Sold on Soap Nuts

I have been reading about these little laundry nuts for a while on different blogs. As I have gradually been trying to reduce some of the chemicals in our household these little guys seemed like an easy transition. I really couldn't find any bad reviews on them. You just add 4-6 of the nuts in the little provided laundry pouch and toss it in the laundry. That's it!

When I first added them to the washer I was skeptical and was pretty sure I would have to re-wash my clothes. Soap nuts do not provide all the suds and foam that you are use to. The chemicals in commerical detergents are providing the foam but that's really not what cleans your clothes. I kept checking the laundry during the wash cycle and it was working. Eventhough the water did not look like I was use to, my clothes were getting clean. After running the cycle through the dryer with no bounce sheets my clothes came out clean and soft. They smelled clean but they didn't smell fragrant b/c that is also another added chemical to traditional laundry detergent. They did suggest that if you like to have fragant clothes that you could add some essential oils to the water.

These can also be used to make your own dish soap, wash your car, soap for washing pets and several other things. We will be adding them to our compost pile when they are "all suds out".

The instructions said that you can reuse the soap nuts on multiple loads. I did the test they recommended by putting the nuts in a jar of water and shaking it. If you see suds than it is still working and you can use them again. I used 5 soap nuts on 3 loads of laundry and tested them in between and they were still providing suds.

I had to order mine online but some Whole Foods Stores carry them. I called the Indy store and they said they stopped carrying them because of low sales. I can see how people are hesitant to use these when you don't visually see the washer producing the suds and foam you are use to but they worked for me!

I went to Green Virgin Products to buy mine and used the Promo Code 10off for 10% off. They arrived 2 days later just in time for laundry day.

Here is the breakdown on the cost per load:

Tide: 120 loads powder for $20.47.........17 cents a load

Soap Nuts: 330 loads for $24 + $8(shipping) = $32..........9.5 cents per load