Nuts about soap nuts!
I recently discovered, well I was introduced to by Jyoti, soap nuts.
Fab little nuts that you can use to wash your clothes.
The shell of soap nuts contains a natural detergent called ‘saponin’ which is released when it comes in contact with water and creates mild suds. The hard inner nuts can neither be eaten or used for washing and soap nuts are sometimes sold as halved shells with the seed removed. Our soap nuts are sold whole as the friction they produce helps clean the clothes better.
How to use:
Just put 5-6 soap nuts in a small net bag (or knotted sock, I use an old stocking foot!), place in the washing machine drum along with the load, and wash as usual (40 degrees ideally).
My washing comes out smelling fresh, clean and soft so there is no need to add a conditioner. If you want fragrance, add a few drops of essential oil in the softener drawer. They work well with colours and delicate fabrics such as wool and silk but not recommended for whites. As they contain no bleach, the whites tend to become grey after a few washes. They aren't quite strong enough for my son's rugby clothes but then nothing is :-)
I have been using them for normal washes without any problems.
One lot of soap nuts will do 4-6 consecutive loads. Stop using them when they become dark and soft and lose their shine.
Fab little nuts that you can use to wash your clothes.
The shell of soap nuts contains a natural detergent called ‘saponin’ which is released when it comes in contact with water and creates mild suds. The hard inner nuts can neither be eaten or used for washing and soap nuts are sometimes sold as halved shells with the seed removed. Our soap nuts are sold whole as the friction they produce helps clean the clothes better.
How to use:
Just put 5-6 soap nuts in a small net bag (or knotted sock, I use an old stocking foot!), place in the washing machine drum along with the load, and wash as usual (40 degrees ideally).
My washing comes out smelling fresh, clean and soft so there is no need to add a conditioner. If you want fragrance, add a few drops of essential oil in the softener drawer. They work well with colours and delicate fabrics such as wool and silk but not recommended for whites. As they contain no bleach, the whites tend to become grey after a few washes. They aren't quite strong enough for my son's rugby clothes but then nothing is :-)
I have been using them for normal washes without any problems.
One lot of soap nuts will do 4-6 consecutive loads. Stop using them when they become dark and soft and lose their shine.
3 Comments
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Comment by Jyoti on November 20, 2008 at 6:56am - I am delighted that you feel the same way about soap nuts as I do. I was a sceptic when I first heard about them but realised how beneficial they would be on so many levels- less chemicals in our homes and going down the drain for a start. They would be idle for people wanting to reuse their grey water in the garden, for example. Soap nuts are recommended for people with skin allergies as they are supposed to be kinder to the skin and the clothes as well as being economical. How much essential oil do you put in? I actually like the fresh 'non-smell' on the clothes but experimented using 3-4 drops of lemon oil but couldn't smell anything.
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Comment by HennaHelen on November 20, 2008 at 7:56am -
I used about 10 drops of lavender as an experiment and there was a faint hint of lavender about the washing but nothing too heavy. It's strange about that non-smell isn't? The clothes smell clean but don't really smell like anything. I like it because I don't like my clothes smelling too strong of anything and some of the detergents are quite strong smelling.
I also put the nuts in the composter when finished - not sure if that's the right thing to do? but I figure they are organic.
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Comment by Jyoti on November 20, 2008 at 9:59am
- I should have mentioned that soap nuts can be composted or disposed off with your kitchen waste as they are just fruits of a tree. Gosh, 10 drops! I was being stingy with my essential oils, no wonder there was no smell. Will try it next time.
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