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).
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