Why I Don’t Make Laundry Detergent
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Homemade Laundry Detergent. It's one of those things that almost every crunchy mama makes, right?
Well, not this one.
You know by now that I get a real kick out of MYO (Make Your Own) projects, right?
My husband says I get this little mischievous smile on my face when I figure out a way to make something that we've been buying (or not buying because it is just way too expensive :-)), or even when I just think I'll be able to do so.
I really feel like I am beating the system or something.
Kind of like winning a mini lottery!
Making your own products can be a big help when you are trying to reduce toxins in your life.
Today I am going to tell you one thing that I do not make – and that is homemade laundry detergent.
Here's why.
Years ago (too many. I'd really rather not think about it :-)) when we lived in the Chicago area, we were living on very little money (ummm..like $13,000 per year). Let's just say that $13,000 a year doesn't go very far in Chicago :-)!
My oldest was born and I was forced to leave my job.
Well, really I chose to. My boss reneged on a work-at-home offer and so I quit, not wanting to leave my son with anyone else.
So saving money was a really big deal to me. Really big.
I was buying the loss leaders at the grocery store (we got a lot of funny looks and stares with our grocery cart full of 10 cent oranges or 10 cent yogurts :-)), buying nothing new, and we even lived with my inlaws for 2 years.
Anyway, I had a friend who made her own homemade laundry detergent and for some reason, it really mystified me.
I have no idea why, but there are sometimes projects that stump me for awhile.
I feel like I just can't get myself to do them for some reason.
Other things like that have been :
– making bread (I ended up with the most amazing whole wheat bread recipe – in our pre-gluten free days)
– making candy (I finally ended up learning how to make lollipops in our pre-sugar-free days)
– making lip balm or deodorant (this is coming soon!)
Laundry detergent was one of them. I would just buy an allergy-free brand at a local store and make it last as best I could.
Well, fast forward about 8 years to our home in Michigan.
I finally got up the gumption to make my own homemade laundry detergent.
I bought myself some Pure Kirk's Castille Soap (because those recipes featuring Fels Naptha just wouldn't cut it for this all natural gal. That soap has colors and chemicals and a pretty intense artificial fragrance that really throws me for a loop. Ick.
I grated that soap (I think my grater is permanently soap flavored now), heated it all up in my now soap-flavored calphalon pot (:-().
And used it.
And hubby wasn't happy.
Maybe it was the lack of fragrance, but he really wasn't happy with what was going on with his t-shirts.
And I didn't like making the soap. I got pretty depressed when I saw the bucket was almost empty.
So I tried something new that I am going to introduce to you today – soap nuts!!
What? Nuts that make soap?
Yes. Really. And they work (i.e. no more complaints from hubby). Actually, it's the hulls that make the soap. Pretty neat eh?
And it's more than just interesting, it's good for your wallet.
First, let's talk about what soap nuts are and how to use soap nuts.
What are Soap Nuts?
From Naturoli's website:
soap nuts are the dried shells (or husks) from the soapberry (or soap berry nut). These berries are the fruit from a quite unique tree species. These shells contain a substance called saponin that produces a soaping effect. Saponin is a 100% natural alternative to chemical laundry detergent and cleansers. It can replace many chemical detergents such as those containing sodium laureth sulphate (SLS) that are becoming well known by consumers for being a skin irritant and health hazard.
NOTE: Soap nuts are not nuts – they are fruit. So even if you have an allergy to nuts, soap nuts should be just fine for you :).
Why I Love Soap Nuts
1. They are all natural – no chemicals going on my clothes, on my family's skin, or into our environment.
2. They are very reasonable. Just pennies per load, especially if you buy the larger bulk sizes.
3. They are super easy to use! And my pots and graters don't end up tasting like soap!
4. The resulting used-up soap nuts are compostable :-)!
5. Soap nuts leave no smell. I mean, I like nice smelling things, but this way, all you get is clean.
How to Use Soap Nuts
Yes, it's pretty weird using nuts in your laundry. But they are really easy to use and no, you won't end up with nut butter in your laundry :)!
1. Put 4-5 soap nuts in a small muslin bag (you buy some of these with your soap nuts).
2. Put a large clip on the bag (this is my handy dandy idea – keeps that soap nuts bag closed tight and keeps it from getting lost in the wash.) I LOVE the large Twixit Clips for this purpose. See below for more info on these great clips!
3. Toss in the washing machine before your clothes go in.
4. Remove from laundry after washing (Naturoli tells me it's really OK to dry them if you miss this step!)
5. Re-use 3-5 times. Well, truth is I use mine about 6. Cheapskate frugal mama! Told you I like to save money.
6. The above directions are for a warm or hot water wash. If you are going to wash in cold water, soak the soapnuts in a cup of hot water (from the tap is OK – thanks for the tip, Katie of Kitchen Stewardship…Silly me – I've been heating water in a pan. But then, especially in the winter it can take awhile for our water to heat up) for about 3-8 minutes prior to use to activate the saponin.
Below is a handy dandy photo of my tiny bag of soap nuts secured with the Handy Twixit Clip and my “heavy duty” plastic container that I use:
More Tips on How to Use Soap Nuts:
1. The biggest tip in my mind is using the Twixit Clip on the bag. Otherwise, I can only imagine how many lost soap nuts bags I'd still be looking for (they're not very big!) You can use the Twixit Clips for so many other things around the house that it's great to buy the whole set even if you're only using one for your Soap Nuts bag. You can see more ways I use them in my posts on How to Store Nuts and Seeds, The Easiest Way to Freeze and Store Berries, and Easiest Sun-Dried Tomatoes. No more pesky twist ties!!
2. I use about 6 soap nuts because I have a front loader and it washes a bigger load.
3. Use a heavy duty container for pre-soaking your soap nuts if you are using cold water for washing. I once decimated a plastic container since it couldn't stand up to the hot water :-(.
4. After loading the soap nuts into the washing machine, I set the plastic container on top of the washer. Then when the load is done I just find the little bag (with the help of that big clip) and drop it in the container, all ready for the next wash.
5. When it's time to pre-soak the nuts, I just fill up the container with water, drop it in a saucepan, heat it up and pour it back into the container. Wait a few minutes and run it down to the laundry machine.
6. You can tell the soap nuts are done when they look grayish and are falling apart. Sometimes this frugal mom tries to get just one more load out of them though :-)!
7. Thanks to a reader asking….soap nuts can be used in HE machines.
Why I Use Naturoli's Soap Nuts
There are a bunch of soap nuts companies out there. I spent a bunch of time researching them (what else is new???) and found that though other brands are cheaper, they may not be real soap nuts. They may not clean as well and they are sometimes not deseeded, meaning that they weigh more.
That means you are paying for the seeds as well which do not do the cleaning. For me, I chose to purchase these since they appeared to be of great value and I have been pleased with them.
Another Homemade Laundry Detergent Alternative
If you are giving up on making your own homemade laundry detergent (like me) and you would like another option besides soap nuts, then here are some other options.
We are using Ava Anderson's Laundry Pods and are very pleased with them. They are super convenient (just toss one in the back of your front loader) and do a great job.
Update 1/16: I left Ava Anderson due to many labeling issues and wrong / missing ingredients in products. I've been on the hunt for a new laundry product and I LOVE this laundry ball!
Super easy to use and it lasts for 365 washes!
Other DIY Household Products
So….I don't make homemade laundry detergent, but I do make…….
Homemade Foaming Soap
Amazing No Streak Glass Cleaner
Simple Natural Dishwasher Rinse Aid
Plastic Wrap Substitute (well, not really :))
Update on Soap Nuts–aka Can You Have a Soap Nut Allergy?
So, I feel kind of funny adding this BUT–years after writing this post, 2 of us in the family had reactions to soap nuts.
Online it seems that a soap nut allergy is really rare and even some soap nut companies seem to say that it's not possible, but we definitely had reactions. It might have been something on the soap nuts, but I could never figure out what that was, so we just chose to avoid them after that.
So I went on a hunt for a good natural homemade laundry detergent formula again and found it. I also also developed this DIY Baby Laundry Detergent that's great for sensitive skin needs too.
Whatever you prefer–Homemade Detergent or Soap Nuts or store-bought, please just do your best to avoid the toxins!
Have you ever used Soap Nuts?
Overnight we soak soapnuts with some other dried seeds which are good for the hair. In the morning we heat it and then when we wash our hair we add little cold water n then rub the mixture on our hand and use as shampoo. This is supposed to make hair stop falling and grow black ,thick n long. But you have to be careful about mixture going in your eyes it can be very painful. But hair turns out soft and shiny after this shampoo n squeaky clean.
Hi, glad I found this post…I do all my wash by hand(my washing machine died a while ago)…would you recommend that I make the “tea” that one reader recommended? Or just use the bag?
Also, has anyone made regular soap using the method using a crockpot to cook it? That really intrigues me too…
I would think that it wouldn’t matter b/c you’re just washing the clothes either way. I have never made the “tea”, however.
Hi
I have tried these i purchased mine from living naturally a uk company. I desperately wanted these to work as my two year old has quite a bad skin condition and i think that chemicals in soap powder and fabric softener(which leaves a residue on clothes) must irritate his skin. I purchased a large tub, i used a tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda and a tablespoon of white vinegar in the drawer for a natural oxy clean and i put 10/15 drops of essential oil on the bag containing the soap nuts for a slight fragrance.
I found them geat on lightly soiled clothes but and its a big but with a two year old in the house, it didnt shift food stains,poop stains didnt go and there was still an odour after washing. I was very disappointed and i am now wondering if it was the brand i purchased or if i was doing something wrong. I wash on a 40 degree wash the majority of the time. I did soak the soiled clothes in bicarb prior to washing but still no luck.
Does anyone have any tips as i would love to use them all the time, plus the hypo allergenic soap powder is so expensive i would be saving money with the soap nuts.
I’d love to hear what others think. I think you need a natural stain remover for stains. I have never had great luck w/ stain removal from just detergent. Also, if you put too many clothes in no detergent works well – that is a struggle for this “frugal” momma. Anyone else have thoughts? I wonder if the bicarb is a help or not???
I am just wondering how well they get out stains??? have you had any experiences with food stains? blood (from cuts or scrapes) or mud/dirt?? I have a 2.5 year old and his clothes can get pretty dirty. GREAT post! I shared it with soooo many people. Thanks for this write up 🙂
I’ve heard from others that they think they clean great, but I use a DIY stain remover for bad stains. I need to pull that recipe out and share it – thanks for sharing!!!
It seems great minds think alike when choosing a bar soap for DIY laundry soap. I also chose Kirk’s Castile for my laundry soap and I think I’m lucky as I don’t seem to have any leftover soap flavor! Though I made a powder recipe so that means no soap flavored pots. Also, I added a few drops of Eucalyptus EO in to my mixture for a bit of super light clean and fresh scent.
I’ve also made DIY Deodorant and of course baking soda shampoo!
Those soap nuts look pretty cool I just don’t think I could handle having to warm them – it would just give me another reason to put off laundry!
I’ll check out your links – thanks! I just heard from someone that the soap nuts work well just pouring warm or hot water over them from the faucet – why didn’t I think of that???!! I need to go and add that to my post!
I have been using Soap Nuts in my HE washing machine for about a year … love them. I especially love that they don’t leave any artificial smell … my laundry just smells clean. I would and have recommended them to everyone. I even gave bags out at Christmas last year to friends and family.
Yay! Congrats! Your post was my #3 most clicked link in The Mommy Club last week. You are being featured on my blog today! Stop in and see your feature as well as the new weekly link up! I can’t wait to see what mommy solutions & resources you link up, next!!
Have a great week,
Crystal
https://www.crystalandcomp.com/2012/09/the-mommy-club-share-your-resources-and-solutions-60/
Hey Crystal! I don’t know how I missed this comment. Hope you are well and thanks! So glad to reconnect with you!
Hi Adrienne,
I’m happy to clarify!
from what I understand, it’s illegal for a competing company to use another company’s image in a manner that puts down that competitor for financial gain. In other words, if you make money from saying something bad about a direct competitor (doesn’t matter if it’s true or not) it is illegal do it.
You can clearly see the logo from Mountain Rose Herbs on the package and the manner in which it’s presented is meant to direct you away from MRH to buy NaturOli’s brand. This photo is slander. The photo also implies that the soap nuts are not the mukorossi soap nuts, while MRH claims that the soap nuts they sell are Sapindus Mukorossi if you check their web site. Because of the wording on the photo, it is implying that MRH is not truthful about the type of soap nuts they sell. This is Libel.
Also, the soap nuts I’ve gotten from them don’t look that way, so the photo is untruthful.
Now – it doesn’t matter if it’s true or not – the photo and the wording is considered “commercial speech” instead of free speech which falls under a different set of laws regarding fair trade practices, so this isn’t a free speech issue.
I’ve seen other examples of this from NaturOli elsewhere with other competing products. They run a website which I won’t give power to by posting it here, but it basically puts down every other soap nut company directly and indirectly except for Naturoli, though it’s disguised as an informative factual site. You have to really hunt for the information that the site is in fact owned and run by NaturOli but that MRH image appears on there along with images from other companies used in a derogatory manner and theres references to other images they were asked to remove – so there is a clear history of NaturOli doing this to other soap nuts companies. I personally feel this really hurts Naturoli’s credibility. Should I really believe what they say? do I really want to support a company resorting to these methods?
After using MRH’s soap nuts I don’t really see a problem with seeds, though I agree some people might not want them. If you’re using them to make a liquid soap or other cleaning products I really don’t think it matters. They are selling 1 lb for $6 – even if 2/3 of that is the weight from seeds at the worst, that’s still way cheaper than Naturoli which costs 22.95 for 1 lb. I think the photo implies that the two brands cost the same.
I’m also not advocating for MRH – I’m not affiliated with the company, but I don’t like it when companies aren’t fair to one another. I have no problem with other companies selling de-seeded soap nuts – and maybe they’re better or yield more loads and I’m sure some people will find the seeds incredibly annoying and maybe there’s other reasons to buy de-seeded, but I think there’s more tactful ways to promote your own products than directly putting another company down and I don’t want to support that.
thank you. Again I am consulting w someone else and I will continue to look into this as I have time. I am swamped but I will change things as need be. Feel free to remind me if you come back and don’t see different info.
I got to agree with you Jill. I have been searching long and hard for the right company.. and that site you mentioned I know which one your talking about and your totally right.. But i fell for their crap at first. Went to naturoli site and ordered 100 worth of stuff. When i received a phone call from this company and received the RUDEST customer service i have ever received from a company I was quite irritated.. and why was she rude, all over a dumb shipping address issue. So like always I emailed the company to let them know I was unhappy with her service and I received an email back right away saying they were canceling my order and refunding me ( i honestly think that woman who called runs the computers and she might of done it, or else it really was the owner) either way it was absolutely the most ridiculous thing ever. I have been researching all day to find a new safe company only to find everyone reviewing naturoli and tons of info against every other company. I am stumped what to do. I went back to that site you mentioned and that is when i realized this is obviously naturoli affiliated site even though they claim to not be about any brands. I have experienced and read nothing good about this company especially once you open your eyes and dig deeper. I plan on letting everyone know to stay away from this company… Which sucks because I thought I was gonna be telling everyone about it. Might have to look into this other company you mentioned since finding them is hard when naturoli over takes everything on the internet. thanks for your input
Who is being rude Megan? Naturoli or someone else? Thanks! I would love to know about the site that Naturoli is affiliated w/ despite it not being about brands. Thanks.
I appreciate your post but I do wish you would find another soap nuts brand to be an affiliate for. This company naturoli has built their reputation and brand by putting down other companies. For example, I have used Mountain Rose Herbs (the brand in the comparison photo) with no issues. The seeds don’t do anything, dont stain my clothes, and they are extremely cheap for the weight so I don’t care.
This company naturoli is using scare tactics to make you think their products are better. They run other websites that put down other specific companies as well – which I’m pretty sure isn’t legal. The “don’t be fooled” photo is a violation of MRH trademark and against the fair trade acts since their logo and image is being used by a competitor to slander them. I would take it off your site.
Naturoli wants you to think that other cheaper brands are not real soap nuts – they are. They may look different but they work just fine.
I’m not trying to attack you, but I think you should be aware and not perpetuate such negative false advertising. Find another brand to be an affiliate for if you want to promote the nuts.
Hello Jill.
I am really concerned about what you shared with me. I will touch base with some other folks whom I can talk with and see what they know. I for sure don’t wish to be a part of something that has this kind of problems associated with it. I am not sure that the photo is a violation of a trademark – can you please respond and tell me why? If necessary I will take it down. Thanks for your thoughtful comment. Of course, if there are seeds in the MRH product then they aren’t necessarily cheaper -would you agree with that? My understanding was that there are different species of the nuts and that some won’t work as well as others.
Thanks for the honest feedback. I hope you will take the time to respond to my questions.
We have been using soap nuts for over a year now for our family of eight and we love them! I can never imaging making my own laundry detergent either since finding these. We moved off-grid about ten months ago and did our laundry using special plungers for quite a few months (Link deleted by Whole New Mom due to it not working anymore.). Now we have a top-loading washer. Either way they work great!
Since we are off-grid hot water is difficult to use for laundry so we always make soap nut “tea” rather than place the bag into the wash. We heat about 1 cup of water on the stove, remove from heat and place the bag of 5 soap nuts into it to steep for about 8 minutes. Then we pour the tea into the washer and rinse the soap nuts with cold water to remove all the saponins that were released and add that to the wash as well.
We also have very hard water, so we always add a few drops of Shaklee basic H for a softening effect so the soap nuts are more effective. If clothes are very dirty or smelly, we also add vinegar and/or peppermint oil as we would if using regular detergent. If they need disinfecting and/or whitening we use peroxide.
We purchase ours from GVP as well. Thank you for sharing your experience about this great product. I hope to share soon on our blog about how we use soapnuts, and am wondering if it is ok to link to this post since you have much helpful info.
Great tips! Thank you ! Who is GVP by the way? And you are more than welcome to link to my blog. Thanks for asking :-).