Uses of Soapnuts

Soapnut

I’ve been using soapnuts for just about everything lately. They are especially handy for doing laundry. All you have to do is tie up 5 berries in a muslin or net bag and toss it in with your laundry. I like to add a few drops of musk oil, and a bit of hydrogen peroxide to remind me of the perfumed laundry soaps I have grown up with. One bag of five soapnuts will be able to wash about 5 loads of laundry, or more, just keep an eye on your soapnuts, and as they break down you can add some more.

I also found that you can make them into a liquid detergent which I have described and detailed in my Cradle to Cradle Dish-washing instructable. This liquid can also be used for washing out the fridge, cleaning tables, the floor or anything else that need cleaning. It can be used for shampoo and as a spray for house plants to help to protect them from insects or fungus.

I also have found that keeping a bag of soapnuts in the toilet tank will help to keep the toilet smelling fresh and keep it clean.

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There are plenty of other great uses for soapnuts. They are natural and don’t pollute the environment. They can often be found in Indian spice shops or you can buy them online. It is much more effective to just buy the whole nut and not any processed soapnut detergent powder, it is much better to use them in the traditional way.

Soapnuts can also be grown if you get a hold of a seed. I’ll give this a shot soon, but in the meantime read this article about a guy who has already done it: How To Grow Soapnuts.

I have found soapnuts to be very cost effective as well and personally I highly recommend them if you can find them. I have started making crocheted hemp soapnut laundry bags, which are available at the Hella Delightful online craft stores: Dawanda and ArtFire.

Links

Soap Nuts Pro
www.soapnutslaundry.com
www.soapnuts.ca
www.superiorsoapnuts.com
www.thesoapnutshop.co.nz
www.greenandnutty.com.au
www.inasoapnutshell.com (UK)
www.soapnuts.co.uk
http://www.herbsnherbalextracts.com

Laundry Day, Mt Hagen, Papua New Guinea

12 Comments

  1. vitamin says:

    i am wodering how safe they are to use on baby clothes or surfaces that they will come in contact with. but other than that im very excited to try this.. depending on how cost effective this is i might decide to use this, im hoping my local stores will be carry soap nuts.

    • hellaD says:

      My sister uses them for washing her baby clothes with, if I was you I would add in some hydrogen peroxide as well. I find them to be extremely cost effective but I have a good source! You can easily get them online as well.

  2. Helen says:

    I just love soapnuts, they do a great job cleaning for anything from floors to dishes without any strong chemical odor and all natural.

  3. Sally says:

    Add a little fragrant oil when washing with soapnuts if you want even better results!

  4. Soap Nuts says:

    We’ve been using soap nuts for two and a half years now, and will never go back to conventional laundry detergent.

  5. Mark says:

    Soapnuts are amazing. I have been using them for 2 years now and will never go back to regular washing powders again. They take a bit of time to get used to as you do not see alot of soapsuds as with regular powders but they do work and well. I add some soda crystals as this gives the soapnuts a boost.
    I hope more people will use them

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