Yucca Vs. Soapwort Vs. Aritha/Soapnuts?

**ktani** · July 28th, 2008, 12:02 PM

The only negative thing about soap nuts and laundry on the net that I have seen, so far, is that colour safe bleach may be needed for whites.

But that is standard for most laundry detergents.

The soap nut reviews are positive for laundry otherwise.

"The first load came out of the washer & dryer smelling CLEAN....you just can't imagine clean smelling like this. No scents or perfumes, just FRESH & CLEAN. .... I washed a blanket that would come out of the dryer full of static with regular detergents & fabric softners regardless of what types used. When I washed with soap nuts and opened the dryer, NO STATIC AT ALL .... I have never felt this blanket this soft before. ..... My husbands greasy, dirty work clothes and my teens clothes..... Both had just worked on a truck & changed the oil in my car. T-shirt had grease & oil, muddy jeans .... This was the third washing with the soap nuts .... I couldn't ask for better results-No left in yucky smells, grease GONE, no static ..."
http://www.amazon.com/review/product...owViewpoints=1

There is one negative review on reusing soap nuts anaswered here in this review.

".... review that complained that she did a load a few days later w/ the same nuts .... a reason they smelled. You are suppose to do the loads all in one day and then compost the soapnuts."
http://www.amazon.com/review/product...owViewpoints=1

**ktani** · July 28th, 2008, 12:22 PM

Even this vendor recommends experimenting.

"Soap nuts releases quickly …. hot water ….slowly in cold water. …. washing in hot water …. need …. two whole Soap Nuts per load. …. washing …. cold water, up to 3-4 nuts…. reuse them 4 or more times. …. pre-soak your cotton sack containing two soap nuts in a little hot water to release the saponin. After a couple minutes of soaking, add …. mixture to …. cold-water wash. …. number of washes …. receive from …. soap nuts …. dependant upon …. hardness of the water, temperature …. amount of clothing in the load. …. experiment with the outcome, with regards to your own washing needs."
http://www.soapnuts.ca/faqs.html

I have seen pre-made soap nut liquids for sale on the net - all with additives - but unless they have real preservatives added, IMO, they are not worth the money and will not keep for any length of time.

They are concentrates that I have no doubt would need to be diluted for hair and skin in any case.

I think that making a solution from the shells, without boiling and inconvenience is better and much less expensive.

**ktani** · July 28th, 2008, 03:42 PM

Originally Posted by Sally

I had to pay a ton in S&H for mine ....

Sally

How do you use the soap nuts and what are your results so far?

**ktani** · July 28th, 2008, 07:24 PM

Still another way to make a soap nut solution. In essence - it is about hot water - simple as that, IMO.

I do not think you need to cook them at all. Hot tap water will work just as well.

The advantage of not cooking them? - they are reusable - that is what the laundry instructions say - that you can reuse the soap nuts for up to 5 loads of laundry. That should apply to making shampoo as well - as long as you make batches, the same day once you have your dilution established. Then just refridgerate - for up to 10 days.

So by not cooking them - you save money.

"How to make a Soapnut Solution:
.... small/medium cooking pot with a lid, add some water .... cook a small handful of soapnuts for about five minutes. Cover the pot with .... lid while cooking. After five minutes, remove the pot from heat and let cool. Remove the soapnut shells, and place in the compost.
* By increasing the amount of soapnuts when making the solution .... make the solution stronger .... adding more water .... make it weaker.
.... make a soapnut solution for all-purpose cleaning by experimenting with .... concentration of soapnuts in the solution."
http://www.ecoideas.ca/product_environmental_soapnuts.htm

**mellie** · July 28th, 2008, 07:37 PM

They say:

"add some water, and cook a small handful of soapnuts"

So how much is "some" water, and how much is "a small handful"? I think I see a weekend project brewing (pun intended). :-)

**ktani** · July 28th, 2008, 07:46 PM

mellie

Read further - they say to experiment.

I am beginning to think that the cooking thing is a way to sell more soap nuts - after cooking - they need to be trashed - composted.

By using hot tap water - you can experiment test and re-experiment in one day - up to 5 times with the same soap nuts.

**ktani** · July 29th, 2008, 06:19 AM

While this website has the usual boiling/steeping instructions for soap nut liquid - this is what they say about making liquid hand soap - which would work for shampoo too, IMO.

But - you will have to experiment with quantities.

".... also make a great hand soap, just toss them in .... blender with some water and viola hand soap."
http://www.sapindusmukorossi.com/

**ktani** · July 29th, 2008, 06:30 AM

I have always liked the website linked below for reviews.

A bonus is the comment section after each review - so you can actually get mini reviews attached to each regular review in some cases.

For the comments, scroll down almost to the bottom of the page once you open "read review".

Summary - soapnuts do clean laundry well but do not work well on stains or getting whites bright. You do need to experiment with water temperatures and amounts of shells. Only one shampoo user - no comments following that review.

http://www.ciao.co.uk/Reviews/Soap_Nuts__6168784