Soapnuts as a Detergent

Soap nuts has become the best way to naturally clean your laundry! Basically, using soapnuts as a detergent is easy - place 5 soap nuts in a bag, usually supplied with the soap nuts, draw the draw string tight, and place in with the laundry. That's it.

Some people add a few drops (10) of essential oils for a natural scent, such as lemongrass and lavender. You will get 5 loads worth from these, then the shells can go into a compost.

In point form, laundry soap nuts are:

environmentally friendly

sustainably produced

bio-degradable

compostable

natural

chemical free

not messy like powders.

For your skin, soap nuts are:

gentle on clothes

great for sensitive skin

reduces allergens

reduces eczema

better for babies

makes clothes softer

has no scent.

When using soapnuts as a detergent for laundry:

remove bag before placing clothes in dryer

re-use the soap nuts for 4 - 5 loads

good for front and top loaders

use less for half a load

can leave in spin cycle

do the usual separation of darks and lights

wash darks with new nuts and whites with used nuts

no fabric softener is needed.

And the variables:

some say the soapnuts as a detergent work best in warm and hot water, some say cold works just as well

liquid version of the soap nuts can be made for cold water, 1/4 - 1/2 cup

you can use a sock for the cotton drawstring bag

soap nuts are darker, shinier and soft when used up

can put 3 nuts in the cutlery holder of dishwasher for your dishes (and vinegar in the rinse dispenser)

that nuts work in hot or cold, but that you would have less loads when using these on hot

keep the soap nuts out of direct sunlight

keep in an airtight container to prevent stickiness (in humidity)

if sticky, still good to use

2 pounds or 1 kg of soap nuts should last for over 300 loads

the rinse cycle could be skipped as there is no detergents to rinse away

for stains you may still need an oxygen based whitening powder.

Liquid soap nuts can be used for a variety of uses, such as shampoo, dish soap, hand washable, household cleaners, pet shampoo, and anywhere else you would use a liquid cleaner. Usually there is a liquid version where ever you would purchase your nuts.

To make liquid soap:

put about 6 - 8 soap nuts (2.5 oz or 50g) of crushed soap nuts in 4 cups of water

bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes

let cool and add a natural thickener like Xanthum Gum

and a natural essential oil scent if desired

a batch will make enough for 8 loads, at 1/4 to 1/2 cup each load

uses batches within 2 weeks (the nuts last almost forever).

Essential oil scent examples are:

For bathroom - tea tree or lemongrass

for dish washing - sweet orange

for laundry - lavender.

From 'soapnuts as a detergent' to triclosan, one of the nasty chemicals in our soaps!

the indigo earth - real natural for real life

a healthy way to naturally clean almost everything

the indigo earth soap co. has released it's professional soap making DVD! Get your copy from Amazon.com today!