Funny thing -- my neighbor who dispatches the raccoons actually has made some coonskin caps out of them, along with his son. He told me the other day that they wait till winter to catch them for that purpose, since their fur gets much thicker then. Hadn't thought about that but it makes perfect sense! Anyway, it's hard for me to kill an animal (especially cute ones) and I don't want to keep asking my neighbor to kill them, so for now I've decided that we just won't leave the garage door partly open for the cats at night anymore. We'll just shut the raccoons out of the garage that way and hope they don't get into other mischief outside in the yard. Michelle, what will you do with the squirrels after trapping them? How will you kill them if that's what you're going to do? My neighbor said he'd shoot the raccoon, but I'm not sure how he did that without damaging the trap it was in.

Well over the years of reading articles I seem to remember coming across a few articles saying to always buy the smallest box of dishwasher powder and use it up within a couple of months and keep it in a dry cupboard, not under the sink. But I haven't read anything like this recently so I wasn't sure if the efficacy of the detergent over time has changed with the new formulations.

I've never really thought of shelf life in relation to soaps. Is there any expiration date on the box you currently have? I would think as long as you don't store it in a damp basement or unheated garage you should be okay.

I find this thread discouraging. I started using Charlie's Soap due to recommendations on this forum, but the vehemence of the opinions here is hard to figure?! Does anyone consider why they have such strong opinions about laundry detergent? Or whether they feel these strongly worded comments are actually helpful to the forum? Clearly, some of the difference with results has to have something to do with the difference in water from one community to another. Hard water, soft water, heavily treated water have to make a big difference in how a detergent works. I have seen a few comments here that point out the basic reasoning that many people had in using Charlie's soap, but it bears repeating. Using a detergent that has fewer harsh chemicals and less negative effect on the environment and the water supply. And the second big reason was trying to escape the overabundance of products that cause reactions to the skin from who knows what ingredients. What I want to use as a laundry detergent, is a product that cleans clothes well but is made from natural ingredients that do not affect the water supply or the environment. And definitely, a product that rinses completely out of the clothes so that there is no residue to sit on the skin and either provoke a reaction or be absorbed into the body. It would be more helpful to me, to read comments from someone who actually knows and understands what is in these competing products and what affect they have on not just cleaning the clothes, but do they affect the environment and do they leave a residue that can cause a problem for the skin? And I'm also trying to avoid fragrances. I really dislike them across the board, unless they are natural fragrances, as in coming from essential oils or something. I don't wear perfume and I find it difficult to spend time in a room with someone who does wear it. Bottom line - this thread did not help me figure out which detergent is going to help me have the laundry experience I am looking for.