Clean Laundry without Chemicals

Clothes are in constant contact with our skin, so as we strive to remove harmful chemicals from our daily lives, considering how we clean our clothes is important.

Soap nuts with seeds visible.

I grew up using liquid laundry detergent, fabric softener, and dryer sheets, not realizing there was any other option.  I stumbled across soap nuts online and started to research this alternative way to clean clothes using a dried berry.

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I know! - a dried berry?  Soap nuts, native to India and Nepal, are not nuts, but actually berries from the Soap berry tree Sapindus mukorrosi.  The outside shell of the dried berry is high in saponins, a cleaning agent. When put in warm water, the shells release foamy surfactants that are used for cleaning purposes.

The soap nut tree, Sapindus mukorrosi.

Advantage of Using Soap Nuts

Completely chemical free cleaning
Fragrance free
Removes odors
Naturally softens fibers
Minimal packaging - no big plastic bottles to dispose of
Contaminant free wash water - safer for ground water and septic systems
Used shells can be composted
Inexpensive
Compatible with HE wash machines
Reduces fading



When you purchase soap nuts be sure they are deseeded.  Only the outside shells are used for cleaning.  And since most soap nuts are sold by weight, deseeded shells are the best value.  Besides, deseeding soap nuts is not a good use of time when nuts without seeds are readily available for purchase.

How to use

• If you purchase Earth Berries brand of soap nuts you will receive several muslin bags inside your 5 kilo bag of nuts.
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A 5 kilo bag of soap nuts with muslin bags.

• Place 4 or 5 nuts (two halves are counted as one nut) in a muslin bag and tie the draw string.

• Drop the bag into a small bowl and add about 1 cup of hot water. 

A brief soak and the nuts are ready for use.

• Allow about 5 minutes for the saponins to soften and dissolve into the water.

• Pour the bowl (water and bag of nuts) into your wash machine.

• Wash as usual, leaving the bag in the wash machine through the wash and rinse cycles.

• Remove the bag and use for up to 4 more loads.
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Soap nuts after 4 to 5 loads, note that most of the outside shell is gone.

I purchased soap nuts from Earth Berries.  The 1 kilo bag (2.2lb) cost about $35 and will do 350 loads of wash for a total cost of about 10 cents per load.

To avoid using fabric softener sheets consider using dryer balls.  Wool dryer balls reduce static electricity and help clothes dry faster, resulting in less energy use.

Wool dryer balls.

Dryer balls are available online.  If you like to support cottage industries, check out the selection at the Etsy.