Soap nuts: Making laundry even easier (and greener!)
2013
So I’ve been using my own homemade laundry detergent for several years now. It works great. I like it. My husband likes it. Even though she hasn’t mentioned it, I’m sure my one-year old girl likes it, too. What’s not to like? It’s all natural. Safe. Frugal.
And still, I’m not sure I’ll ever go back to making my own laundry detergent again. Why? Two words: Soap nuts.
I’ve had several people ask me on facebook and on the blog about soap nuts. And while I’ve heard about these cool little gems for a long time, I just hadn’t tried them because I still had plenty of homemade laundry detergent on hand. But I promised myself that I would try them once I was out of my other stuff. And try them I did.
And love them I do.
While working on my eBook, Toxic Free, I already had two great laundry detergent recipes ready to go. But I didn’t feel satisfied without getting this whole soap nuts things figured out. And even though you can still find those two great laundry detergent recipes in my book, you will also find this not-so-much-a-recipe-as-a-tutorial for soap nuts, too. Whether you choose to get the book or not, here is a little feature on my new favorite laundry “detergent.”
What are soap nuts?
Soap nuts are dried shells/husks from the soapberry. These berries are the fruit from a unique tree species. These shells contain a substance called saponin that produces a soaping effect. Saponin is 100% natural and a great alternative to chemical laundry detergent.
Why do I love soap nuts?
Three simple reasons:
1. They pass my hippie-lovin’, all natural requirements for my toxic-free home.
2. They make laundry time so easy! Seriously, it’s awesome.
3. It’s one less thing I have to make.
Don’t get me wrong, I love making my own stuff… clearly. But life is busy. Being a mom takes a lot of time. And sometimes you just want an “easy way out.” Especially if that easy way out doesn’t compromise my standards. At all.
To use soap nuts:
1. Put 4-5 soap nuts in a small muslin bag (check to see if these come with your soap nuts… mine did).
2. Put a large clip on the bag to secure it, if needed. (The bags with draw strings don’t need one.)
3. Toss in washing machine before your clothes go in.
4. Remove from laundry after washing (If you forget to take them out and accidentally dry them, don’t stress.)
You can reuse these soap nuts 3 – 6 times. You can tell the soap nuts are done when they look grayish and are falling apart. Soap nuts can be used in HE machines.
*The above directions are for a warm or hot water wash. If you are going to wash in cold water, soak the soap nuts in a cup of hot water (from the tap is OK for about 3-8 minutes prior to using to activate the saponin.
Looking for other great ways to ditch toxic chemicals and change your life? Be sure to check out my book, Toxic Free!
Have you tried soap nuts? Do you love them as much as I do? Why or why not?
This post is part of Frugal Days Sustainable Ways.
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The Benefits Of Using Soap Nuts » Gimster
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Do you have a link to the soap nuts you bought on Amazon? AND how many loads do you think you can get out of that?
I got the four pound bag… although you can buy one pound or two pound versions. It came with the little bags. It will last a long time. Since it takes about 4 or 5 nuts per load, and those will last 5 – 6 times before needing to be replaced, I would imagine this will last me many months.
http://www.amazon.com/NaturOli-Soap-Nuts-Berries-Hypoallergenic/dp/B001DU6SWA/ref=sr_1_8?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1357754566&sr=1-8&keywords=soap+nuts
I would love to know too! AND – do they seem to work on any type of water – hard, soft, rusty, gross, etc.
We have really hard water and they work well. Apparently they aren’t super great on really tough stains so you’ll want to pre-treat stains. And for those using cloth diapers, one mom said they didn’t get out urine… so something to think about.
I love them too! The only thing I could add is I love that I can throw them in the compost pile when they are done, so no waste either
Yes!
do they work well with white clothes?
I’ve had good success with them on my whites, but some others say that didn’t work as well for them. I think making sure your loads aren’t too large and possibly adding a homemade bleach alternative could give great results: http://thankyourbody.com/whiten-clothes-naturally-homemade-bleach/
I used them for years but stopped because I thought they made everything look grey :-/ We have very hard water. I would love to use them but I think I would need to use something to prevent calcium buildup in the clothes. Vinegar is supposed to damage the rubber components of the washing mashine – does anyone have any ideas?
I prefer baking soda for hair, though.
Btw, they can also be used for washing hair and dishes, I’ve been told
I know that vinegar can be hard on dishwashers for that same reason. You could look into a homemade bleach alternative to help whiten clothes: http://thankyourbody.com/whiten-clothes-naturally-homemade-bleach/
Thank you, I saw it a while ago and have been meaning to try it
That might help! Although I think it might still be possible to find something to counteract the excess calcium. I think I’ll try the recipes for detergent in your book also 
Let me know how it goes, Sisse!
I will, and thanks!
Great info! Found you on Frugal Days and I would love to have you share this on The HomeAcre Hop!
http://www.theselfsufficienthomeacre.com/2013/01/the-homeacre-hop-3.html
We started using them about 2 months ago. I like them but that little muslin bag gets lost easily in our home and it not holding up well to all the laundry we do. I think as far as our laundry getting clean I feel it is working. If you want a good smell to your clothes such as using Tide, Wisk, etc than this product is not for you.
We also use 3 wool balls in our dryer instead of sheets or liquid fabric softener. The clothes sometimes have static. Any solutions for that? Thanks.
Have a beautiful day!
I found that drying my clothes on low took care of all our static cling. Or spraying 10 – 15 sprays of vinegar on the clothes before drying them helps, too. (The smell goes away, promise.)
I just discovered these a couple weeks ago! I ran out of Purex and went to the local natural grocery store to see what alternatives they had. I came home with this: http://www.amazon.com/Eco-Nuts-Detergent-60-Load-10-Ounce/dp/B003OUIVU4/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1358088850&sr=8-16&keywords=soap+nuts+laundry+detergent It was $11.99 at the grocery. It’s supposed to do 60 loads, which I find extremely impressive for such a small bottle.
The first load smelled weird. Then, I realized that it smelled weird because it had no smell at all! No soapy smells, no artificial fragrances, just wet cloth. The wet clothes went into the dryer and came out as nice as any commercial cleaner.
Janet, I do dryer balls too! I have 6 and would like to get more. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find the awesome $20 deal for all 6 again. If you want scent on your clothes, then put some essential oils on the dryer balls. Works great and isn’t toxic. I too have static issues sometimes. In experimenting, I’ve discovered that I need to take the clothes out while they’re still slightly damp and let them air dry. If they go until everything is totally dry, I’ve got more static than an electrostatic generator!
Awesome! Thanks, Melanie!
I loved soap nuts for washing cloth diapers (mostly fitteds). They worked great. I would only add a little bit of oxygen bleach every second or third wash.
I haven’t had the same luck with clothes. Not sure why. Maybe not enough agitation in our front loader? Temperature not high enough (most of our clothes are washed in warm or cold water)?
I still have a lot of soap nuts left, so I’m willing to give it another try.
Hmmm… could be the temperature or the agitation factor. I have a top loader currently.
Are these more cost effective that making your own?
Depends on what you are using to make your own… but they are pretty darn cost effective. I found this useful: http://www.soapnuts.pro/2009/09/01/soap-nuts-affordability/
I’ve been looking at alternatives to detergent and was thinking about trying the Smart Klean ball http://www.smartkleancanada.com/html/buy_now.html Anyone heard of it and/or tied it?
Hannah
Hi Hannah,
I haven’t heard of it or tried it. Hopefully someone else has! I’d be curious to learn more myself.
I had the issue with my clothes turning gray, too! I’m thinking that DIY bleach alternative of yours would have made a huge difference
I think it has made a difference, for sure. Thanks, Heather.
Do you take the Muslim bag out before the rinse cycle? How do they NOT lather up while in the rinse cycle? Seems kind of like a hassle!!
Nope. These don’t sud like normal soap. You can leave them in for the whole cycle.
I read somewhere that because they don’t suds up that you can forgo the rinse cycle and save some water.
That makes sense. I should look into that. Great tip, thanks!
Hi Robin!
By chance do you know if the soap nuts are ok for people to use with allergies to tree nuts? My 3 year old is allergic, so I’m just curious to hear your findings.
Thanks!
That’s a great question. Since nut allergies can be so serious I’d contact the company directly for the best answer.
These are not actually a nut, but a berry. http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/learn/soapnuts.html
Awesome, thanks for the clarification.
Hi, I have a six-month old and we are cloth diapering. Do you know if soap nuts would work on diapers? Thanks for the info!