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With Eco Soap Nuts, Give Your Clothes An Organic Wash in 3 Easy Ways!
- Written By: Saman Shoaib
- Last Updated: July 1, 2023
Are you fed up with using harsh synthetic detergents on your clothes? You can be, as they’re overwhelmed with chemical compounds that can ruin the cloth fibres and the environment too. That’s the moment to replace it with soap nuts. They can also be called as eco soap nuts because that’s a natural, sustainable, and eco-friendly solution, not only for your laundry but rather your multiple households as well.
Now it’s time to get rid of toxic chemical household items that produce a bulk of the waste via introducing soap nuts to your home. Eager to know about them? Just scroll down and be amazed to get to know about this environment-friendly laundry partner.
Get to Know About Soap Nuts!
Basically, ‘soap nuts’ are the dried berry shells or husks that produce by various large shrubs and small trees. But the most common source is the Sapindus mukorossi tree. After ripening the fruit of this tree, the soap nuts are picked and they move to de-seeded. But their shells are dried in the sun to make them soap berries.
The main origins of these berries are India, Indonesia, Nepal, and Pakistan. The berry shells contain saponin – a natural surfactant used in the laundry wash. It’s foamy in texture and works efficiently to remove stains, dirt, oils, and even some anonymous grime.
These berry shells are very versatile in nature and have the ability to replace various conventional detergents, cleaners, and soaps.
How to Do Soap Nuts Work
Firstly, you do have not to confuse with the name – soap nuts as they’re fruits but they don’t trigger nut allergies. Now the other crucial aspect is saponin which makes this fruit as an alternative to detergent.
Saponin is 100% natural and biodegradable, making it an excellent alternative to chemical detergents. When these nuts soak in warm water release saponin that tends them to exhibit their cleansing strength.
In a general concept, surfactants reduce surface tension and make water soggy. As saponin is also a surfactant, so it creates a soapy liquid with less lather. Thus, it’s immensely used to remove dirt and grime from clothes, dishes, floors, countertops, and even glass.
There are various leading names in the market that offer laundry detergents containing surfactants. But in reality, they are too harsh chemical versions and weaken the clothing fibres. However, these soapy nuts are highly gentle and hypoallergenic. This makes them ideal for young children, pets, and anyone who is sensitive to chemical additives.
Are Soap Nuts Eco-Friendly? Let’s Get to Know!
The Sapindus tree grows in a wild environment, mainly in the Himalayan foothills between India and Nepal. One of its main characteristics is that it doesn’t need fertile soil to flourish, quite the opposite, and as it grows in hard environmental conditions it also protects its native areas from the risk of erosion. It is incredibly resilient to diseases and doesn’t need any fertilizer or chemical pesticides.
Its fruits, the soapberry nuts, are harvested by local populations and they provide a great source of financial sustainment for local communities, that pick up the berries after they become gooey and red as they ripen and fall to the ground.
The seed is removed from the shell and lets it dry in the sun without any chemical or synthetic agents, so soap nuts are not treated in any way and what is then put on the market is a 100% natural, un-modified product.
How to Use Soap Nuts for Laundry
Soap nuts make a great, affordable laundry soap. One pound of organic soap nuts is inexpensive and should be enough to wash over 200 loads of laundry.
Use Soap Nuts as in Drawstring Bag
The easiest way to use these soap berries for laundry is by placing 4 to 6 into a muslin drawstring bag. The bag is not absolutely necessary and many people simply throw these nuts in with their clothes at the beginning of the wash cycle. However, the bag will keep these soap berries contained and prevent pieces that break off from staining your clothes.
Throw Soap Nuts into Washing Machine
When washing, make sure to set your washing cycle on the hottest water setting possible. Cold water will simply not release the surfactant from the soap nuts, which is essential to getting the clothes clean. Once the wash cycle is complete, remove the soap berries and dry the clothes as you normally would. Each handful of eco nuts should be good for several washes.
Pre-Wash your clothes before using Soap Nuts
When they start to turn soft and grey, then it is time for a new batch of soap nuts. You can use them in nearly any make or model of washing machine, including high-efficiency and top or front loaders. For best results, pre-wash or spot-treat clothes that are highly soiled and end the wash cycle with a cold water rinse.
Key Benefits of Soap Nuts
There are various advantages of using soap nuts that can really force you to replace your regular synthetic detergent. Let’s see the key benefits of these berry shells.
- Environment friendly
- These soap berries are 100% natural, they do not pollute our environment. Furthermore, these are considered renewable primary products. The SoapNuts trees absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen.
- Sustainable
- These soap berries are a renewable resource and are easily grown.
- 100% natural ingredients
- Eco nuts are a fruit and they grow on trees – with no harmful ingredients.
- Save water and energy
- Skip the rinse cycle – there is no need of rinsing your clothes since you have used a 100% natural detergent – no chemicals are left in your clothes to rinse off.
- Perfect for allergic people
- People with sensitive skin and people who suffer from neurodermatitis or eczema.
- Simple to use
- Just add 6-8 nuts in a cotton bag and wash as normal.
- Effective and gentle
- These soapy nuts clean dirty laundry very effectively and at the same time preserve the colour of your laundry better than chemical detergents. In Nepal, people wash even the finest silks using soap berries.
- No Fabric Softener needed
- They naturally soften your fabrics.
- 100% biodegradable
- Simply add the used soap berries directly to your compost heap and they are safe to use on your septic tank.
- Reusable
- Use the same nuts up to 4 times or even more.
- Recyclable packaging
- After you have finished your SoapNuts reuse the cotton bag for other purposes and recycle the box.
Closing Note
When you have to use a more organic wash to your clothes, eco soap nuts come in this manner. Although, there are various options, but these nuts will assist you more. Being an ideal natural product, you can easily use them for washing your clothes. No worries about tarnishing the cloth fabrics. Just gentle buffing will lead an organic wash and give the clothes a natural shine. In addition, these soap berries give you a sustainable and eco home option along with a bundle of key benefits.