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My husband was telling a Brazilian co-worker about soapnuts.

When he was done, he man said, “No chemicals?”
“Nope,” my husband said.
“Nothing extra?” the man asked.
“Nope,” my husband said.
“And they grow on trees? Just like that?” the man asked.
“Yep,” my husband said.
“And they work?” the man asked.
“Really, really well,” my husband said.

“Ahhhh!” the man said, nodding and smiling as if he’d just figured out the secret:
“The Creator!”

Did you know that there’s a FRUIT you can use in your wash to get your laundry clean? It’s true! Soapnuts are the fruit of a tree (Sapindus Mukorossi), found primarily in India, Indonesia, and Nepal. They are harvested, de-seeded, and then dried in the sun — and that’s it — the soapnuts are ready for you to use in your wash!

How do soapnuts work?
The outer shell of the soapnut contains saponin, a natural substance known for its ability to cleanse and wash. (That’s what makes them so GREAT for cleaning your laundry!) In fact, 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.

Soap nuts are an amazing, 100% natural cleaning product.
They are organically grown and are chemical-free, and they are incredibly gentle on clothes AND skin. They are especially 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) LaundryTree SoapNuts.

Foam Pump Bottles
These Foam Pump Bottles are manufactured by Airspray, Inc. and have the same patented foam pump mechanism as the one used in products by Alberto Culver, Avon, Jergens, Neutrogena, Unilever, Mary Kay and Johnson & Johnson, sold in catalogs and by Pampered Chef.

Choosing Your Liquid Soap

• The bottles are designed to work with a thin substance of water-like consistency. It must have sufficient surfactants (soap or detergents) to create the foam. The liquid should be water-based, and it has to be able to foam using only normal air (no gasses or other propellants). Any commercial soft or liquid soaps will work in the foam pump bottles if sufficiently diluted. However, those soaps that contain thickeners may not work as well because they need to be so greatly diluted to counteract the thickener and be thin enough for the pump that the soap itself becomes to diluted to make good foam.
• Handmade liquid soaps usually work extremely well in the foam pump bottles as they are generally thin to start with and normally do not contain added fillers and thickeners. Do not use “melted down” bar soap in place of an actual liquid soap because bar soaps tend to clump or gel and can clog the mechanisms inside the foam pump.

Dilution Rate
The goal in determining your dilution rate is to find the most you can dilute the product and still have the desired feel of the foam. As a general guideline, you should be able to dilute your normal liquid soap by 3 - 6 times. Start with 1 part soap and 3 parts water, and add additional water (if you want) until the soap foam thins a little bit. That will tell you how much of that particular type of soap to use.

Other Additives

• Inside the pump of the Foamy Pump Bottle is a little mesh screen that mixes the soap with air to produce the foam. The holes are microscopic (79 microns - very tiny!), and can easily get clogged.
• Airspray, Inc. does not recommend the addition of any solid particle, even if it is under 79 microns, as solid particles tend to clump together, making them too big to pass through the mesh. Micas, pigments and any type of glitter are too big to work in the foamy pump bottles. Some thickeners can create “clumps” of soap that are big enough to clog the screen. As noted above, melted down bar soap is likely to do this.

Usage and Care

• The pumps are not designed to be used under running water. Use in the shower is not recommended and the bottles should not be placed or washed under running water. Doing so can allow water to seep down the neck and get into the air chamber located beneath the pump.
• Do not overfill the bottles. Actually measure out the right amount of liquid for the bottle size - you’ll see that it doesn’t actually fill to the very top of the bottle. This is to prevent liquid from getting into the air chamber.
• Bottles can be refilled and used again and again. The manufacturer has tested the bottle/pump design and found it works for up to 12,000 pumps per unit.

If the pump stops working properly, check the following:

• Is the soap too thick? In order for the soap to work properly in the foam pump bottles, the liquid should be water-thin. If it is too thick, the pump won’t work properly and/or can be permanently damaged. Increase the dilution rate or use a different soap.
• Is there liquid in the air chamber? You should see it inside the chamber below the pump. If so, turn it upside down and pump a few times which should get the water out of the air chamber. If that doesn’t work (and if you are brave) take the pump apart, clean it completely, dry thoroughly and reassemble. If liquid is allowed to remain in the air chamber for an extended period of time, it is possible that the soap will degrade the silicone in the pump, and it may not regain its original amount of “spring”.
• Is the screen clogged? Empty the container, clean the screen and flush with water (it won’t foam). Use a different liquid soap without particles in it that can clog the screen.

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.