Soap Nut

Natural and environment friendly soap - nature's own soap.

Soap Nut is a berry which grows on trees in the wild forests of India and Nepal. It contains saponin, a natural detergent. It is in the list of herbs and minerals in Ayurveda. It was used as cleaning product for thousands of years. In India it is still widely used for hair treatment and for some special jewellery and fabric washing.

The nut is cracked and the seed is taken out. Only the shells are used for cleaning purposes.

Use this in place of normal washing powder and liquid. After using it you can just chuck it without any guilt since it is biodegradable. It does not disrupt the local eco system unlike the chemical washing detergents and liquids.

How to use it;

Shells:

•  Laundry - in the draw string cotton bag which is provided, just put 7 half soap nut shells and tie it firmly and place it in the washing machine along with the dirty laundry and wash as usual. In cold water the nut can be used 2 or 3 times. Use it once for higher temperatures (30/40 degree). Once the saponin from the nut has been used up it will look dark and soggy. At this time you can discard the nut and keep the cotton bag for refill.

Sop nut allows the colour to remain brighter for a longer time since it does not contain bleach and also acts as natural softener thus avoiding the use of commercial softner.. It has a nutty smell but the laundry comes out odourless. So if you want fragrance add a few drops of essential oil of your choice to the bag. Some like it just the way it is.

Stubborn stains are not easily washed since it does not have any bleach. Try adding vinegar and wash in higher temperature or you could also use oxygen bleach.

Store the soap nuts in airtight containers and away from humidity and heat.

Soap nuts can also be used for everyday household cleaning.

Liquid:

Take one cup of soap nuts and put it in a vessel with 4 cups of water and bring it to boil. You can see the bubbles coming out. Then simmer for 10/15 mins. This process extracts the saponin from the nut shells and mixes with water. Crush the nuts with your hand once it is cooled. Strain the liquid and keep it in a container. This is concentrated soap nut liquid. Dilute it with water before use.

•  Window cleaning – mix 10:1 water and soap nut liquid and add some vinegar. Keep this mixture in a spray bottle and clean as usual. Finish it with newspaper wiping.

•  Use soap nut liquid for everyday cleaning – floors, bathrooms, kitchens, cabinets, toilets and car. Just add water(10:1) to the liquid.  

It is best to use liquid within 3 weeks but can be used for longer time if kept in Refrigerator.

Try using soap nut if  

•  You have sleepless nights. This could be due to the strong chemicals present in the fabric or the washing detergent used.

•  Any one in your family is chemical sensitive. It is safe on children and pets too.

•  You have eczema or skin irritation.

•  You are an eco friend.

Additional tips:

Blend the used soap nut in a mixer and keep it in a jar near your wash basin. Use this as hand scrubber. Do not keep for long as this has shelf life.

Dilute the soap nut liquid with water and put the mixture in spray bottles. Keep these bottles in bathrooms, kitchen and sinks. Use it instead of the convention cleaning agents.

(Soap nut is safe and natural. Use it wherever possible and experiment with it. In case of any new innovation do drop us a few lines.)