SoapNuts

Dear ladies, I wanted to tell you about a wonderful little washing aid called 'Soap nuts'
 
 
They are actually not nuts at all. They are berries (also known as Soap Berries) that grow on trees in India & Nepal. There are two main varieties: sapindus trifoliatus (The Small Soap Nut) and sapindus mukorossi (The Large Soap Nut). The Large Soap Berry is the most commonly used in cleaning, but both varieties are quite effective.

They contain large quantities of saponin in their shells. It acts as a natural, gentle detergent when it comes into contact with water. Without any chemicals, fragrances or dyes, they are safe and gentle for handwashing delicates. They are also tough enough for regular laundry. They will leave your clothes soft, clean and fragrance free. No need to use of fabric softeners.
 
 And they can be used, in the liquid form, for cleaning just about anything. From dishwaher detergent, to window & glass cleaner, also shampoo for repairing oily or dry hair, hand soap, bodywash. They are great as a multi-purpose cleaner.
 
The End Product Still Goes Down the Drain. Does That Hurt the Environment?
No. Soap nuts are antimicrobial. This means that they actually help in breaking down the gray water in your septic system. Also, you do not have to do a rinse cycle when you use them. This can save gallons of water every wash cycle. Don’t worry, though; if you forget to stop your machine before the rinse cycle they are just as effective. The amount of saponin left in the rinse cycle will just leave your clothes feeling soft. They are 100% enviromentally friendly
 
 
Laundry instructions

Just put 6-8 half shells or equivalent in pieces into a cotton bag (or knotted sock) place in your washing machine, wash on your usual cycle (40 degrees ideally)If you want your laundry fragranced add a few drops of essential oil in the softener drawer, Your washing will come out fresh, clean and soft You can do 4-6 consecutive loads from one lot of soapnuts! When the soapnuts are exhausted they will appear darker and soft, throw
them on your compost and put some more into the bag for your next wash.

For the dishwasher

Just put 3 shells in the bottom of the cutlery holder and some vinegar in the rinseaid dispenser and your glasses and plates will come out sparkling clean, scrape the lumps off first. (they can't quite cope with baked on food, i.e casserole dishes.)

 
For shampoo

Simply place 8-10 soap nuts in one of the small cotton drawstring bags and tie the drawstring closed. Fill a saucepan with 3 cups of water, add the drawstring bag and boil for 12-15 minutes. This process draws the saponin out of the soap nuts creating a natural soap base. Remove from heat and allow to cool to a safe temperature before removing the drawstring bag. Pour the liquid into a suitable dispensing bottle. Soap nut shampoo made using this recipe is not as thick as supermarket purchased shampoos, nor does it lather in the same manner. Rest assured, however, that this recipe will leave your hair naturally clean.If you are a first time user then please keep in mind that it will take your hair a week or so to adjust and that as it does you will find that a little goes a long way. If you find that your hair is drier than usual after using this recipe then you may have used too much and you will require less next time.
 
 
To preserve your liquid
 
(multipurpose liquid) can be kept in a cool place for approximately ten days if citric acid or lemon juice is added. Also, SoapNut shells already used in the washing machine or dishwasher that dont need to be used again straight away can be kept in a jar/pot of water.
 
There are many more recipes out there just type into google "soap nut recipes"
 
I hope this has been helpful, God bless.
Tasha Groves

If you would like to try a free sample (just cost of postage) then either google free sample soap nuts or try out these sites (also lots more information on the sites)

http://www.inasoapnutshell.com/id2.html

http://www.soapnuts.co.uk/free_soapnut_samples.html