It's often the fragrance added to soap that is the problem, as well as synthetic detergents. Formulas for "soap" get changed all the time. DOVE sensitive skin, unscented, hypo-allergenic, and fragrance free - list of ingredients: sodium lauroyl isethionate, stearic acid, sodium tallowate or sodium palmitate, lauric acid, sodium isethionate, water, sodium stearate, cocamindo-propyl betaine or sodium C14-C16 olefin sulfonate, sodium cocoate or sodium palm kernelate, sodium chloride, tetrasodium EDTA, tetrasodium etidronate, maltol, titanium dioxide Compare that to a bar of Kirk's Castile Soap: Coconut Soap, Water, Vegetable Glycerin, Coconut Oil, Natural Fragrance - which is also hypoallergenic, all natural with no animal by-products or synthetic detergents. [Unfortunately, I can only use it in the shower, not the tub, with our hard water.] I make foaming soap for the hand dispensers by mixing 3 tablespoons Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap or Kirk's Castile Liquid (or other liquid soap) with 1 c. water. If you want to make it disinfecting hand soap, add 8 drops of Thieves Oil - especially during cold and flu season. Thieves oil is a natural disinfectant with an interesting story, but the oils are clove bud, lemon, cinnamon bark, eucalyptus and rosemary. You can make it with the individual oils (there are recipes available on-line), or purchase them already mixed - 5 Thieves Oil, 4 Thieves Oil (check Amazon.com). I just recently purchased a bottle of Mirai body cleanser. This liquid soap was designed for "older" people. I read recently "beginning around age 40, a personâÂÂs body odor contains a higher concentration of 2-Nonenal, a compound that has an unpleasant, greasy, grassy odor that we affectionately call âÂÂold-people smell.â So for every problem look for a solution, and for this condition it is persimmon extract, which lead me to information about Mirai. It really does make your skin feel great. I'm still in the testing stage. -Grainlady

Hi Bluepoppy, thanks for the compliments; I appreciate it. I haven't posted my "finished" pictures, because, well, I'm not finished. I have some painting left to do and want it to look beautiful when I announce it to the world. ;-) The faucet and dispenser are Kohler in polished nickel; faucet is Bancroft line. It is an unusual faucet, but worked well in our situation. This bath is a very narrow L-shape and we had just 19" for the vanity and countertop. We ordered a custom cherry vanity and granite top, and put in the smallest sink we could find. To make everything fit, I chose the single-post faucet and off-set it. It works really well -- four of us are using this bathroom now while the master is being remodeled, and we're all pleased with the faucet/sink layout. Here's a photo I had handy that shows a bit more of the room, from the hallway. The walls are a very pale sagey green. To the left of the tub is a linen closet; hopefully to be painted this weekend.

To those of you who have been using these "home made" detergents, are you experiencing any odor, mold or mildew issues? The reason I ask is because castile soap builds up into a gooopy, gel-like gunk if not properly rinsed. This could potentially cause problems in washers. Every home-made product I've tried - from detergent to fabric softener - has proven unsatisfactory. Either the products don't clean well, they risk building up in my machine or on my clothes or they just don't work. Price is not the only consideration, which is what appears to be driving this homemade laundry movement.

I understand the concerns about using dish soap if it tends to dry your hands. That hasn't been a probelm for me, but I do have a child with OCD who tends to wash more than necessary, so for a while I switched from the antibacterial dish soap to a dish soap that was not antibacterial. It was gentler on the hands, and kept my child's hands from cracking (and sometimes bleeding) as they had with the antibacterial soap. Since then, I've diverted my child from constant hand washing to using hand sanitizer in between a normal amount of hand washing, which has solved the problem. Now I can use whatever kind of dish soap I want. But if it doesn't bother your hands, dish soap is a perfectly good hand soap. (My grandmother even used dish soap for shampoo, which I do occasionally for a super cleansing of all hair products from my hair, with no discernible harm.)