Soap Nuts – My all time favorite DIY laundry solution!

I haven’t bought conventional laundry detergent in more than 3 years. I started off with a popular DIY recipe using washing soda, borax and grated bar soap. This worked pretty well and I LOVED how much money I saved, but I use cloth diapers and over time they became water resistant with this detergent, so I knew I needed to find a new recipe or switch to a conventional (but cloth diaper safe) detergent. Around the same time that I made this discovery my mother-in-law gifted me a big bag of soap nuts. I wasn’t quite sure what to do with them at first, but I did a little bit of research and started using them. I have been using them for almost a year now and they are amazing!

So what are soap nuts? I haven’t seen them in the laundry aisle.

That, my friend is because they aren’t made in a lab, but grow on small trees and shrubs in the Lychee family. Soap nuts (sometimes called soapberries) contain natural saponins (mild sudsing agents) and have been used by natives of Asia and South America for washing purposes for thousands of years. They are non-toxic, they clean REALLY well and are very easy to use. They can be made into a liquid and used as a shampoo, for washing dishes and as a general household cleaner. I have tried all of these and found them very effective. But my very favorite way to use soap nuts is for laundry. Why? Because is it so easy and I am lazy.

So, how do I use soap nuts for laundry?

This is the part you will love. You don’t have to do anything to them. No measuring, mixing, no blending or liquifying. You don’t need a recipe. All you need are the soap nuts and a small cloth drawstring bag. You just put a dozen soap nuts in the bag and close the drawstring, toss it in the machine with the clothes and let it wash. And to be honest, you don’t need the bag. I lost my bag (it went the way of the “matching sock” in the laundry quite a while ago) and so I cut up an old t-shirt into squares, put my soap nuts in a square and used a rubber band to close it shut.

Not very pretty, but extremely functional

Best part is that you can reuse the same soap nuts up to a dozen times with excellent results! The large bag I have has lasted me almost a year. This is even less expensive and easier than any of the DIY laundry detergent recipes I have found. And it is cloth diaper safe. The clothes come out very clean and with no odor of any kind.

Where do I get soap nuts for my laundry?

Well, unless you have your own soap nut tree (which is a very good idea and makes them quite sustainable), one of the best places to get them is here. That is until I grow my own soap nut tree. 😉

Please DO try this at home. You will be so glad you did.

What else do you use soap nuts for? Please share your experiences in the comments.

Thanks for reading!

“Posted at Small Footprint Fridays”

Want some other non-toxic options:

B. Butter – %100 natural and organic triple use moisturizer 

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DISCLAIMER: I am not a doctor and the statements on this blog have not been evaluated by the FDA. Any products or techniques mentioned are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. I am just a mom who shares what works for me!