Thursday, September 26, 2013

Green Virgin Products: Soap Nuts

If you've been around my blog long enough, you know that I'm a huge fan of homemade cleaners. But sometimes, I just don't have the time to make more. So I have to find a great alternative to have on hand, preferably something all natural.


I've had the pleasure of using Soap Nuts from Green Virgin Products over the past few weeks & have been completely amazed. You see, a soap nut is the fruit of the Chinese Soap Berry Tree that contain a natural soap called saponin. You actually wash your clothes with the outer shell which has been dried out (the inside berries have been removed). And Green Virgin Products only have sapindus Mukorossi Soap Nuts available, which are the largest in size & have the highest saponin content.

View this photo on Instagram.

With Soap Nuts, you don't need any fabric softener or dryer sheets. Even though I usually make both of those also, it's nice not having to bother with them. What else is nice, is that my clothes come out clean & they even smell like it. Of course if the job is really big & would need a pre-treater, I would still recommend using one. (Green Virgin Products has one of those too.)

The hardness of your water & whether you have a front loader or top loader washing machine have an impact on how many Soap Nuts you use & for how many loads. I have very hard water & a top loader, but have found that 5 whole Soap Nuts (broken in half for optimum use) are good for 5 loads. Just place all of the halves in the included wash bag & toss it in. It's that easy! Actually, the only difficult part can be finding the wash bag after the load is done (that took some getting used to). And just as a tip, you do not need to tie a knot in the wash bag. I learned that lesson myself & spent a few minutes trying to get the bag open to change the Soap Nuts.


Let's not forget the cost effectiveness. I received a 250 gram bag (.55 lb) which states 83 wash loads & retails for $10.95. Even though I haven't been keeping track, I think I'll get slightly more wash loads than that. And without the need for a fabric softener, the savings is huge! Actually, I think it just may be more of a savings than homemade cleaners. Especially when you can use Soap Nuts for washing more than just your clothes (like vehicles, pets, hair, floors, etc.)

Keep up with the latest from Green Virgin Products on Facebook & Twitter.


**Disclaimer: I received these products to try from Green Virgin Products & am simply sharing my personal opinion which may vary from yours. I was not compensated for this review.

26 comments:

  1. Wow, that's really neat! I've never heard of this product before. I'll definately be checking them out. Thanks for the great review.

    ReplyDelete
  2. have always wanted to give soap nuts a try and I have never heard of this company before.Great review!

    ReplyDelete
  3. This is amazing! I never knew these exsisted, so cool!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Very interesting review, I've never heard of soap nuts before this! Will check them out for sure! :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Do these dissolve over time? I would worry about them snagging my clothes

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You place them in a wash bag, so there's no snagging, & then you throw them out when all of the saponin has been used.

      Delete
  6. I have never heard of this product! THanks for the review I will check it out!

    ReplyDelete
  7. This is a new product to me too! I am amazed! :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Very interesting - I never heard of them before and I'm always searching out new and natural products!

    ReplyDelete
  9. They look amazing and it it great that it is good for the environment.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Wow-that is really unique! I will have to check them out!

    ReplyDelete
  11. That is so cool that a fruit can actually contain a cleaning agent. I wonder how they even discovered that you could clean with the nuts.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I have never heard of these, can you buy them in retail locations? I too am addicted to making my own laundry products what is the difference in price breakdown? cuz my laundry sauce is only about 6 cents a tbsp

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Only online that I'm aware of Cindy. & the price breakdown varies since the amount of soap nuts used & for how many loads depends on water hardness & what type of washer you have. You have to remember also that there's no need for dryer sheets or fabric softener so that helps too.

      Delete
  13. This may be the most interesting thing I have heard of in awhile...who would've thought a nut could clean my clothes, but yet, a different kind of nut can kill my kid! Interesting.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Like everyone else commenting here, this is the first time I've heard of Soap Nuts. Super interesting!

    ReplyDelete
  15. You always find the most interesting and cool products!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Do do the Soap Nuts leave a scent?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not really, just s clean scent. They work great at removing odors instead of covering them up.

      Delete
  17. This is awesome, I've never heard of this but it looks great that I want to try it for myself. I never knew you could wash with a nut.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I love soap nuts! They're amazing and so budget friendly because they last forever!

    ReplyDelete
  19. I have never heard of soap nuts. I need to try those out!

    ReplyDelete
  20. I've never head of soap nuts! I have a ball that I use in the washer but nothing for the dryer. I would have thought that a nut would fall a part in the dyer.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Thanks for the information. I've heard a lot of people rave about Soap nuts, especially in the Cloth diapering community, but no one has been able to explain it like this.

    ReplyDelete