Soapnuts are an amazing, 100% natural cleaning product. Despite their name, they aren’t actually nuts – they’re the fruit of a tree (Sapindus Mukorossi), found primarily in India, Indonesia, and Nepal. Their outer shell contains saponin, a natural substance known for its ability to cleanse and wash — so they are GREAT for cleaning your laundry!
Soapnuts have been used to clean all kinds of fabric for centuries, but they are just recently gaining popularity in the Americas and Europe as a natural alternative to modern chemical detergents.
Because soap nuts are organically grown and chemical-free, they are gentle on clothes AND skin. That makes them great for those with sensitive skin — including babies and those that suffer from allergies, eczema, and psoriasis! They’re totally biodegradeable, so they’re better for the environment than regular detergent, and they’re antimicrobial, so they’re even good for septic and greywater systems!
Please browse through our site for more information about (and uses for) this amazing natural product.
The most important thing to know about using soapnuts is this: it’s SUPER easy! And it’s really kind of fun, too!
- Put 3-5 soapnuts (or the equivalent in broken shells) in the small cotton drawstring bag that came with your soapnuts. (If your clothes are not very dirty, or if your water is soft, you may want to experiment and use fewer shells).
- Pull the bag closed and toss it in the washing machine with your laundry.
- You won’t need detergents and softeners, but you might want to add a scoop of oxygen bleach if you prefer really bright whites. And just like with regular detergent, if you’ve got tough stains, you’ll probably want to consider using a stain remover.
- Wash on the hot or warm setting (or read this site for information on cold water washing).
- You can re-use the same soapnuts in your laundry up to FOUR times! After using them, set them aside to dry, and they’ll be ready to use next time!
For more info on using soapnuts, check out the list of information at right.
On average, 3-5 soapnut shells work great, but keep these variables in mind:
- We just received a new shipment of soapnuts that are larger and sappier than any we’ve ever seen! That’s good news for you — it means that the nuts will quickly release their saponin, and you’ll need fewer soapnuts. If you’ve noticed a difference in our “loads per bag” estimates recently, this is why. (Because the individual fruits are larger and heavier, in the same total weight, you get fewer than before). Our solution: use less soapnuts for each load — your laundry will still get clean!
- If your water is hard, try using 4 or 5 shells for better results.
- If your laundry isn’t very dirty, try using 2 or 3.
- If you use hot water washes, your soapnuts will quickly release all of their saponin, and they won’t be good for as many re-uses — so try using fewer soapnuts the first time. We like to wash the really grungy stuff first (like hubby’s greasy work jeans) and then wash the “less dirty” loads (like colors or towels) with the same nuts.
Experiment to find out what best suits your family’s washing conditions!
Saponin (the natural soap compound in soapnuts) is only released in higher temperature water. Therefore, we recommend using warm (or hot) water to wash your laundry. To wash your laundry with cold water, just whip up a batch of Soapnut Soak, and use it in place of commercial detergents.
Absolutely! Just whip up some Soapnut Soak and use it for cold water and delicate washes.
Certainly! Whip up a batch of Soapnut Soak, and add a few tablespoons of it to your hand washing instead of detergent.
Nope! You’ll be amazed to find that soapnuts will leave your laundry soft and fresh — without the use of any fabric softeners! We find that the difference is most noticeable with jeans and towels.
If you lose your wash bag (or it breaks) you can:
- Use an old pair of stockings or an old sock instead, or
- Send us an email, and we’ll mail you a new one.
Soapnuts are natural so there are no added fragrances – but we’d be less than honest if we didn’t admit that they do have their own, noticeably pungent scent. Don’t worry, though — your laundry WON’T smell like soapnuts when its done. In fact, it will have no special smell at all! If you prefer a fragrance (like we do)…
- You can add 10 drops of your favorite essential oil directly on the cotton wash bag before you toss it in the wash. (We really like to use our Energy blend and the Sweet Orange essential oil).
- You can also try experimenting with adding the oils into the fabric conditioner dispenser. (We’ve had mixed results with this method, because we think the oil tends to spot on our clothes sometimes. But we do it this way for sheets and towels, because it seems to produce a stronger scent).
For the whitest whites, we recommend that you wash your whites and colors separately. Remember that soapnuts are all natural, and contain no bleaching agents and no optical brighteners — so if you like your whites to be super-white, it’s probably a good idea to add a scoop of oxygen bleach.
With a really dirty load, use the same amount of soapnuts, but only fill the machine half full. (This will give the laundry some room for the clothes to move freely). As with all laundry cleaners, it may also be necessary to use stain remover to eliminate resistant stains.
No, soapnuts are not perishable and do not have a shelf life. Over time, they will naturally absorb moisture and become dark and sticky if they are exposed to air. This “transformation” does not affect their cleaning capabilities — in fact, the stickiness means that the saponin is already being released! That’s great news for getting your laundry clean, but a little messy for handling. To avoid the stickiness, you can transfer your unused soapnuts to an airtight container for longer-term storage. Any jar with a lid will work — we recommend recycling an empty jar from your kitchen.
