Monday, June 14, 2010

Soap Nuts

I was surprised to see it for sale at my local Farmers Market this Saturday! I've seen lots of people talk about using it online. The only reason I hadn't tried it was because I didn't want to pay for shipping. So of course I bought it. I got a little sample size to try out. For just a dollar you can't go wrong. LOL Any ways, I read that it works best with hot water to release the sudzy stuff in it. But I wash my cloths in cold water. So I decided to make it into a liquid. I boiled the 7 little nuts that were in the package in 4 cups of water. It was reduced to 1 1/3 cups. So I thought I would try it out as a cleaner too. I put some in a spray bottle and cleaned the bathroom with it tonight. I must say that I like using it! I heard that it could smell kind of bad, and I heard that it didn't have a sent. I found that with mine there is a sent to it. But I don't think it was a bad smell. IMO it's a lot better than bleach or Pinesol for sure! I might be the only one, but I kind of like the smell of it. It cleaned the mirror great too! No streaks at all. I like to use the Gerber flat diapers to clean glass though. I think that works way better than a paper towel or news paper. I'm excited to start my new journey of a chemical free, non toxic household. I'm going to do my first load of laundry with it next. :) I can't wait to see how that works out! It is supposed to leave your cloths softer than the free and clear stuff you buy from the stores. I've been using purex. But since I ran out and the store didn't have it when I went back I had to pick up what ever else was there. So I ended up with the store brand. It does not work near as well as the Purex as far as softness goes. :( The cleaning is fine. But my cloths do not feel as soft. Any ways... I am off to do some laundry now. Fun, fun... lol.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Thanks so much for the fabulous post on soapnuts. And I'm glad you decided to use it as a cleaner, too. You'll have to tell us what your experience is with it in the long-run.

I hope you don't mind a comment from a soapnut company (or, as we call them, SoapBerries). I've got my own wash in the laundry right now, and I am, of course, using soapberries for the entire 10 loads I plan on washing today (okay, I admit I'm a bit behind on the laundry and my kids are in desperate need for something to wear).

But, I've been busy putting those soapberries to a ton of different uses, too. For example, did you know you can soak them in water and spray the liquid on your garden as an all-naural, non-toxic pesticide? I'm not kidding. Bugs hate that stuff, but they won't hurt us :)

At any rate, soapnuts aren't just a great solution because they're completely organic. They're great because there aren't any irritating or harsh chemicals that cause skin conditions like eczema or psoriasis to flare up. This is a great alternative to expensive (not always natural) hypo-allergenic detergents.

Thanks for letting me get on my soap box!

Jen
SoapBerrySolutions.com

Melissa said...

I don't mind at all. :) I didn't know about it being used in the garden. I am going to have to try that out then. Thanks! I've been having a problem with my hibiscus plants being eaten by bugs and caterpillars. :( I used it last might in a spray bottle do clean the bathroom. I love how clean my it smells in there today.