Being an herbalist and working with all-natural products over the years has yielded me an unanticipated side effect. I have a deep aversion to synthetic fragrances that I didn’t used to notice. A trip down the household products aisle of the grocery store amounts to no more than a full-frontal assault to my olfactory system. Almost as bad as getting stuck in line next to someone doused in cologne. When certain people come to my house, I can smell their fabric softener for days after they’re gone. No hugs please. Some fragrances literally linger like stale cigarette smoke sticks to hair and clothing.
So, in my quest to do my small part in keeping things green and clean, or non-toxic as possible, I’m always looking for alternatives to commercial body products and household products that advertisers do their best to convince me I need. Two that I would like to share with you today are soapy nuts and fuzzy balls.
Some herbs contain the constituent saponins. Bouncing bet or soapwort is one, yucca root is another. Although you practically need a backhoe to harvest yucca root, if you soak it in water, almost immediately you’ll notice a soap-like foam forming in the water. Of course, it will never be sudsy like your commercial dish soap or laundry detergent, natural saponins have been largely replaced with synthetic ones promising to give loads of luxurious lather. That synthetic lather is likely the most toxic ingredient in your soaps next to fragrance and has nothing to do with cleanliness.
Recently I’ve discovered soap nuts, or Sapindus mukorossi as a replacement for laundry detergent. Soap nuts, sometimes called soap berries are completely sustainable. The best part about them is they are re-usable for up to 6 loads and possibly more. Simply place the equivalent of 6 nuts in a small cloth and tie it shut with twine. I’ve since started to put my little bundle into a larger bag so that it’s easier to find at the end of a wash. The cleaning power of that little bundle is quite impressive. My husbands work jeans have never looked better.
As long as your nuts have color and give off a bit of suds when squeezed wet, they can be re-used. Removing them before the rinse cycle would allow for more uses. I left mine in for the entire cycle. Once they appear grey and have no suds left, add them to your compost pile, they are, of course environmentally friendly. You can purchase deseeded soap nuts from Mountain Rose Herbs online for $9.00 per pound plus shipping. One pound will provide you with enough soap for many loads of laundry.
https://www.mountainroseherbs.com/search?page=1&q=soap+nuts&utf8=%E2%9C%93
Alpaca dryer balls
Dryer sheets are another source of toxic fragrance and horrible for anyone in the house with respiratory issues. I always know when someone in the neighborhood is drying clothes. The smell travels far and wide. In what I like to think of as serendipity, as I was waiting for my nuts to come in the mail, I discovered alpaca dryer balls at my local feed store. I got the last package, there appears to have been a run on balls here in Florissant, but I have seen them at Mountain Naturals in Woodland Park.
Environmentally friendly and hypo-allergenic, the dryer balls promise to dry my clothes faster, reduce static and help to eliminate wrinkles. They won’t shed on your clothing and are made from 100% alpaca wool with no added chemicals. Again, re-usable for hundreds of loads of laundry, they claim to be quite durable. As with the soap nuts, the balls did not disappoint. My clothes came out static and wrinkle free. Not only do soap nuts clean your clothes they have a built-in fabric softener so you can scrap the commercial laundry products all together!
Tip: Be sure to give the balls a sniff before you purchase, I noticed some were scented with fragrance which is exactly what you are trying to avoid here.
How they work
It’s recommended to use 3 balls per load. The balls bounce around inside the dryer drum absorbing heat and allowing for even distribution of it reducing dryer time by up to 35% in some cases. I’m always up for saving on my electrical bill. The balls vary in size and price, a little research has shown me that the bigger balls are best.
Because the soap nuts give off a slight vinegary smell, I put a couple of drops of essential oil on one of the balls to counter the smell. No need to buy expensive products for baby’s sensitive skin. Both soap nuts and alpaca balls are safe to use on the most sensitive of skin.
Tip: Soap nuts are safe to use for people who have a nut allergy, they aren’t actually nuts, they are berries from a tree.
Versatility
Knowing that herbs are multi-purpose and being naturally curious, of course I had to take the soap nuts to new levels. I’ve noticed my dishwasher detergent leaves a somewhat troubling film on my dishes so I thought I could use the nuts in the dishwasher and get rid of the detergent. Sure enough, you can place 2-5 nuts in the silver ware container and add some white vinegar as a rinsing agent or retrieve your nuts before the rinse cycle. I’m happy to say I’m as pleased with the nuts’ performance in the kitchen as I am in the laundry room.
Liquid soap can be made with the nuts that can be used as an all-purpose cleaner for just about anything you can think of including glass, wood, metal, plastic and even your hair and body.
To make liquid soap simply crush or mash 2 nuts per cup of water. Boil for a half hour. Once the water is cool, strain the solution into another container or spray bottle. You can add white vinegar or essential oils at this point to enhance the cleaning power. Don’t throw those nuts away after boiling, they’ll still have enough strength to be used for one load of laundry.
To make shampoo with the liquid soap, dilute ½ to one ounce of liquid soap with 12 ounces of water and wash away. A rinse of apple cider vinegar diluted with the same amounts will leave your hair soft and shiny. Baking soda or essential oils can be added to counter any lingering vinegar smell.
Mix 2 tablespoons of liquid soap with two tablespoons of white vinegar and add to 16 ounces of water for glass cleaner.
The soap can be used safely on your pets, and jewelry. Any leftover wash water can be used to water your plants as long as it doesn’t contain vinegar. For more on soap nuts see:
http://www.sustainablebabysteps.com/soap-nuts.html
Soap nuts will not only free you from many toxic products in your home, the amount of money you will save by using them is immeasurable as you are only limited by your imagination for how many uses you can find. In addition, you’re cutting down on your contribution to the tons of plastic headed for our landfills and oceans every day. Reduce, re-use and recycle!
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