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).

Water Wise Living

As the summer progresses in Australia there is the ever increasing need to protect our most valuable resource – water. There is a huge range of water-wise products available on the market today, from shower timers through to flow restriction valves, however there are also a lot of ways to save water without having to purchase or install a range of products.

 

Washing the car

Why not try washing your car with a bucket of water and a sponge on a patch of lawn rather than heading down to the local car wash. Not only will you be saving water (and money) but it is also good exercise.

 

Using grey water

By capturing water from you washing machine and using it to water your lawn or garden you are not only recycling water, but the detergent in the wash acts as a soil wetting agent (especially good in WA’s sandy, water resistant soils).

There are several simple ways of setting up a system to reuse your washing machine water.

• Attach a hose extension to the outlet, run it outside and place on the lawn or garden bed. This is a simple and cheap method and allows you to move the hose to different patches; however you are required to have a door or window open to allow the hose outside.
• Placing a bucket under the outlet to catch the water is a simple method, however it will need to be checked and emptied regularly to prevent it from overflowing.
• A more complicated method is to integrate it into your existing water system, which may require some research depending on your set up.

 

Shower /bath water

Rather than wasting shower or bath water why not use this for your garden. Simply place a bucket in the bottom of your shower and then empty it once you have finished. Alternatively if you use a bath simply bucket the water out of the bath rather than letting it flow down the drain.

 

Water tank

Every house should have a rainwater tank, they are cheap (from under $1000) and easy to install and are available in a range of designs that allow them to blend with almost any house design. If you are able to get a large tank then is it worth having it professionally installed so that it can be used for the majority of your water needs (hooked into your existing plumbing). However even if you only get a small tank they come with a simple tap outlet that means you can fill water bottles, jugs etc to use the water for drinking and cooking.

In many places in Australia water supplies are treated with chemicals or have fluoride, chlorine etc added. While this may have some health benefits it can also lead to discolouration and an unpleasant taste. If you have unpleasant tasting water it is even more reason to install a rainwater tank.  

 

Gardens

By planting water wise plants and using dripper watering systems instead of traditional overhead sprinklers you can save huge amounts of water. Other simple actions, like using mulch, reducing the amount of lawn and planting water efficient lawns are also great ways of ensuring a water wise garden.

 

Every drop of water matters and we should do everything possible to reduce our use and wastage of this precious resource.

Welcome to the eco effect

Welcome to the eco effect!!!

At the eco effect, we understand that while it would be great to be able to live a totally organic and eco friendly life, it is unrealistic for most people. Thats why we believe that by making small changes we can create great change and continue the eco effect….

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To start your eco friendly and organic lifestyle check out our retail site http://www.ecoeffect.com.au