Don’t be afraid of soap nuts. Yes, they look a bit weird and smell funky at first, but they work! My clothes come out of the washer with a light, fresh scent and very clean. With all the “green” and “eco-friendly” detergents on the market today, I’m happy to have found a product that works and that – clearly – comes from nature.
Soap nuts are literally nuts from the Sapindus genus of trees, also known as soapberry trees. The shell of the nut contains saponin, a natural cleansing substance that has been used for centuries around Asia for both clothing and skin.
In addition to being an effective cleaner, soap nuts are very gentle on skin so they’re great for people with allergies.
The nuts – which have been de-seeded and dried – are usually sold by the ounce and come with a small, fabric pouch. The pouch holds the soap nuts (4-5 per load) so they can be easily retrieved later.
The nuts can be used up to five times on average before they lose their potency. Based on your water softness, wash temperature, and necessary cleaning power the number and usage of your soap nuts may be different. Specifics can be found on suppliers’ websites (a few options below).
The first time I saw soap nuts, I thought: I don’t even want to touch those, let alone wash clothes with them. They were dark nuts, slightly sticky to the touch, and smelled…off. Not a bad smell, but not what I wanted to smell like. I forgot about them completely until my thoughtful sister gifted them to me one day.
I followed the instructions, hoped for the best, and expected the worst. To my utter surprise, my clothes were clean, smelled great, and the soap nuts didn’t smell as bad afterward either.
A couple washes later the shells of the nut fell apart, but worked just as well. My sister likes to put a drop of lavender essential oil in the bag too, but I prefer the natural scent. Disposal was easy: straight into the compost!
I heartily recommend soap nuts to anyone who has the courage to try them. I haven’t had great luck finding them in stores, but many suppliers sell them online.
Note for apartment dwellers: buy a couple extra bags so you can use your soap nuts on multiple loads at a time.
Soap nuts online:
LaundryTree: laundrytree.com
Maggie’s: maggiespureland.com
NaturOli: naturoli.com/soapnuts
Zamuta: zamuta.com
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Image courtesy of maggiespureland.com, Free Online Psychic Chat
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Discussion Take a look at what is being said about this article.
Lisa P, on June 5th, 2009 says:
Interesting. I’d be pretty wary about seeing these the first time, too. Now I want to find them in my area.
Issac, on June 5th, 2009 says:
Great name. Soap nuts.
Good tip for those in apartments. Handy to know. Thanks Christine.
Kris, on June 5th, 2009 says:
These work wonders for sensitive skin. I can vouch for that, and can’t use Tide at all or I turn bring red and itchy.
Jeff Davies, on June 5th, 2009 says:
Weird! But very intriguing.
enviro-lover, on June 6th, 2009 says:
They look like old, decomposing dirty toes!
Karla, on June 7th, 2009 says:
I think it’s great to show people ways to help protect the environment, but I’ve heard too many negative arguments about the soap nuts and I think u should write about them, too.
It is said that the price for the soap nuts in India etc has risen so dramatically, that people can’t afford them any more and buy the – now cheaper – washing powder instead. But since they’re often washing their clothes directly in the rivers, they’re polluting the environment even more than we would do since our washing water doesn’t end up in the ground water unfiltered.So please think about consequences before buying these.
Laurie, on June 7th, 2009 says:
Karla – great info! Thanks for letting our readers know!
kathryn, on June 7th, 2009 says:
hey karla, thanks for the info. good to know both sides, although they would be interesting to try. makes you think about it though!
Christine, on June 8th, 2009 says:
Hey Karla,
Thanks for the heads up! I’d definitely be interested in learning more, can you recommend some sources? Can’t seem to Google anything helpful. Thanks again!
Christine
greg, on June 9th, 2009 says:
my wife and i use soap nuts with no ill effects. yep, they sure smell rank but they get the job done. i can’t use detergent because i break out red and itchy. this is a great alternative.
Mark, on June 11th, 2009 says:
I have been using soapnuts for over a year now. They are amazing, when you first get them you think how are these going to get my clothes clean. On the first wash I stood in front of my washing machine and thought where is the soapsuds, as before with chemical washing powders the more soap you get the cleaner you think the clothes will be, but then after the wash the clothes were clean. We are conditioned by the manufacturers to think if no soapsuds then it must not work, it is what the companies put in the washing powders put in their products to give us the wrong impression.
I use soda crystals in with the wash to give the soapnuts an extra boost, also as soapnuts do not need any conditioners and if you want a scent then I add about 10 drops of my favorite essential oil to the conditoning draw or ball and when the washing is finished it comes out smelling beautifully.
The good thing about soapnuts is that
1. They are sustanable
2. After you have finished with them you can compost them so they go back to where they came from.
I hope i have not bored you with this but you can tell I love them, and would recommed them to anyone.
Laurie, on June 11th, 2009 says:
Great follow-up, thanks Mark!
Lori, on June 14th, 2009 says:
I too have been using soap nuts for over a year and never cease to be amazed by the number of chemical cleaners and personal care items I can replace by using soap nuts in one form or another.
I’d be interested to hear Karla’s source for her information also because according to my own research the majority of soap nuts grown in India end up rotting on the ground each harvest year. Additionally for people who live in the area where soap nuts grow wild the harvesting and de-seeding is a much need source of income since the areas are generally not agriculturally friendly terrain.
Each soap nuts tree bears fruit for 80-90 years, and an individual adult tree can produce between 25 and 100 kilos annually, the trees are self-propagating but are beginning to be plantation grown in some parts of the world also.
According to http://www.tribuneindia.com/2001/20011224/agro.htm#2
The central and state governments are laying stress on stocking of vacant gaps in the canopy in natural forest crops, or roadside avenues or spaces in between residential flats and bungalows. The forest departments, therefore, raise sufficient stock of the seedlings of this plant, amongst other useful species, for meeting the requirement of needy non-government organizations and or land owners, village bodies or individual farmers. Further, with a view to encouraging the people to plant the maximum number of trees the forest departments provide one to two years old ritha seedlings to the people at a highly subsidized rate.
India also has implemented programs between individual farmers and foreign governments to increase exports at fair market pricing. So apparently the export price is very low and this makes me more curious to read the source of Karla’s information so that I can be more fully informed if my green living efforts are actually less green than I believe them to be.
Karla, on June 14th, 2009 says:
I can’t find any sources right now except for German sites. On German Wikipedia, for example, they say that the price for the soap nuts in India has sextupled between 2003 and 2008.
See http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waschnuss
or Google translation
http://www.translate.google.de/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=de&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taz.de%2F1%2Fleben%2Falltag%2Fartikel%2F1%2Fwaschnuesse-mangel-durch-bio-boom%2F&sl=de&tl=en&history_state0=
soap nuts, on November 8th, 2009 says:
We’ve been using soap nuts for almost three years now, and will never go bact to conventional laundry detergent.
Mr. herretøj, on January 8th, 2010 says:
Wow, yet another great article – I really dig your blog
Who ever would have thought, that you could use nuts for washing… cool….
Eki, on January 16th, 2011 says:
You don’t need to buy expensive soapnuts online, most Indian grocery stores sell these for about 2 dollar a pack (200grams). The Indian name for these nuts (also available as powder) is Aritha.The scam-shops online sell them for 22!!! dollars a kilo, no wonder the price in India is now too high for locals.
Phill, on September 8th, 2011 says:
hi i live in the uk and just got a bulk order from suma for these soap nuts £20 and we have worked out itll do our family of four for 3 years! thats if you only use then in your machine but can use them as skin soap and shampoo as well as an insecticide on plats of all things
its a coop and only sell in bulk but we have a few friends that all chip in on each order
Accountants Luton, on October 13th, 2011 says:
I had heard good things about soap nuts – thanks for the links, I am off to get some and give them a try. Will let you know how I get on with them.
Karen, on January 3rd, 2012 says:
I love Soap Nuts so much I’ve decided to sell them!! I just received a shipment from India last week.
I have allergies to chemicals and fragrances used in many products, so this is the best alternative I have found so far.There is no need to use fabric softeners or dryer sheets either … have you ever read the safety warning on some of these products? Dryer sheets can alter the fire retardance of children’s clothing (they should make the warning on the package more predominant for consumers to take notice!) … soap nuts are safe and natural with no residue left behind.