I had never even heard of soap nuts until recently when Gail from Soap in a Nutshell contacted me to see if I’d like to try out a sample. These berry-like fruits are native to southern Asia and they are full of saponins, a substance which makes them great for cleaning just about anything. They’re a great all natural, biodegradable, completely non-toxic alternative that can be used for household cleaning, laundry, cleaning & detoxifying food, shampoo (for both you or your pets), and they can even be used to keep away bugs and mosquitoes!
I’ve already tried out the soap nuts on two loads of dirty laundry, including some pretty rank kitchen towels, and everything came out nice and clean. I’ll admit I was a little skeptical at first, but the soap nuts totally did the trick! They’re really easy to use too, and definitely no harder or more time consuming than traditional laundry detergent. They did leave sort of a very faint plantlike scent, but if you don’t like it you can toss in a few drops of essential oils into your laundry or cleaning mixture.
I used them in whole nut form (they come in a little muslin bag, which you just tie closed and toss in the washer). If you’re washing your laundry in cold water, they should last about 4-5 loads this way. There’s also instructions on how to make a liquid cleaning solution out of either the whole nuts or a powder form of the nuts which is also available.
In addition to all their many cleaning uses, soap nuts have been used for generations in India to effectively treat eczema and psoriasis, and they’re really good for people who are allergic to many of the fragrances and chemicals found in so many mainstream detergents and cleaning products. They also work out to be cheaper per load than most traditional laundry detergents.
You can find out more and get your own (there’s a trial size for 50 cents or a starter kit for under $5) at Soap in a Nutshell.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Alright since I really do make my own laundry detergent. I’m totally going to have to try this out! Great find- very unique!
This sounds like an excellent alternative to the hunk-o-chunk-o powdered Seventh Generation we use at the salon. That stuff is so messy.
Yes, the soapnuts in the bag are definitely very non-messy. I haven’t seen them yet when they’re ready to be swapped out (they’re supposed to turn sort of grey and mushy after 4 or 5 loads), but still, I can’t imagine that even that part is more messy than powdered detergent!