Soap nuts and essential oils

How to use soap nuts and essential oils for ecological and economical laundry?

Soap nuts have been used for over a thousand years by the Indians and Nepalese. They are the shells of a fruit from the Sapindus mukorossis "soap tree", a ten-metre-high tree native to Asia. This tree has the particularity of naturally producing saponin, which protects it from parasitic attack. In fact, this substance repels insects such as mosquitoes. Saponin is also a detergent (surfactant) that degreases, cleans and sanitizes.

As well as being ecological and biodegradable, soap nuts are also very economical. One kilo of soapnuts, or 9 to 15 euros depending on the store, can be used to run up to 150 washing machines, or 3 machines a week - the usual weekly rate for a family of 4. Not to mention that a bag of walnuts is incomparably lighter than a barrel of detergent (note to shoppers...).

For the laundry, we add the soap nut shells to the drum in a small cotton bag.

100% plant-based, soap nuts are perfect for people allergic to chemical detergents or for washing baby clothes. They are also excellent for wool or fine laundry.

Washing and rinsing water discharge no chemicals or pollutants into sewage systems or waterways. Take advantage of this opportunity to recover water from the machine and water your plants or garden! Once you've completely emptied them of their saponin content, you can compost them, as they're totally biodegradable!

Dosage

Dosage depends on a number of criteria: the degree of dirtiness of the laundry, the size of the drum and the quality of the water supplied to the machine. There are around 5 to 10 half-shells per machine, which can be reused 3 to 4 times. They are ideal for all washing temperatures from 30° to 90°C

Use in the washing machine:

While soap nuts rival chemical detergents in terms of cleanliness and colorfastness, they are less effective when it comes to ensuring that your T-shirts and blouses stay bright white. For this, we recommend the addition of sodium bicarbonate (one tablespoon per machine). Bicarbonate reducesodours by neutralizing the acidic substances produced by bacteria. It also acts as a fabric softener. Like soap nuts, it is biodegradable and therefore absolutely harmless to the environment.

Use as a liquid detergent:

A decoction of soap nuts makes a liquid soap. Boil 10 to 20 hulls in 1 liter of water for a few minutes. You can then use this soap as a liquid detergent and add essential oils if you wish to perfume your laundry. Shake well before pouring into the washing machine.

Essential oils for laundry use

A wide range of essential oils can be used to perfume your laundry, while adding their purifying and deodorizing properties.

Prefer light, fluid essential oils such as lavender, lavandin, eucalyptus, palmarosa or tea tree to avoid stains. You can also create your own synergies by blending one or two essential oils, such as Lavandin and Lemon or Rosemary and Lemongras. Always make sure you dilute them well in your liquid detergent, or mix them with a little bicarbonate powder before adding them to the detergent dispenser.

• Tea tree essential oil
• Lemon essential oil
• Lemongrass essential oil
• Eucalyptus essential oil
• Lavender essential oil
• Lavandin essential oil
• Mint essential oil
• Monarde essential oil
• Lemongrass essential oil
• Litsea lemon essential oil
• Palmarosa essential oil
• Pine essential oil
• Rosemary essential oil
• Patchouli essential oil (for dark linen only)
• Vetiver essential oil (for dark linen only)

Laundry nutscan also be used as

• Household and dishwashing detergent (hand or machine)
• Liquid hand soap
• Shampoo
• pet care
• for garden / phytosanitary use

For further information, please refer to the product sheet.