The last time I was in a health food store in Palo Alto (California) I saw a box of Maggie’s Soap Nuts. They were $10 for 4.5 oz box. I would try it if it was a bit cheaper. But better if they had free samples for customers to try first. At the moment I’ve been using commercial Arm & Hammer Essentials for my laundry and just add some borax for extra cleaning power.

Photo of dried soap nuts from ECO-CAN news.

I’ve never even heard much about soap nuts and decided find out more about them. A few nuts can be placed in a cotton drawstring bag, then add to your wash. It can even be reused several times. Soap nuts are safe for washing silk, woolens and other delicate fabrics. Anything soap related is fun to me , especially ones that grow naturally on trees.

The trees are mostly grown in Nepal and India. Soap nuts contain saponin, which is a natural detergent used to clean clothes. Soap nuts are antimicrobial and are beneficial for septic systems. Soap nuts can be use in the remediation of contaminated soil. They are also used by jewelers, especially in India and Indonesia, to remove the tarnish from silver and other precious metals.

As much as I find these soap nuts interesting, I’m just not convince it will clean my laundry as well. The shop owners suggest you add essential oils for fragrance, as the nuts are not scented. These nuts contain the natural cleaning agent, called saponin. Saponin are natural defense against bugs and fungus. They are a naturally occurring insecticide and anti-bacterial compound that can be used as safe laundry soap. It bubbles up just like soaps.

Photo of the soap nuts tree from Pucketa Creek Soapnuts. They offer free samples, just pay for shipping of $4.60 The sample should be good for 3-5 loads of laundry. I may just give them a try! If anyone has ever tried soap nuts anywhere, I would love to hear how it goes for their laundry load.

There are many other online retailers offering soap nuts. Some are listed below:

Maggie’s Pure Land
Zamuta Soapnuts
Dwell Smart