Reddit mentions of Quilts illustrated PS006 Sweet Dreams Pillowcase

Gentle rant here.

Eucalan is well-regarded, effective, and smells nice.
A search reveals that it's made of ammonium lauryl sulphate, a number of thickeners, a foaming agent, some essential oils, and lanolin.

Orvus is well-regarded in the quilting world. It does a nice job of cleaning quilts with wool batting. It's also used for washing sheep and horses. Sheep = yarn, right?
It's pure sodium lauryl sulphate

Ammonium lauryl sulfate is derived from vegetable byproducts.
Sodium lauryl sulfate is derived from petroleum byproducts.

They are both surfectants, chemically the same in what they do -- they mess with the surface tension of water so that it will actually go into and wet the fibers.
The only difference is that ALS looks clear and will dissolve at lower temperatures; SLS is cloudy and needs warmer water.

Eucalan is $10.25 for 16 ounces from Amazon
Orvus is $9.00 for 8 ounces, same source

And Orvus concentrated horse-paste from the farm/feed store? ~Twenty bucks for seven pounds.


I have no problem with either Eucalan or Orvus, they work fine and it's really not that much to spend if you're not using it too often and the bottles look nice on your shelf.

But I'm the sheer-bloodyminded type, so I traded a warm muffin for a scoop of Orvus paste from my friend with a farm. When I want to use it I put a little in an old mustard jar and shake it good with warm water. That takes care of the foaming agents. I know what's in there and I know it works so I don't care about thickeners to convince me it's concentrated, and I can pour carefully even if it's runny.

I have a jar of lanolin from the co-op for lubricating dry skin in the winter, it cost a couple of bucks years ago and never goes bad. A little of that goes in the rinse water, along with a drop of essential oil for a nice scent. I've got eucalyptus in the house for clearing sinuses, and lemon and lavender. I pick whichever smell matches my mood or the personality of the giftee.

The thing you have to watch with home washing is the AGITATION. No soap or detergent will save you from felting a feltable yarn if you put it in the water and squish it around for a half hour. Use whatever you like, but be GENTLE, use plenty of water, and LIFT the item up and out of the water after it's done soaking enough.


(No offense, OP, but I did a thorough search on your LeBlanc and couldn't find a list of ingredients anywhere -- which means it's probably a very similar formulation. We all have our little indulgences and if their packaging or scent makes you happy, God bless -- but I get REALLY suspicious of anything online that won't tell me the details.)