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What Are Soap Nuts

By Louisa Price

Soap nuts are gaining popularity fast as an inexpensive alternative to traditional detergents. Unlike most common detergents which have harsh dyes and chemicals, soap nuts are 100 percent natural and safe, even for the most sensitive skin. Soap nuts are commonly used in laundry detergents as well as many other household cleaners.

So what are soap nuts? Soap nuts are the dried fruits of the Sapindus Mukorossi tree. They contain saponin, a natural cleaner used for centuries to clean and wash clothes, just like the plants used by Native Americans for washing.

Only recently saponin has become popular in Europe and North America as an organic, environmentally friendly, biodegradable, economical and effective detergent that grows on trees.

Interestingly, saponin is also said to be effective for many medical applications and many studies are now being performed to investigate the potential healing qualities of soap nuts.

Soap nuts are highly recommended for people with sensitive skin, psoriasis or eczema. They are also suitable to use for washing babies clothing since soap nuts are without any chemicals, fragrances or dyes and leave little residue whilst they effectively clean. In fact, soap nuts have been used in traditional Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine to treat minor skin conditions.

Soap nuts are not only gentle and safe for hand-washing delicates, they are also tough enough for regular laundry. It can be used on all fabrics and at all temperatures.

To use, simply place 4 or 5 soap nuts into a small muslin bag, tie a knot and drop it in your laundry. Leave the bag in the machine through the complete wash and rinse cycles.

The soap nuts will do 5 to 10 loads of full laundry and your clothes come out really clean, vibrant, and soft. They are so soft that there is no need to use fabric softeners and hence cutting out another cost.

Soap nuts are biodegradable and antimicrobial. This means that they actually help in breaking down the gray water in your septic system.

Moreover, you do not have to do a rinse cycle when you use soap nuts. That translates into lower utility bills every month.

You should seriously consider switching to soap nuts. Most of the common laundry detergents contain phosphates, ammonia, naphthalene, phenol, optical brighteners, artificial fragrances, EDTA etc. These chemicals can cause rashes, itches, allergies, sinus problems and have long term toxic effects on the environment too.

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