Soap Nut Liquid Laundry Detergent
Soap nuts are a great way to safely and naturally clean your laundry. However, if you’re having trouble using whole soap nuts, a soap nut liquid laundry detergent is an excellent alternative. Learn how to make soap nut liquid laundry detergent to enjoy all of the benefits of this outstanding natural product.
Also, if you don’t have time to DIY, that’s not a problem! Simply take a look at these top eco-friendly laundry detergents or these best sustainable laundry detergent sheets for the same natural cleaning power.
What Are Soap Nuts?
Before we dive into making soap nut laundry detergent, we have to answer the most important question of all: What are soap nuts?
Soap nuts are a berry that come from the soap nut tree. They contain a natural cleaning agent called saponin, which lifts away dirt and suspends the dirt in water so it can rinse away.
If you’re interested in learning more about soap nuts, this helpful guide explains how to use soap nuts and answers a variety of common questions people have about soap nuts.
Benefits of Using Soap Nuts
If you’ve been making homemade laundry detergent but you’re interested in something more natural, soap nuts are the ideal option. Soap nuts have a variety of benefits in addition to being a natural cleaning product.
Since they’re a berry, you can compost them when you’ve used all of their saponin. That makes them perfect for a zero waste laundry routine.
Plus, since soap nuts don’t contain any of the harsh chemicals typically found in store-bought detergents that can leave your clothes feeling stiff, you don’t have to use potentially toxic dryer sheets to make your laundry soft.
Lastly, soap nuts are hypoallergenic, which makes them a fantastic option for anyone who has sensitive or eczema-prone skin.
How to Make Soap Nut Liquid Laundry Detergent
Now that you understand what soap nuts are and why you should switch to them, you’re likely ready to make your own soap nut liquid laundry detergent. Fortunately, it’s incredibly easy when you follow these steps.
Ingredients:
Instructions:
- Pour 4 cups of water into a large pot and bring to a simmer on your stove top.
- Add 1 cup of soap nuts to the water and cook for 10 minutes.
- Remove the pot from the heat, cover, and allow the mixture to cool.
- Once the mixture has cooled, use the potato masher to crush the soap nuts.
- Pour the mixture through the cheesecloth to strain it and compost the soap nut pulp.
- Store the soap nut liquid laundry detergent in a glass bottle.
- These measurements will make approximately 3 cups of liquid soap nut laundry detergent.
How to Use Soap Nut Detergent
Your soap nut laundry detergent might settle when it’s sitting on the shelf, so give it a gentle swirl before you use it.
For small loads of laundry, pour 1 tablespoon of soap nut detergent into your liquid detergent dispenser and run your washing machine like normal. For medium loads, use 2 tablespoons.
If you have a large load or a very dirty load, use 3 or 4 tablespoons. People who have extremely hard water have reported that they see better results when they use 4 tablespoons of soap nut detergent.
Storing Your Soap Nut Detergent
Since your soap nut detergent is a natural product, it’s free of all preservatives. This means you’ll want to make the liquid detergent in small batches to keep it from fermenting.
So how do you know if your soap nut detergent has fermented? It’s very easy. Just give it a sniff!
Fresh soap nut detergent should have a slight apple juice smell to it. On the other hand, fermented soap nut detergent will have a distinct sour scent.
To help your soap nut detergent last as long as possible, store it in a clean, air-tight bottle away from direct sunlight. It has a shelf life of 1 to 2 weeks at room temperature. If you store it in the refrigerator, it will last 3 to 5 weeks.
You can also freeze the soap nut liquid in an ice cube tray to make it last even longer. These ice cube trays can hold one tablespoon of liquid in each spot, which makes it easy for dispensing the needed amount when you’re doing laundry.
More Ways to Make Your Laundry Routine More Eco-Friendly
Creating your own soap nut laundry detergent isn’t the only way you can make your laundry routine more eco-friendly.
If you have tough stains in your clothes, you’ll be amazed at the results of this homemade stain remover. So far, it has been able to handle everything my son and husband get on their clothes. And believe me, they manage to get some pretty unique stains.
Or you can use one of these best eco-friendly laundry stain removers.
To get your whites whiter without using bleach, check out this homemade bleach alternative that actually works.
You can also learn more about the differences between the Guppyfriend and Cora Ball to see which one will work best to help you reduce microfiber pollution from your laundry.
DIY Soap Nut Liquid Laundry Detergent
If you want to enjoy all of the benefits that soap nuts offer but you prefer using a liquid detergent, this soap nut liquid laundry detergent is the perfect solution. Make the switch today to see how easy it is to get your laundry naturally clean!
More Great Eco-Friendly Cleaning Tips
Now that you see how easy it is to make soap nut liquid laundry detergent, are you interested in even more excellent eco-friendly cleaning tips? Then be sure to check out some of our other popular posts:
- Homemade Natural Febreze
- Surprising Things You Can Clean With Vinegar
- Homemade Toilet Cleaning Tablets
- Easy DIY Dusting Spray
