Curious to find out how many of you have used, or, heard of, Soapnuts……. I just got my OpenSky order that I posted on Thanksgiving Day – not only was it FREE + FREE Ship, it was… well, different! It had 2 cotton bags, with tie closures, some Soapnuts, and … Cotton Essential Oil – a pretty big bottle.
I have a friend who is a reader, she uses Soapnuts. In fact, they’re on my kitchen table, and tomorrow I’m sending them via USPS to Alaska. So she can do her laundry. LOL.
Soapnuts are a totally dried fruit with natural cleaning properties. You can use them to clean your laundry. Weird… but true. They are not a nut – honestly not at all. They are the fruit of a tree found mostly in the Himalayas…… and an excellent alternative to regular detergent & cleansers.
I’m not a regular detergent girl, we make our own and use our own – and so Soap Nuts are really quite similar in that they are more of an alternative. They are 100% natural, and they are organically grown – free of harsh chemicals and very very gentle. Great for those of you with Eczema, or Psoriasis (which we have… I have Eczema, my daughter has Psoriasis), great for babies, perfect for septic systems, etc etc.
They are biodegradable – and also low-sudsing, so they CAN be used in HE systems. The outer shell of Soapnuts holds “saponin” – a natural substance known for it’s ability to cleanse & wash items.
They have been used for many years in other cultures – it just so happens that they’re new to the American culture. Which is why you haven’t heard of them too much. Using them goes something like this:
- You put 3-5 in your little cotton drawstring bag
- Pull the top closed, add any essential oil (if you desire)
- Put it in the washer, in the actual DRUM, not the drawer! Wash clothes on warm or hot.
Then you remove the bag before your clothes go in the dryer. You can re-use the Soapnuts again – and if you don’t have any more loads to do, just set them to the side, let them dry, and then use on your next load. If you use them for cold water washing you will need to follow a different process… and use the Soapnuts to make a sort of liquid detergent.
After 3-5 uses, the Soapnuts are ready to be… composted. You can toss them in your compost pile and start with 3-5 new Soapnuts.
got it yesterday…. because of you… was wondering what to do n how to do??? Thanks 4 the detaled description………
i got mine too decided to use the scent part on them and hang in the closet as a little air freshener ha ha
Interesting!
Got an email today that mine were shipped. Can’t wait to get it!
I’ve used soap nuts…bought them once at a Farmer’s Market. I really liked them and would love to use them regularly, they’re just too expensive for our budget right now! They worked very well, though.
I love soap nuts. I use the Eco Nut brand on my cloth diapers and the diapers come out nice and clean. The nuts can also be used several times, so you get a lot of washes out of a few nuts. They are also great for people with allergies and skin conditions.
They are commonly used for cloth diapering.