Soap Nuts – Natures Eco Cleaner

When I first heard about Soap Nuts, I must admit that I was sceptical, to say the least. Could the shell of a berry really be used to clean my clothes? The answer is yes!

I have just started using soap nuts for my clothing and I was very pleasantly surprised at how good they are. Not only are they eco-friendly and super cheap compared to other laundry detergents, but they work really, really well!

Soap Nuts are a berry (not a nut) which is produced by the Sapindus Mukorossi tree. The shell of the ‘fruit’ is dried to produce soap nuts. They are totally natural and unprocessed which means that they are great for allergy sufferers and people with sensitive skin.

After using soap nuts in my laundry, and seeing the great results, I decided to try some of the other cleaning products that soap nuts can be used to make…

Soap Nut Liquid Concentrate

Place 10-12 whole nuts (or equivalent in pieces) into a saucepan with 6 cups of water. Boil for approximately 30 minutes. This should result in approx. 4 cups of liquid soap.  Strain the liquid through a cloth and then discard the nuts (they are great in the compost). Because there are no preservatives, it is best to only make in these small batches otherwise it may spoil.

The concentrate can be used as is or diluted for a range of cleaning:

All Purpose Cleaner – simply place soap liquid in a spray bottle and use around the house. You can add a couple of drops of eucalyptus oil (or another essential oil) to act as a disinfectant and leave a lovely smell.

Window Cleaner – place 1 cups of water, 1 Tbsp vinegar and 1 Tbsp soap nut liquid into a spray bottle.

Pet shampoo – leaves hair soft and silky, will also repel fleas, mites, ticks and mosquitos, but make sure you keep it out of their eyes!

Carpet cleaner – spray or sponge onto stain and blot clean

Bug spray – use a spray bottle to spray bugs on plants (great organic and eco-friendly way to get rid of unwanted bugs in the garden).

I have also read about some people using soap nut liquid to clean rust off prams!

To find a stockist near you visit: www.kussen.com.au  (Kussen sell and distribute Nutcases Soap Nuts which are organic and Fair Trade).

Eco Shopping

When you go to your local supermarket to do your shopping you are bound to see people using reusable shopping bags (and you may choose to use them yourself). By taking your own bags to the supermarket you can prevent hundreds of plastic bags from ending up in landfill.

While taking your own shopping bags to the checkout is a great way to help the environment, there are several other things that you may like to consider.

Produce Bags

Produce bags are a great alternative to the small plastic bags that are found in the fruit and vegetable section. These bags are sold in a set of 4 (1 large mesh, 1 small mesh, 1 large calico, 1 small calico). The large bag is big enough to fit an Iceberg lettuce or cauliflower. The bags are breathable which means that produce has a longer shelf life.

Available at www.ecoeffect.com.au

 

Menu

When planning your shopping trip you can not only reduce waste but you can also save money by taking some time out to create an effective menu. By planning the week’s meals you can make sure that you use certain ingredients in more than one meal, thus reducing waste.

For example you may decide to make pumpkin gnocchi for an evening meal; this would not use an entire piece of pumpkin. You could choose to make pumpkin scones or have roast pumpkin with a meal to use the remaining pumpkin.

Planning your weeks menus is extremely important when choosing fruit, vegetables, dairy and some meat products as these all have short shelf lives. If you still have waste from these types of products why not put them into compost for the garden?

Buying in Bulk

Buying in bulk will save you money on most grocery items. Bulk items are usually have less packaging meaning that buying in bulk is better for the environment. While not all supermarkets offer the option of buying things such as lentils, rice and nuts in bulk, most health food shops do or you could try your local farmers market or co-op.

Eco Cleaning

You can save money and help to save the environment by selecting you cleaning products carefully. Rather than buy cupboards full of expensive cleaning products why not get a few basics that will not only last longer and save you money, the are also safer for the environment. https://ecoeffect.wordpress.com/2011/12/27/eco-cleaning/