Soapnuts - natural and environmentally friendly cleaning and laundry
We have four children and like many parents, my husband and I are very worried about the potentially toxic mixes that we keep in our cleaning cupboards. The fact that we have to lock these products away tells us how dangerous they are to our children and we need to be just as concerned about their effect on the environment.
A chance meeting with UK BBC Radio 2 Presenter Janey Lee Grace, The Imperfectly Natural Woman motivated me to start looking at all the unnatural stuff I use to clean my home.
As well as reading her books and looking at clips of Janey Lee Grace on You Tube, I am gradually starting to use some of the natural products that she recommends and have been amazed to learn about Soapnuts. They really are a safe, natural, environmentally friendly alternative to the variety of laundry aids and cleaning products that can be found in my cleaning cupboard and I hope you will also benefit from my research and that you too will go nuts!
Table of Contents
- What are Soapnuts?
- Why use Soapnuts?
- Some medical info about Soapnuts
- Are Soapnuts expensive?
- How to use Soapnuts in your laundry
- How to store your Soapnuts
- Soapnut Liquid
- Other uses for Soapnuts and Soapnut liquid
- Using Soapnuts with greywater systems
- Environmentally friendly products and gifts on Zazzle
- Did you like this lens?
- Are you going to go Nuts?
- About AJ
Do you already know about Soapnuts?
I heard about Soapnuts from Janey Lee Grace
Imperfectly Natural Woman uses soapnuts
Janey is the "Queen" of natural living!-
Janey Lee Grace
-
Janey Lee Grace is a UK expert in the field of "natural" living. Janey describes herself as an "Imperfectly Natural Woman" and has written a best selling book with the same title. More recently "The Wright Stuff" on UK TV has started referring to her...
What are Soapnuts?
The only soap that grows on trees!
Soapnuts are the fruit of the Sapindus Mukorossi tree, commonly known as Soapnut, Soap Nut, Soapberry, Soap Berry, Washnut, and Wash Nut. They are actually berries, not nuts. Varieties grow wild in various parts of Asia, including Northern India and China and the nuts contain saponin, which reacts when it comes into contact with water. Soapnuts contain Saponin, which is a 100% natural soap which has been used for thousands of years to clean clothes.Soapnuts have long been used for commercial soap production, usually together with many chemical additives which are not necessary for the actual washing process and can be damaging to the user as well as our environment. Soapnuts are becoming a very popular environmentally friendly alternative to manufactured chemical detergents. They also eliminate the need to add fabric softeners to your laundry as clothes stay remarkably soft.
Soapnuts are highly-effective but gentle at the same time. They are mild so they will keep colours bright and they are so gentle that your clothes will stay in good condition for a lot longer than if you use biological detergents. They can be used on all fabrics including delicates like cashmere, silk and wool. They are also great for nappies.
Why use Soapnuts?
They are natural and environmentally friendly
Most people are aware of the damage we are doing to the environment because of the chemicals we use to clean our homes everyday. More people are switching to natural, environmentally friendly alternatives as we recognise that anything that should be locked away from our children is very toxic and if it is harmful to them then it is probably harmful to the environment.But how many of us stop and check the labels of all our shampoos, soaps and other items that we regularly use not only on our skin but our children as well?
I could write pages and pages about dangerous additives in our toiletries and household cleaning products but I thought if I could only highlight just one dangerous additive, then what would it be?
It had to be: Sodium Laureth Sulphate. SLS is a foaming agent that creates all those bubbles we come to expect from all our personal cleaning products. The irony is that they are purely cosmetic. More bubbles do not mean more effective cleaning. If you would like to know more about SLS then just Google it.
Do you ever wonder why you are told not to get this stuff in your eyes. OK, so it stings, but perhaps this is the main reason: SLS is a powerful detergent. Apparently garages use it to clean engine oil from their floors. It is also very corrosive. SLS also attacks the formation of essential proteins in the eyes, which can lead to cataracts in adults. It is so harmful to the skin that it is used in medical laboratories to damage skin before healing agents can be tested!
I have also heard of a case where someone was told to use a very well known baby shampoo to clean some printer rollers!!
Need I say more?
Eco friendly cleaning on YouTube
Listen to what Janey Lee Grace says about Soapnuts
Brand new book from The Imperfectly Natural Woman - Janey Lee Grace
The UK's "Green Queen" with fab natural tips
Imperfectly Natural Woman: The Pocket Book
Amazon Price: (as of 12/11/2009)
This new publication includes tips and ideas extracted from the original book: Imperfectly Natural Woman together with some new tips, with added sections (particularly recipes for making your own natural skincare) and some gorgeous illustrations.
It would make the perfect gift for Mother's Day or a fabulous birthday present.
Some medical info about Soapnuts
Soapnuts can usually be used by people with sensitive skin and other conditions
According to my research Soapnuts are actually a fruit not a nut - see the Wikipedia article here - so they should be safe to use by people with nut allergies. However, anyone with a nut allergy would be wise to do their own research and also consult their Doctor.
Are Soapnuts expensive?
Going green and natural will NOT cost you the earth
As Soapnuts contain no natural perfume, you may prefer to add some essential oil such as Lavender, Tea Tree or any fragrance you like. However, if using on children or by anyone who has sensitive skin some essential oils may not be suitable, so please check first. Also you should not use Lavender and some other oils if you are pregnant. Just add a few drops of the oil to the conditioner drawer on your washing machine or into the cloth bag that you put the Soapnuts in.
Some people put a few drops of essential oil on the conditioner cloths they put in their tumble driers, but as I am trying to promote more environmentally friendly living I won't mention that!
Once you have used the Soapnuts for your washing a few times, you can use them to make liquid soap (see below) and then add them to your compost.
How to use Soapnuts in your laundry
Eco-friendly washing
To start with you may need to experiment to find out how Soapnuts will suit your needs. You will need to consider the following:
size of your washing machine
size of the load you are washing
how dirty the clothes are
the temperature of the wash
For an average load, with normal soiling, you will probably need 4-6 half shells; a larger and dirtier load may require 6-8 shell halves; smaller loads may only need 2-4.
You just pop the shells into the small cotton sack that is usually supplied with your order (you could also use a knotted sock) tie it up and drop it in the washing machine with the load. However, be aware that if you are tempted to use those little bags that come with commercial washing powder tablets, they are much more open and let more water flow through. So each set of nuts will be exhausted sooner.
Once you have put the Soapnuts in the load, you will not need to add anything else, unless you are using an essential oil. Soapnuts wash effectively between 30 and 60 degrees and will last on average about 3-4 washes. If you have a particulary dirty wash or a "whites wash" then you may find it better to use fresh Soapnuts for these loads.
Soapnuts don't contain any natural whiteners or brighteners so you may like to occasionally give your whites a boost by using Ecover bleach or bicarbonate of soda. For extra softness, without chemical nastiness, try white vinegar in the conditioner compartment.
When the Saponin has been used up the shells will look dark and feel soggy. However, they will still have their uses! At this point you can use them to make Soapnut liquid (see below). They also make a great hand soap, just toss them in your blender with some water and there you have it. Just strain out any tiny bits of shell that may be left.
Cleaning your laundry with Soapnuts leaves your washing completely odorless so if you prefer a scent, you can add a few drops of essential oils to the wash. You can apply the drops directly to your Soapnut bag before adding it to your washing machine.
If you prefer to use Soapnut Liquid rather than the nuts, then follow the recipes below and use it as you would normally use a liquid detergent. Use approx 3 tablespoons (or 45ml) per laundry load, but again you may need to experiment at first.
Soapnuts on Amazon
Cheap eco-friendly cleaning
Where to buy Soapnuts in the UK
Ethical Superstore - great suppliers of environmentally friendly products
How to store your Soapnuts
Keep your Eco-cleaners in an airtight container
Soapnut Liquid
Try these recipes for environmentally friendly cleaning
Boiling MethodCrush about 100g (about 2 handfuls) of Soap Nut Shells.
Add to approximately 12 cups/3 litres of water.
Bring mixture to the boil, and simmer for approximately 30 minutes.
The boiling process extracts the saponin from the nut shells, which combines with the water. You can use the liquid immediately, or let it steep overnight. Strain into your container and try making more liquid with the same shells - this may give a weaker concentration but can still be used for lighter cleaning jobs.
This concentrated, chemical free, environmentally friendly liquid can be used as a laundry detergent, organic pest control, shampoo, all purpose household cleaner, car/screen wash, liquid soap, pet shampoo, washing up liquid or any other things you would normally clean with a liquid.
Experiment with the mix of Soapnuts to water, adding more or less shells and water for stronger and weaker concentrations.
Once you have finished with the shells they can be added to your compost.
Soaking Method
1 cup Soap Nuts
4 cups water
(UK 1 cup = approx 8 fluid ounces)
Add Soapnuts to the water. Leave overnight. In the morning, liquefy the mixture in your blender. Strain through a very fine sieve into a bottle.
Just when you think you have extracted all the Saponin from your soapnuts
Throw some used shells into the blender with a bit of water and hey presto - you have liquid soap for the handbasin!
GREEN Tip of the Day
Other uses for Soapnuts and Soapnut liquid
More environmentally friendly and natural cleaning
Washing dishes and glasses: hand washing - don't worry about the lack of bubbles. In the dish washer, just put 3 shells in the bottom of the cutlery holder and some vinegar in the rinse aid dispenser and your dishes will come out sparkling clean. You can also use approx 50 ml Soapnut liquid in the normal dispenser. However, if you have any pans with badly burnt food on them, then you will probably need to hand wash these.
Washing hands: Put your old shells, with any new little "broken off" pieces that are too small to put in the bag / sock, in a blender. You need to break all the shells into tiny bits so that they release as much "soap" as possible. Add approx half pint of water and blend for a few seconds. Simmer for a few minutes and then allow the liquid to settle for awhile. In the meantime take an old soap dispensing bottle, remove the inner tube and cut it so that the tube only reaches about half way down to the bottom. Strain the liquid through a fine sive into a jug, then pour into the dispenser so that the level is below the pipe. Give it a shake and then pump. You will get a palmful of foam that you can wash your hands with.
Shower/bath soap
Washing hair: use a small amount of Soapnut liquid - a little goes a long way! Put the Soapnut liquid into a small bottle to keep in the bathroom/shower. Give it a good shake to get some foam. Rub into the hair and scalp, leave for 30 seconds or so as you massage in. Rinse well - then apply again. Keep adding until the liquid starts to foam up a little. It won't be much as there is none of those nasty foaming chemical additives. Rinse well, then rinse again. Keep it out of your eyes - yes, it does sting! It may feel sticky on your hair when you use it, but it rinses out to leave smooth, silky hair. If your hair feels slightly dry after using the liquid, you may have used too much. Since Soapnut liquid does not produce a lot of lather, it is easy to overdo it.
Screenwash in cars
Natural pesticide: plant spray to deter Greenfly and Aphids. Soapnut liquid, diluted about 5:1 with water, is also a highly effective snail killer.
Cleaning Jewellery: soak in Soapnut liquid and then rub with a cloth to give it a shine.
Cleaning fruit and veg: soak for approximately 10-15 minutes in the Soapnut liquid. Rinse off and the solution can then be reused for household cleaning. Or spray from a dispenser.
Pet shampoo: Parasites can be removed from pets' fur and skin by washing with a mild solution of Soapnut liquid. Your pet will be left clean, soft and protected from further infestations.
Household cleaning: Good inside and out.
Windows: a 50:50 mix of Soapnut liquid with vinegar and a final polish with a clean cloth is very effective.
Using Soapnuts with greywater systems
Aphids beware!
If you have one of those homes where "grey water" (from baths, wash basins and washing etc) is collected for using on the garden, then Soapnuts won't be harmful. In fact they will actually be beneficial as they are a mild, natural insecticide.
Your washing machine uses about 50 litres (12 gallons!) of water per wash. Collect that waste and you need not worry about hose pipe bans. Of course, the aphids will have plenty to worry about though!
My friend Ade is a brilliant photographer. You can check out his photostream here.
So will you give Soapnuts a try?
Will you try these eco-friendly cleaning ideas?
Other books that recommend Soapnuts
Getting life right the natural way
Imperfectly Natural Home: Everything You Need to Know to Create a Natural Home
Amazon Price: $15.56 (as of 12/11/2009)
Imperfectly Natural Woman: Getting Life Right the Natural Way
Amazon Price: $24.95 (as of 12/11/2009)
More "natural" and environmentally friendly lenses
Some great alternatives to plastic bags and some good recycling tips-
Earth-Friendly Shopping Bags You Can Make
-
An easy-to-make crocheted bag that is earth-friendly and convenient to use. The instructions are here for you. This pattern is a quick make-it-in-a-few-hours project. After making a couple, you begin to see how you can alter the pattern to make a ba...
-
Plastic bag alternatives
-
Facts, figures, recycling ideas, alternative bags, alternative uses, valuable resources and links Each year the world uses 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags. The US accounts for about 380 billions. As shocking as this is, it's even more shockin...
-
Making Your Own Recycled Yarn
-
Make cool stuff and help the Earth at the same time. If you like to knit, crochet, or any other yarn craft have a go at using recycled materials. You can make your own yarn using plastic bags, thrift store sweaters, scraps, and t-shirts.
-
Make a New Year's Resolution to Green Your Life in 12 Months
-
You could decide to lose weight--again--or this year you could resolve to lighten the load you leave on the planet. Here is a series of small changes that add up to big results divided up by time frame. You can complete them today, this week, or duri...
-
Go Green With Eco-Friendly Canvas Shopping Tote Bags
-
Help reduce waste and keep the environment clean when you carry your own canvas tote bags to the grocery store or mall. Re-usable canvas totes also make wonderful gift wrap bags for special presents. Shop here for Save The Environment and other Green...
Do you have a lens about "natural" & eco-friendly cleaning?
Add them here
Don't drive me nuts - only add your genuinely natural cleaning lenses
Eco Wash Laundry Balls
Eco-Balls will save you money, save your clothes f more...1 point
Fight Toxic Mold By Going Green
If you are exposed to mold over a long period of t more...1 point
Resist Super Germs with Essential Oils
They are germs that have become resistant to antib more...1 point
Marsha Camblin Natural Health Lensography
Good question! Buddhists say there is no 'I', but more...1 point
All Natural Glass Cleaner
Chartreuse's all natural glass cleaner uses the cl more...1 point
Green and Great Cleaning Products: Make Your Own or Buy Them
Many of us grew up thinking that Bleach = Clean. T more...1 point
Introducing Mrs. Meyers Clean Day Products
Not all green cleaning products are created equal. more...1 point
Soap Nuts - Clean Green!
Imagine you could get away with using no chemicals more...0 points
Growing Carrots in Toilet Roll inners.
Carrots hate being moved so you can't give them a more...0 points
make-the-most-of-summer-naturally
I believe in 'going green' and living healthy natu more...0 points
Environmentally friendly products and gifts on Zazzle
Organic and sustainable
Do you have a lens, blog, article or website that discusses Natural Products?
Would you like it featured on a popular "Natural Living" website?
300,000 hits a month! Visit this lens to find out how we may be able to promote a feature by you, which will give you backlinks to your lens, blog, article or website.Please read the conditions carefully!
-
Imperfectly natural
-
Imperfectly Natural.com is the home of natural alternatives. How did I become the Editor of this website that has over 3-400,000 hits a month? It is all thanks to Squidoo! This lens tells you how I first met the Imperfectly Natural Woman, Janey Lee...
My other "natural" lenses
Lenses that promote ethical gift buying and/or natural living
-
Twelve Days of a Green Christmas
-
How do you have a green Christmas? Here's twelve ways to have an ethical, eco-friendly and environmentally friendly Christmas. The Twelve Days of Christmas to my family is simply a time of being together. When I was a child there was no such thi...
-
Janey Lee Grace
-
Janey Lee Grace is a UK expert in the field of "natural" living. Janey describes herself as an "Imperfectly Natural Woman" and has written a best selling book with the same title. More recently "The Wright Stuff" on UK TV has started referring to her...
-
Best Plants for Bees
-
What are the best plants for bees? What are the plants that bees love? And why should we care? Why should we make sure we plant bee friendly gardens? Because thanks to a mystery illness called Colony Collapse Disorder, they need all the help they ca...
-
Valentines Day
-
Valentine's Day is celebrated all over the world and is another of those special days which appears to have been hijacked by commercialism - but the soppy romantic in me still loves it! However, if you do want to buy chocs or flowers for the lov...
-
Hands off our Vitamins
-
Hands off our Vitamins is a campaign against the introduction of The European Commission Food Supplements Directive. If the Directive comes into force then the EU will dictate what vitamins and minerals we can buy in all the member states, including...
Do you have an idea you want to share?
Then join Squidoo!
Do you have some stories to share?
Do you want to get a message across about something you believe in?
Do you have a website to promote?
Would you like to try your hand at writing on Squidoo?
Then become a Lensmaster! You may even make some extra cash too! AND it is free!
All you have to do is click on this link. Choose a Username and a Password - you dont even have to publish until you are ready - then go visit some lenses and to help you there's lots of "How to Squidoo" lenses, written by lensmasters who have "been there"!
Where I found a lot of the info on Soapnuts
Acknowledgements and references
- Sapindus Mukorossi.com
- The Complete Soapnut Guide!
- Corick.co.uk
- Website dedicated to soapnuts
- ebay
- ebay review on Soapnuts
This Lens has been reviewed by
Squidoo Lens Reviews
"Giving shoutouts, nods and promotion
to remarkable Squidoo Lenses"
Did you like this lens?
Please rate it and leave a comment
- Rate this lens:
- Email it
- Favorite it
- Lensroll it
Are you going to go Nuts?
Do you use Soapnuts?
Please let me know what you think of this lens about Soapnuts and don't forget to add your own natural cleaning lenses to the Plexo. And if you really liked it then please Tweet!
-
Reply
- Rusty-Quill Rusty-Quill Nov 6, 2009 @ 10:19 pm
- I am always amazed at the many natural "products" that we can use straight from nature. Thanks for introducing me to soapnuts. And you are right about the dangers of most cleaning and skincare products - toxic city - yikes!
-
Reply
- Joan4 Joan4 Nov 2, 2009 @ 10:45 am
- You have educated me today! I had never heard of soapnuts and using soapnuts sounds like a practical change we can all make easily! Blessed!
-
Reply
- spirituality spirituality Oct 5, 2009 @ 7:06 am
- Great lens - you've been blessed by a squidoo angel :)
-
Reply
- Twiga Megahan Twiga Megahan Jul 28, 2009 @ 8:30 pm
- Learned a lot, and loved what I learned. Fascinating, truly! And you say they grow on trees?!! Remarkable! Thanks!
-
Reply
- C-Joy C-Joy Jun 9, 2009 @ 9:04 am
- I have never heard of these before, but they sound perfect for my home! Thanks for sharing :)
- Load More
About AJ
AJ is Always Juggling
AJ is very proud and humble to be a Squidoo Angel
I am also very proud to have been awarded lens of the day for
Auditory Processing Disorder TWICE!
And then I got it for Twelve ways to have a green & ethical Christmas!
Lensmaster aj2008 has been a member since July 10 2008, has rated 3,239 lenses, favorited 801, and has created 70 lenses from scratch. AJ donates their royalties to Save the Children. This member's top-ranked page is "Bullying At Primary School". See all my lenses
Check out these great lenses...
-
- Bullying At Primary School
Bullying at Primary School is about everything that I learned when my daughter was bullied at school and gives tips and strategies to use when dealing with the school. I hope your children are never bullied, but if they are then perhaps our experien... view lens -
- Christmas at AJ's
Christmas at AJ's is full of Christmas traditions. There's Christmas stockings that Santa fills on Christmas Eve, presents under the tree, turkey for lunch, games in the evening and of course we have to watch Dr Who. The only thing that is us... view lens -
- Twelve Days of a Green Christmas
How do you have a green Christmas? Here's twelve ways to have an ethical, eco-friendly and environmentally friendly Christmas. The Twelve Days of Christmas to my family is simply a time of being together. When I was a child there was no such thi... view lens -
- AJ2008 a Lensography
This Squidoo Lensography is a different sort of Lensography to the first one I made: AJ is Always Juggling, which is more about me, my likes, my dislikes and my personal ambitions. This lensography is my Squidoo Story, told through my collection of S... view lens -
- Autumn at AJ's
Autumn in the UK starts in September and goes through until the beginning of December. Each season has its own special meaning at AJ's because we love our garden and we also enjoy watching the birds and the other wildlife that visit. We live in a se... view lens
Find me on Twitter
aj2008 is aj1996 on Twitter
-
-
- VictoriaTwead
- @aj1996: http://bit.ly/6Oowtd Forgot to say I also loved the little sketches!
-
- VictoriaTwead
- @aj1996: http://bit.ly/6Oowtd Absolutely excellent! Read from top to bottom. Dial-up wouldn't let me score, will try again in the morning
-
- brokerkathy
- @aj1996 you too....I am reading your lens on writing ;)
-
by aj2008
Explore related pages
Laundry Soap Nuts- Traditional laundry detergents have a major negative effect on our environment a...
Reusable Dryer Sheets- Your ordinary throw-away dryer sheets can have some serious negative health effe...
Janey Lee Grace- Janey Lee Grace is a UK expert in the field of "natural" living. Janey describes...
- Janey Lee Grace
- Janey Lee Grace is a UK expert in the field of "natural" living. Janey describes...
Always Juggling on Squidoo- Always Juggling? Married....four children.... two still at school.... one very b...
Imperfectly natural- Imperfectly Natural.com is the home of natural alternatives. How did I become th...
