From Laundry Balls to Soap Nuts?

We've discussed the environmental damage from doing laundry and we all know to wash in cold water and hang to dry. We've even looked into laundry balls and found mixed results. This past week Daily Grommet featured yet another option - Soapnuts.

They aren't soap and they aren't nuts. They are dried berry-like fruit found on a tropical tree and they have been used for centuries in India and Asia to clean all kinds of fabrics. Sounds promising! According to the post, "Their dried shells contained saponins, a natural alternative to traditional laundry detergents and cleaners." They are high efficiency washer friendly as they don't create too many suds and they are hypoallergenic, biodegradable and antimicrobial so gentle to the environment, septic and greywater systems.

It takes three or four nuts for each load of laundry, and you can reuse the same nuts for up to four loads. The post also suggests found uses for soapnuts outside the laundry room. Soak the seeds overnight in boiled water to get a concentrated liquid that works as a multi-purpose household cleaner, liquid hand soap, and even shampoo. Sounds almost too good to be true. Laundry Tree is offering a 40 load starter kit for $14.95 - not too much of an investment to give them a try.

Do they work? Here's what everyday users have to say.

Will They Clean Difficult Items?

Matt Johnson answers this and more: Yes and No.  They are one of the best detergents to get rid of bad odors.  Musty towels and wash cloths, even cloth diapers, come out smelling fresh and new.  Stubborn stains, though, such as blood & red wine, require a stain remover to help the cleaning process. You can also use 1/2c. lemon juice or hydrogen peroxide to help brighten your white clothes.

 

Worth a try I think.

--till next week Restore, Recycle, Refresh & Renew