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.
- Your clean laundry won’t have a scent when finished, but you can use your favorite essential oils to add fragrance.
- Wash on the hot or warm setting, and rinse in cool or cold. (Click here for information on washing in cold water). (You can leave the wash bag in during the rinse cycle, because the saponin is only released by the hot temperatures of the wash cycle).
- You can re-use the same soapnuts in your laundry up to FOUR times! Re-use them immediately, or set them aside to dry out and and be re-used later.
For more info on using soapnuts, check out the information categories at right.
On average, 3-5 soapnut shells work great, but keep these variables in mind:
- 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.
- Our most important advice: experiment to find out what best suits your family’s washing conditions!
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: try using less soapnuts for each normal load — we think you’ll find that your laundry will still get clean!
