Dec 17, 2010

Getting Nutty

A stumbled across this magical berry or nut as it is often referred to the soap nut. Don't worry its not for eating! Its for cleaning..and it seems this little berry has many great and wonderful uses.



A deciduous tree found wild in north India, the Sapindus Mukorossi tree is one of several that bear fruits that are commonly referred to as soap nuts. Soapnuts are so good at cleaning because they have a high saponin content (cleaning power).

In the Western world soap nuts have been used but we dump chemical additives, which don't help the actual washing process and are damaging to the user as well as our environment. Soapnuts are becoming a very popular environmentally friendly alternative to these manufactured chemical detergents.



Here are some of the wonderful uses of soapnuts (taken from the web-site http://www.sapindusmukorossi.com/).
 
DISH WASHER


Use soapnut liquid for washing your glasses, dishes, cutlery and pans as usual. Don’t be deceived by the lack of bubbles on the effectiveness of the cleaning. There are no artificial foaming agents so there will be very few if any lasting bubbles. Alternatively, just put 3 shells in the bottom of the cutlery holder and some vinegar in the rinse aid dispenser and your dishes will come out sparkling clean. (for more info see soapnut liquid making instructions below)



CLEANING & DETOXIFYING FOOD

Soak your fruit and vegetables for approximately 10-15 minutes in the soapnut liquid. Rinse off and enjoy this food free from harmful chemicals and residue. This soap nut solution can then be reused for household cleaning



CLEANING JEWELRY

Soap nuts are commonly used in Indian households for cleaning and shining jewelry. Jewelry is soaked in soap nut liquid and then rubbed with a cloth to give it a shine.



NATURAL PESTICIDE

Using soap nuts is an effective and natural alternative to repel insects off your plants and around the house. This easily replaces chemicals. This is a great use for left over soap nut liquid from washing or laundry.



SHAMPOO

Simply use soap nut liquid in place of your regular shampoo! Since soap nut liquid does not foam like regular shampoo its easy to use to much liquid. If you find your hair is feeling dry or greasy you probably used to much. For best results reuse a shampoo bottle with a pump to help determine how much you need. It will naturally help prevent dandruff and keep your hair soft and strong. When using to treat dandruff apply the liquid soap nut on your scalp and leave on for 5-10 minutes. Make sure the liquid does not get into the eye as it will burn. Rinse hair with water. Also works well as a body wash!



Here are the soap nuts that I bought from http://www.purebodysolutions.com/  (from the states, they were cheap but shipping can cost a pretty penny).
If you are interested in trying them i would contact local health and Eco conscious stores. I have since seen them at P'lovers in Halifax.
So overall, I give these nuts two thumbs up! The clothes come out fresh and clean and if your worried about not having that wonderful chemical smell on all your clothes you can add a few drops of essential oils to the cotton bag. I have yet to try the nuts for some of the other suggestions, I'll let you know how that goes. Here is a little video showing how to use the soap nuts..enjoy!

 

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