If you have been reading this blog..ever...then you know I am tapping into my green, crunchy and borderline extreme eco-consciousness side, for the better of my family and myself. Part of this journey has been my personal quest to discover the things that my family and I are using on/in our bodies.
Naturally, laundry detergent is one of the first things that came to mind.
Subsequently, it was one of the first things that went out the door to the garbage (well empty container went into recyclables container but you get the idea).
So I did some research and decided to do give homemade detergent a try. You can read more about that post here Less chemicals, less fragrance-y smells to irritate my little ones sensitive skin, and its been a year since I started using it and a great fit for my family.
But I wanted to take it one step further, and I did MORE research and I discovered buysoapnuts.com
Never heard of soapnuts?? Here is a little background on buysoapnuts.com and what soapnuts actually are:
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| SoapNuts anyone?? |
"What are 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.
How do They Work as a Detergent?
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."
I contacted buysoapnuts.com and asked to try their products and awesome-ly enough they SAID YES!! I was sent 1.1lb of USDA Organic Soap Nuts and a coconut scrub pad for review and honestly when I first opened the package I was frightened...there was a strong vinegar-ish smell emanating from the bag. However if there is one thing that I have learned from learning to live naturally that smell doesn't necessarily dictate good or bad cleaning power, so I threw caution to the wind and threw the 5 soapnuts in their lil muslin bag and tossed 'em in the drum of my washing machine.
Fast forward an hour and out comes my dog bed smelling not only waay less dog-ish but fresh, no vinegar smell like I initially smelled just clean cotton.
Officially I was a believer...the 4-6 soapnuts are supposed to last 4-6 loads of laundry before you need to replace them but I stretched them to 8 loads each. I have an HE machine and I checked the soapnuts after each load and they hung in there until about load 8. I have since done about 15 loads of laundry (yeah I know soo ungreen on the amount of water I am using with my 89233842394 loads of laundry but what can I say...between Jet Pilot, homeschool and toddler boy...I got laundry)
My tiny little one pound bag is supposed to last for 200 loads and literally I think its going to last me longer...between the HE machine and just the pure awesome-nosity (is that a word?) of soapnuts I think I will be able to squeeze more loads out of this bag.
Just an FYI Buysoapnuts.com does offer a little disclaimer on tough stains "..i.e. red wine, blood, etc...Stubborn stains require a stain remover to help the cleaning process. You can also use 1/2c. lemon juice or hydrogen peroxide to help brighten your white clothes."
As far as the coconut scrub pad its a the eco-friendly alternative to the "greenie meanie" (aka Sailor speak for green scourging pads sold in most stores across the US) and it has taken a HUGE lickin in my kitchen cleaning the post dinner pots. I am really digging it, I love that its made from coconut coir fiber and bonded with an all natural addhesive.
Final Verdict: I love SoapNuts, I am hooked and I will DEFINITELY continue to use them for all our laundry needs!! Thank you BuySoapnuts.com for helping me in my journey to live more naturally!! TWO GREEN THUMBS UP!!
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| My product basket from BuySoapNuts.com |
BUY IT:
BuySoapnuts.com has offered one The Dill-io reader a prize pack of 1.1lb bag of SoapNuts and coconut scrubbing pad to use in their home!
MANDATORY ENTRY: Visit the BuySoapnuts.com site and let me know what product sounds the most interesting for you. Please leave an email addy in your comments so I have a way of contacting you when you win!!
EXTRA ENTRIES:
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This contest is open to residents of the USA and Canada only. Contest ends on September 17th at 11:59 pm CST. The winner will be chosen using random.org and will be notified via email. The lucky winner will have 48 hours to contact me. If you fail to contact me within the 48 hour period, a new winner will be chosen.
Disclosure: I received no monetary compensation for this review. I received products from BuySoapNuts.com for review and was under no obligation from any person(s) or company to post a positive review. All information on BuySoapNuts.com was obtained from literature sent to me or published online on their website. All thoughts and opinions are 100% mine.
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