Soap berries are a 100% natural way to wash clothes… kind to your body AND the planet ❤ So what are they and do they even work?
The tree that these magical little berries grow is called ‘Sapindus Mukorossi’ (or if you’re like me and can’t remember that you can call it the soap nut tree) and even though we call them “soap” nuts, they don’t actually contain any soap (because for soap to do the soap thing it is has to contain lye).
Here are some fun facts about the tree!
- The tree is actually a part of the lychee family (yum) and it has some pretty amazing environmental properties.
- It takes 9 years for the soap nut tree to begin yielding fruit after germination (dang!) ~but~ once it starts producing, it can be harvested for 90 years (!!!!!)
- The harvesting period is around 6 months per year (heck, that’s a lot of soap nuts).
- The soap nut tree also contributes to combating the greenhouse gas effect by converting carbon dioxide into oxygen (yknow, trees doin the tree thing)
- SO by planting and growing these trees not only do we eliminate chemicals from regular laundry detergent (love it), the actual tree itself is a carbon sink (double the love).
As if that isn’t enough guys, the shell of the soap nut is 100% biodegradable… you can literally just throw them in your compost when you’re done, helping to cut down on your waste.
So I just wanted to quickly mention why conventional laundry detergents aren’t the best to use if you’re trying to be more eco-friendly. There are MANY reasons as to why… which you can find through a very quick and simple google search, but the main one for me is phosphate’s impact on our water sources. Many conventional detergents are phosphate based. When they enter our water systems, the phosphate contributes to a process called eutrophication. To put it in VERY simple terms, this basically encourages the growth of algae. The overgrowth of algae will use up all the oxygen in a body of water and leaves none for the smaller organisms/ fish. Due to this, eventually the fish in the lake suffer and their population decreases, effecting the body of water in various ways.
Check out this website for an example of algae overgrowth in an Ontario lake! There is lots of research as to what contributed to this, and guess what? Phosphates in detergent are included.
So back to Soap Nuts… Sold? Not yet? Let’s keep digging into these a little more with my personal experience.
I just want to start by saying that they’re really simple to use (fool proof – for real)… you literally just pop them in a small fabric bag (that comes with the box when you purchase them), and toss them in the washer with all your clothing! The berries contain saponin (which is a surfactant – can be used like you use soap), so you’re good to go.
One thing that some people have an issue with is the fact that soap nuts only technically work with hot water. I actually just learned this recently after using them for a long time (oops). So if you’re like me and don’t want to use the energy it takes to heat up water for your load of laundry (which is a lot by the way, check this out for more info), you can make a soap nut “tea” before – boil a cup of water and add the soap nuts, then throw them into the washer after. If you don’t do this prior, they wont do the soapy thing (and won’t clean your clothes)
At the end, be sure to take them out of the fabric bag and lay out to dry! They can be reused until their shell begins to lose its colour (which really depends on how much you’re doing laundry).
These soap nuts are all natural and non-toxic for you and the planet ❤
Oh! One thing I wanted to note for you all is that soap nuts on their own generally have a tough time getting out stains and aren’t very whitening. ~But~ there are other things you can add to the washer with the soap nuts (i.e. vinegar, lemon juice, etc). Check out this post from Wellness Mama on natural alternatives to getting stains out!
Thanks for reading! ❤ If you’re interested in trying soap nuts, I use this brand.
Questions and Comments…
Change to Sustain 