Fashion Green T Bags: Soap Nuts

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Soap Nuts

I just tried a great new product~SOAP NUTS! Soap nuts are a totally natural product for washing clothes and they're actually NUTS! I used them for the first time yesterday and my clothes have
never come so clean! My white clothes are WHITE! NOT just a rumor of white! I used 4 nuts for 3
loads of clothes! The shells will go in our planter with the mulch. NO detergent pollution. NO
plastic container. GREAT product! What's not to love?

From Treehugger.com:

We find these little nuts interesting (and also wonder who discovered them) but apparently you can use them in your washing machine in lieu of detergent. SoapNuts are the shells of a seed from trees grown throughout India and Nepal. These shells give a soapy substance when they come in contact with water (the seeds are discarded) and it’s said that 1kg of the nuts can wash 100 loads. Simply pop 6-8 shells in the cloth bag and throw them in your washing machine – these will last about 3-4 washes. Your wash will come out clean, but without a smell, so if you like the scent of clean clothes just add a few drops of essential oil to the wash beforehand. SoapNuts can also be used for other things as well, like washing windows, cars or pets. When the shells have been used to their full extent just throw them in the compost pile. Thanks for the tip, Michael D.! Via ::Groovy Green

There are many places you can find online where you can find soap nuts for sale and prices vary. They're well worth the price and are, for us, less expensive than the laundry detergent we were using. I LOVE THEM!

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Lonely Forest Planet Print

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If you have not yet signed up not to receive junk mail through GreenDimes or a similar organization, there are ways in which you can reuse some parts of the paper that plagues your mail box and eats trees with a vengence. Pages with blank sides can be cut and stacked for jotting notes. Envelopes used to mail the junk can be used for list writing or saved as note paper. If you're crafty, the colorful pieces can be torn and decoupaged onto "things". These are ways you can use the junk until you remember to join GreenDimes.com :)
Save the little bits of soap that you might otherwise discard. When you've collected a sufficient amount, soften overnight in a bowl of water. Put mixture in a blender with more water and use as soap refills. WE DON'T NEED ANTI-BACTERIAL SOAP! These soaps contribute to the development of super bugs!
Add a cup of white vinegar to the rinse cycle of your laundry load instead of fabric softener.
Use plain baking soda to freshen carpets. A drop or two of natural oils in a large container and WELL mixed eliminates the need for commercially produced carpet fresheners that are filled with chemicals.
Use foam food trays to make Shrinky Dinks. Preheat to 350 (toaster oven if you don't have a lot to make), cut shapes and place on shiny side of foil, cook until shape curls and flattens again
White sinks and baking soda! I made the huge mistake of choosing a white Corian style sink when we built our house. It is very suseptible to staining. I used to use Soft Scrub with Bleach but not any more! Simple baking soda and some elbow grease work just fine most of the time! NO CHEMICALS!
(SAVE MONEY AND LOTS OF IT! Use vinegar and baking soda and salt for most of your cleaning needs. Adding vinegar to your laundry will soften clothes. Spray vinegar in the shower when you're finished showering-it helps keep lime and soap scum from building up. When it's time to clean use baking soda and vinegar for a gorgeous bathtub shine!):
No need for furniture polish! Use a lightly dampened microfiber cloth instead. NO chemicals (well, maybe a little chlorine), no propellents, no metal can to have to throw away. OR do like I do and just don't clean.
Keep shipping envelopes for another use. You can dress them up a bit by cutting out a fun or beautiful picture from a magazine and taping it on the envelope to cover the old address information. Use recycled paper index cards to write the address and return address.
"Room Fresheners" for the most part are really "Room Chemicals Adders". The handy sprays are also propellant air polluters. Plug-ins use energy and are also chemical distributors. Try using natural essential oils or candles made with natural essential oils instead.
Again, if you own a disposable mop, don't buy cleaner refills. Use vinegar-it's great for wood floors too.
Pay your bills online whenever possible. You save the transportation energy and you can keep the enclosed envelope for your future use.
If you own a disposable pad mop, use a towel or washcloth instead of the disposable pad.