Clean & Green Laundry With Soapnuts
Intro: Clean & Green Laundry With Soapnuts
Doing your laundry with soapnuts is a great way to avoid polluting the earth while cleaning your clothes. These days soapnuts (or soapberries) are all the rage, and I have to say that I agree. I have seen various concerns around soapnuts, such as the cost of transporting them from India to the western countries, or with bringing in foreign plants (if you are trying to grow them at home), or whether they are harvested ethically and organically in India. These concerns are worth keeping in mind when shopping for soapnuts, but I do have to say that soapnuts work great, they don't harm the environment through use and I think it is worth switching to soapnuts especially if you use industrial, chemical-filled laundry detergent. They are affordable too!
I am going to try to grow a soapnut bush at home this year (indoors so I don't disturb the native plants) so fingers crossed there.... I have tried using acorns and bouncing bet (other plants with saponins traditionally used for washing) and I have heard that there are many other plants out there that are useful for cleaning, but honestly, the acorns turned my whites brown and when I tried using bouncing bet (soapwort) I had to dig out a lot of the roots of the plant. To be frank, the soapnuts are practical and actually do a good job cleaning dirty diapers too.
I don't have a washing machine in my tiny apartment, so I have to go to the laundromat once a week, which is actually a nice activity, gets me out for a walk, and plus it means I can't just throw a couple towels in for a whole load and waste energy and water doing that. I call it slow laundry because it takes me all afternoon to get it done.
For more info on uses of soapnuts please visit my website http://helladelicious.com.
I am going to try to grow a soapnut bush at home this year (indoors so I don't disturb the native plants) so fingers crossed there.... I have tried using acorns and bouncing bet (other plants with saponins traditionally used for washing) and I have heard that there are many other plants out there that are useful for cleaning, but honestly, the acorns turned my whites brown and when I tried using bouncing bet (soapwort) I had to dig out a lot of the roots of the plant. To be frank, the soapnuts are practical and actually do a good job cleaning dirty diapers too.
I don't have a washing machine in my tiny apartment, so I have to go to the laundromat once a week, which is actually a nice activity, gets me out for a walk, and plus it means I can't just throw a couple towels in for a whole load and waste energy and water doing that. I call it slow laundry because it takes me all afternoon to get it done.
For more info on uses of soapnuts please visit my website http://helladelicious.com.
STEP 1: Sourcing Your Soapnuts
There are lots of products on the market these days, all kinds of new fangled soapnut laundry detergent, in powders or liquid. Things in the soapnut world are just going nuts.
Don't get carried away by all the hype. All you really need to do laundry is 5 soapnuts. You can throw them in loose or tie them up in a muslin bag and these 5 nuts can be used over and over again--good for at least 4 loads of laundry, and yes they do get them clean. I have tested them on large loads of dirty blankets and towels and they have come out clean.
I have posted more information on the various uses of soapnuts and links to some excellent resources here.
If you are looking for a place to buy some soapnuts for your laundry, check out these cute recycled tea-towel pouches containing 5 soapnuts, ready to go for the cleanest, greenest most satisfying laundry day ever.
Don't get carried away by all the hype. All you really need to do laundry is 5 soapnuts. You can throw them in loose or tie them up in a muslin bag and these 5 nuts can be used over and over again--good for at least 4 loads of laundry, and yes they do get them clean. I have tested them on large loads of dirty blankets and towels and they have come out clean.
I have posted more information on the various uses of soapnuts and links to some excellent resources here.
If you are looking for a place to buy some soapnuts for your laundry, check out these cute recycled tea-towel pouches containing 5 soapnuts, ready to go for the cleanest, greenest most satisfying laundry day ever.
STEP 2: Aromatherapy for Your Laundry
I like to add a bit of hydrogen peroxide (about a teaspoon or so) to my laundry with the soapnuts, just to help give it an extra boost. Also, since soapnuts don't have a strong smell (they smell slightly sour but the smell doesn't come through in the laundry), I like to add a bit of essential oil to my laundry loads. Sandalwood, pictured here is a good aroma, I also like to use rosemary or amber, any of those sort of fresh scents are quite nice. This way you can choose your own flavour depending on what mood you are in or what mood you would like to be in when wearing your clothes.
STEP 3: Into the Washing Machine
Probably everyone has their own way of doing things that works best for them. When I do my laundry I like to get the water going first (hot or cold can be used) and then I toss in my bag of soapnuts, I add a teaspoon of hydrogen peroxide and some drops of essential oil. Then I close the lid and let the water run for a bit to get the suds forming. After about 30 seconds I add my dirty clothes and go read a book while the soapnuts do their business.
Simple, clean and eco-friendly. I also love to make soapnut detergent for washing my dishes, my fridge, floors, or even my vegetables in. How to do this can be found here.
Simple, clean and eco-friendly. I also love to make soapnut detergent for washing my dishes, my fridge, floors, or even my vegetables in. How to do this can be found here.
27 Comments
shilpadiy 7 years ago
Wonderful in-depth explanation and detailed about how to use soap nuts for laundry. Thank you so much.
I have one query - I have a front loading washing machine and we need to load clothes in the drum, close it, then in the top we have small soap compartment we need to put soap and separate compartment for fabric softener.
How do i use the essential oil with my soap nuts in my washing machine?
In your washing machine, I see that you load the soap nut bag, start the water , add hydrogen peroxide and essential oil.
Kindly advice
Thanks In Advance
S. Ashwin
turkey 11 years ago
HellaDelicious 11 years ago
skippy0397 13 years ago
Thanks,
Chris
webesoapnuts@hotmail.com
www.webesoapnuts.com
cecilgrass 13 years ago
Xial 14 years ago
I bought a bag in the middle of last year, and haven't bought detergent since. I'm nearly out now, and should buy some more. Fortunately, I've got a source that is rather local -- just on the other side of town from me. :)
I can't seem to convince my roomie to make the switch with me, so the washer goes through cycles of good detergent, bad detergent.
I sneeze less from my laundry being done (no funky perfumes!), scratch less (no crazy chemicals!), and actually have good, clean clothes.
I found that there isn't a need to run a rinse cycle with the soap nuts, either, so I save water there whenever I'm near the washer to catch that switch between cycles.
I live in a small apartment, so I don't really get the option to trap the water and reuse it for something (anything?) else, but I don't know what I could really use that for, anyway.
I've given some away to family and friends, explaining how to use them.
I can't seem to encourage them to switch -- people have become inundated on the "If it doesn't produce suds, it sucks" theory, it appears.
Funny enough, I think it was your Cradle to Cradle instructable that keyed me in on soapnuts, and got me to buy some for a try. :)
Thanks!
HellaDelicious 14 years ago
I have tried using them for shampoo, but find I am addicted to suds for shampooing my hair, but I am gonna see if I can figure it out, maybe just needs a bit of experimentation, as in Burma (Myanmar) they make a great traditional shampoo that all the Burmese ladies swear by (and most of them have gorgeous long hair) so they must work!
I definitely find that the chemicals and fragrances added to regular detergent gives me allergic reactions! These days I even can't stand the smell of detergent if I am just passing by someone's house who is doing laundry with commercial detergent!
articice 13 years ago
HellaDelicious 13 years ago
zubain 13 years ago
HellaDelicious 13 years ago
buysoapnuts 13 years ago
deathpod 14 years ago
Ninzerbean 14 years ago
HellaDelicious 14 years ago
I have used soapnuts to wash blankets and smelly towels and they come out completely clean. My sister uses them to wash her babies diapers and just loves them.
Ninzerbean 14 years ago
tim_n 14 years ago
Several people including myself have come to the conclusion they do very little to the laundry and are on par with just a clean water cycle. I still use ours but probably won't replace them.
btw did you mean 'forming' or 'foaming' in step 3?
HellaDelicious 14 years ago
tim_n 14 years ago
I'd never seen them foam and was just wondering...
SerenStar17 14 years ago