Nuts!? In my washer!? In place of laundry detergent!? I know what your thinking because I was thinking the same thing when my mother-in -law started telling me about these!! I had a hard time imagining it! The research guru in me came out and I did a little digging and while still skeptical I was interested in trying it out! I got 1 pound of them at Thanksgiving, and the experimenting began!
A little info on soap nuts -
> Comes from a Tree called Sapindus mostly found in Asia
> The Drupes (soapnuts) are actually berries, so no fear for people with nut allergies.
> Contains Soponins, which are all natural surfactants. Surfactants reduce the surface tension of the water, essentially making it wetter and easier to penetrate into soiled fabrics, combined with the agitation of your machine it removes dirt or particles from your clothes and keeps them away!
> Organic, Non-Toxic, Hypoallergenic, Odorless, Biodegradable, Compostable
To Use-
> Place 4-6 nuts, or the equivalence of pieces in a muslin bag
> Put directly in the washer, use any water temp and leave in even for rinse cycle. (Note: for cloth diapers I run an extra rinse after I pull out the nuts)
> Continue to use those nuts for 6-10 washes
A little info on soap nuts -
> Comes from a Tree called Sapindus mostly found in Asia
> The Drupes (soapnuts) are actually berries, so no fear for people with nut allergies.
> Contains Soponins, which are all natural surfactants. Surfactants reduce the surface tension of the water, essentially making it wetter and easier to penetrate into soiled fabrics, combined with the agitation of your machine it removes dirt or particles from your clothes and keeps them away!
> Organic, Non-Toxic, Hypoallergenic, Odorless, Biodegradable, Compostable
To Use-
> Place 4-6 nuts, or the equivalence of pieces in a muslin bag
> Put directly in the washer, use any water temp and leave in even for rinse cycle. (Note: for cloth diapers I run an extra rinse after I pull out the nuts)
> Continue to use those nuts for 6-10 washes
Fresh nuts on the left, completely used up nuts on the right
Our Experience -
Cody was the hardest to break of the habit of pouring laundry soap! I kept getting on to him that we're trying the soap nuts and he finally said well what do I gotta do!? Add clothes, Add Muslin Bag, start washer! He fell in love with the simplicity!!
I did a lot of experimenting, testing first if they worked, then how long they were good for, if they lost effectiveness when dried, if they lost effectiveness when used in different water temperatures, etc
Yes, they work! They work very well! It's serious experimenting when you take in big whiffs of cloth diapers and hubby's socks, and drum roll please they smell like sweet nothingness! Truly clean!!
You can test to see if the nuts still have some juice left in them by holding them under water and squeezing, if it still make suds then they're still good! For the most part I've found their good for 10 loads! If I'm doing any heavy loads past 6 though I usually change them out. So 6-10 loads.
Cody was the hardest to break of the habit of pouring laundry soap! I kept getting on to him that we're trying the soap nuts and he finally said well what do I gotta do!? Add clothes, Add Muslin Bag, start washer! He fell in love with the simplicity!!
I did a lot of experimenting, testing first if they worked, then how long they were good for, if they lost effectiveness when dried, if they lost effectiveness when used in different water temperatures, etc
Yes, they work! They work very well! It's serious experimenting when you take in big whiffs of cloth diapers and hubby's socks, and drum roll please they smell like sweet nothingness! Truly clean!!
You can test to see if the nuts still have some juice left in them by holding them under water and squeezing, if it still make suds then they're still good! For the most part I've found their good for 10 loads! If I'm doing any heavy loads past 6 though I usually change them out. So 6-10 loads.
No effectiveness was gained or lost by drying them, or using different water temperatures.
The only downsides we have come across while using the soapnuts is keeping up with what load number we are on and the hunt to find them in the washer after they've been washed!! Between the muslin bag of soapnuts and the dryer balls you'll never guess the crazy places I find them...in pockets, in pillow cases, in a no sew blanket! As for keeping up with what load we're on we made a cutesy little soapnut counter that hangs over the washer and it has solved that problem!! :)
The only downsides we have come across while using the soapnuts is keeping up with what load number we are on and the hunt to find them in the washer after they've been washed!! Between the muslin bag of soapnuts and the dryer balls you'll never guess the crazy places I find them...in pockets, in pillow cases, in a no sew blanket! As for keeping up with what load we're on we made a cutesy little soapnut counter that hangs over the washer and it has solved that problem!! :)
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