reasons. Some do it because it does save them money. Some do it and don't save much but do it to have it without the additives they don't like. Some do it as a hobby or as a "self-sufficiency" type thing. Some people will butcher a whole animal themselves, freeze it, etc, and some would think that they should just buy it at the store prepackaged. That would not be cost-effective for me, but for some it is. "It's one thing to choose to save money by not having a car and air conditioning but seriously, what is more important?" There's no one answer to that question. That's the purpose of the thread I believe. There's a lot of people who simply cannot afford a/c and a car (or a car with a/c! LOL) To many of them, food, clothing and shelter are more important. I'm not going to challenge the "veracity" comment, since I think perhaps you just misused the word. I see no reason why people would lie about it. I don't think you were trying to say that though. Mind if I ask what types of things you try to save money on?

If you have boys and marble floors ... the marble around the front of your toilet will have "special" patina! Honed will be much better than polished. I have seen the results on polished marble in a bathroom my parents had. My mother said never again, and has used porcelain floor tiles since then. I have no experience with honed, but others here have said it hides patina better on counters, so I would assume the same for floors.