Nuts to be going green
I've decided that I need to be greener. So I'm approaching this greener 2008 step by step in small manageable chunks so that each step becomes a habit and way of life before
moving on to the next one.
I've started to switch things off at night, I've ordered energy saving light bulbs and I will try to walk rather than use the car. I now buy Fair Trade tea and coffee. Some other people are doing much, much more to lead a life that has minimum impact on the environment and feel I should set a good example to my children and start them off in life with some good habits.
So, with these new thoughts firmly placed in my mind I recently visited a friend in Pembrokeshire and she told me all about a product called soap nuts.
If you haven't heard of them (I hadn't) they do sound a bit strange, but they are a great natural product that grow on trees in India. Yes that's right washing detergent that grows on trees, used for Millennia and now rediscovered for the modern world.
The advantages of soapnuts in a nutshell:
- Pure and natural washing detergent that leaves your laundry fresh and clean
- Keeps your colours bright
- Allergy-free, so good for your skin
- Environmentally-friendly. and chemical free
- Cultivated through
- sustainable agriculture
- Ecological and economical compared to other brands of detergent. 2lbs of soapnuts can be used for more than 100 loads of laundry.
- In India and Nepal, the soapnut (sapindus trifoliatus) has been used as a vegetable washing detergent for thousands of years.
Up to 15 metres high, the soap nut tree grows mainly in South India. The nuts are harvested in October then the nuts are cracked and the black kernel, which can neither be eaten nor used for washing is removed and the shells, which contain saponine (a natural detergent), are packed up in cotton bags.
As soon as the shells get in contact with water, this natural saponine soap is
released and creates mild suds. Place 4 to 5 half shells in one of the provided cotton bags. Tie the bag and place it with your laundry in the washing machine. Start your machine as usual, with or without pre-wash. The soap nuts can be re-used several times and when they are no longer usable the remains of the soapnuts can be composted or be disposed of through organic refuse.
When you realise that they can be used on all fabrics and at all temperatures the argument for switching is quite compelling.
I bought my soap nuts on the internet, many companies now sell them, they cost around £4.99 for 500gm and I was told they will do 100 washes, so they are very economical as well as ecological.
I ordered a 200g bag which cost me £3 (approx 50 washes), they come with a small canvas bag and you pop about 5 nuts in and then put them straight in with
the washing.
They have a strange smell when you first open the bag, a kind of sweet vinegary smell, they are also quite sticky to the touch but I was pleasantly surprised by the end result.
The clothes simply smelled like clean washing, no over powering chemical fake
perfumes but just clean.
If you do prefer to have a smell on your clothes then a few drops of an essential oil in the draw where your fabric conditioner goes will perfume them for you. Or if you really prefer soft clothes just carry on using fabric conditioner.
The soap nuts are said to be about as gentle as it comes and anyone allergic to washing powders or anyone with eczema should give these a try. My son suffers and I have seen a marked difference since using them.
The soap nuts do have some disadvantages, they will not keep whites white as they do not have any bleaching agents in them. This does mean that colours come out really well as the lack of a bleaching agent in the nuts means the colours are not lost.
For whites I needed to add some Ecover Laundry Bleach. This is chlorine free and a much better environmentally friendly product.
These unfortunately can only be ordered online at the moment so shop around and give them a try. Money saving and eco friendly, I love them.
To buy your own soapnuts try these websites:
