Soap Nuts Recipes and Uses

by Emma Davidson from Brindabella Baby, Canberra's eco-friendly and fair trade baby shop.



Got a bag of soap nuts for the laundry? Soap nuts are an eco-friendly alternative to chemical laundry detergents in both front and top loading washing machines. But you can do a lot more with soap nuts than just wash your clothes. Make your own shampoo, head lice treatment, silverware cleaner, insect repellant, and lots more. Soap nuts don't lather like commercial soaps and cleaners, but the fruit of the sapindus mukurossi (soap nut) tree contain natural saponin - yes, soap. Soap nuts are also traditionally used in Ayurvedic treatments for excema and psoriasis.


To use soap nuts in your laundry, just put one shell per kilogram of washing into the small cotton washbag provided, and throw in the washing machine. No need to take the bag out for the rinse cycle - soap nuts do not leave any chemical residue. This is great, as it means no detergent buildup on clothes and your greywater is safe for use on the garden. Your clothes will also be protected from fading as soap nuts have no added optical whiteners or enzymes.


The lack of added perfumes means soap nuts are great for sensitive skin, but you can add a couple of drops of essential oil to the washbag if you prefer. Because soap nuts do not leave a residue or strip your clothes of any protective barriers, there is no need for fabric softener. Some people like to add a squirt of lemon juice or a little white vinegar to the wash to brighten whites or as a softener, but this isn't usually necessary. Soap nuts are suitable for use with delicate fabrics such as silk or wool.
Soap nuts will break down over 4-6 washes - just remove the disintegrated, dark coloured shells and replace with fresh soap nuts. A 250g bag of soap nuts will last the average family around 3 months.


Kristy from the Green & Nutty Trust advises that the soap nuts, which she imports from India, are harvested by farming families for their own use. These soap nuts are excess to local requirements, and their export provides farming families with additional cash-flow.


You can use also use your soap nuts in their bag in the cutlery basket of the dishwasher. But by making soap nut powder or liquid, you'll find soap nuts are a versatile general purpose cleaner.


Soap Nuts Powder - grind your soap nuts in a coffee grinder, and use 2-3 teaspoons in your washing machine instead of laundry powder. Some people find they get better wash results from powdered soap nuts. As with the whole nuts, soap nut powder works best in water at least 40C. If you wash in cold water, put the powder in a cup of hot water to dissolve and start the soap process while you load the washing machine with dirty laundry.


Soap Nuts Liquid - put 1 cup of soap nuts into a big jar with 4 cups of water and leave to soak overnight. Next day, pour the jar into a food processor and liquefy the soaked nuts with the water. Pour back into the jar through a strainer or muslin cloth to get rid of any solids. For a smaller amount, simmer 5-6 nuts in 2-3 cups of water for about an hour, then strain. This liquid will keep in a sealed jar in a dark cupboard for 3-4 days, a bit longer in a fridge.


Soap nuts liquid has many uses. Spray it on as an insect repellant that is safe for pets and people. Use it as a shampoo - leave in for 5 minutes, then rinse off. Clean windows with a mix of 16 parts water, 1 part white vinegar, and 1 part soap nut liquid. Soak jewellery in the liquid as a cleaner. Squirt it onto silverware and polish with a soft cloth to remove tarnish.