5 things I learned after using soap nuts for 9 months + liquid detergent recipe
I've been using soap nuts from Nature's Supply for about 9 months now (if you're scratching your head and wondering what the heck soap nuts are, read this post). I've used them in multiple types of washing machines with several types of clothing and have used the suds to hand-wash several items. At this point I feel I can give you a pretty robust idea of what these babies will and will not do, so grab your nuts and read on, eco-adventurers!
They work. Yep, I use them all the time and they definitely work. I even bought extra cloth baggies so I can do multiple laundry loads at a time with my nuts.
Less clothing, more water. Soap nuts work best with lighter loads that have lots of sloshing water (I find most natural detergents work this way).
Heavily soiled clothing needs a boost. Soap nuts work awesome for my everyday clothing, but my extremely sweaty Jiu Jitsu Gi (uniform) and anything that gets covered in yuckies (like soccer or camping gear) often needs something stronger. For that I tend to use Seventh Generation detergent or two bags of soap nuts at a time with the load.
No suds, no smell, no problem. Soap nuts leave your clothes smelling naturally clean because they don't have a scent, which is perfect for me as I tend to react to heavy smells. Soap nuts also produce only a few suds compared with conventional detergents, but don't let that alarm you - they're still getting your clothes squeaky clean!
You can make liquid detergent with them. If you soak soap nuts in hot water, a bunch of the saponin (the surfactant that soap nuts release that cleans your clothes) seeps out and voila - you have liquid detergent! Want to try it? Check out my recipe below!
And here's a bonus: soap nuts are a cost-effective way to get into zero or lower waste living. I'm still working through the one bag of soap nuts I got from Nature's Supply in the summer. I did a quick calculation based on the number of soap nuts I have left, and I think by the end of the bag I will have gotten about 200-250 loads out of the $20 bag (which was gifted to me in exchange for my original post, but this post is done all of my own volition). Contrast that with traditional detergent ($47 for 120 loads with Downy liquid detergent or $19 for 48 Tide Pods) and using soap nuts could actually present cost savings for you!
So what do you think? If you liked this post, be sure to comment below, share with a friend (or your Pinterest board!) or say hello to me, April, on Instagram - @thehonestroot.
