MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles, Manila Bureau) – Remember your grandma’s old-fashioned laundry detergent bars she used to manually wash your clothes?  Well, they’re baaaack!

Unfortunately, there is a severe shortage of these white or blue bars in stores and supermarkets in the Philippines, thanks to a new ruling by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The FDA has issued a final rule establishing that over-the-counter (OTC) consumer antiseptic wash products containing certain active ingredients can no longer be marketed. Companies will no longer be able to market antibacterial washes with these ingredients because manufacturers did not demonstrate that the ingredients are both safe for long-term daily use and more effective than plain soap and water in preventing illness and the spread of certain infections. Some manufacturers have already started removing these ingredients from their products.

Since the ruling was made public, many Filipino households have been ditching their high-priced OTC anti-bacterial soaps in favor of the detergent bars.

One bar does it all: washing hands, cleaning dishes, doing laundry.  Even taking a shower. How cool is that?

What is your favorite detergent bar? Wheel? Ajax? Tide?