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What the heck are soap nuts, and how do you use them?

Hi, friends! Today I am excited to bring you a new line of clean living home essentials, made by brand Natures Supply, which was recently launched by the lovely Becca, a friend to our family. Of course, when I saw that she was heading on a path that's near and dear to my heart, I reached out to her and wanted to share Natures Supply with you all. Becca was kind enough to send me some fair trade soap nuts and 100% organic cotton cloths (handmade in Chilliwack, BC!) in exchange for this feature.So, what the heck are soap nuts, anyway? Well, they're actually berries, harvested and dried to create the hard nut-looking things you see below. According to Natures Supply: "The berries have a natural substance called saponin which gives them their cleaning power."

What the heck are soap nuts, and how do you use them?

Fair trade soap nuts from Natures Supply

I'll admit, I was a little confused about how this could possibly work, so I put them to the test. I put two soapnuts in a mason jar filled halfway with hot water and shook it. After only about 30 seconds of shaking, I started to see a bunch of suds forming — see below. So I guess deez nuts (had to, sorry) do what they claim, all good there.

The other thing I'm sure you're wondering is, "how on earth do I use these?" Luckily it's really simple.

How to use soap nuts

Just stick 4 or 5 soap nuts in a small cloth wash bag (included if you order from Becca) and toss that into the laundry machine. Leave it out to dry when done, and each bag should be good for about 10 loads. Apparently, the soap nuts work best in hot water.I actually did one load of laundry using these and it went well. Everything is clean, no rogue nuts went in the washer and blew it up (which is kind of what my anxious mind was telling me might happen. Illogical, I know. Just go with it.) 

What makes soap nuts sustainable?

Primarily, the fact that they are a biodegradable, natural alternative to regular laundry liquid. These particular soap nuts are also fairly harvested in Nepal. Conventional laundry detergents can be very chemical heavy and contain a lot of artificial fragrances, which soap nuts avoid by being... natural haha. Duh.Interested in trying these funky nuts out for yourself?

Check out Natures Supply on Instagram (@naturessupply) or shop online at naturessupply.ca.Let me know your thoughts below, would you try these? Have you tried them?

What the heck are soap nuts, and how do you use them.