You've probably heard of soap nuts, right? But have you had a chance to try them?
Soap nuts have many great advantages over most conventional detergents.
The problems with conventional detergents
If you look at the ingredient list on detergent packages, you'll find words like phosphonates, surfactants, zeolites, polycarboxylates, TAED, soap, enzymes, bleach, and perfume.
And most of us have little idea what these chemicals mean.
The main problem with conventional detergents is that they can contain allergens, environmentally harmful substances, and other unwanted chemicals such as fragrances and preservatives.
One of Sweden's best-selling conventional detergents, for example, contains the preservative methylisothiazolinone, which is both allergenic and environmentally harmful.
Even detergents with a clear environmental profile can sometimes contain pollutants like methylisothiazolinone and the fragrance limonene – both harmful to aquatic organisms.
According to EU law, a complete ingredient list must be available online, but unfortunately, it can be very difficult to find. That's why certifications are important.
Products with the Asthma and Allergy Association's symbol are allergen-free and limit possible allergens.
The Swan is the Nordic eco-label, the EU Flower or EU Ecolabel is the European eco-label, and the Falcon is the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation's own eco-label.
So besides having to become somewhat of a detective if you want to avoid unwanted chemicals in detergents, they are often expensive as well.
Many also overdose detergent, but that doesn't make clothes cleaner. On the contrary, it causes unnecessary wear on textiles and wastes money.
The problems with conventional fabric softeners
Fabric softeners, or conditioners, are not necessary for clean clothes. Just as we use conditioner to protect hair, fabric softeners are used to protect clothes by reducing friction during washing, preventing static electricity, and making them smell nice after washing.
They work by polymers in the softener binding moisture on the textile's surface. Clothes stay soft because they remain slightly damp.
Fabric softeners also contain emulsifiers that dissolve mineral oil in water, as well as preservatives and fragrances.
Fabric softeners are therefore directly harmful to certain materials and are not environmentally friendly.
It's better to iron and wear garments to soften them, or use vinegar.
Wash organically with soap nuts
Instead of the strong surfactants in conventional detergents, we can wash naturally with saponins found in various plants.
Soap nuts are especially rich in saponins. Plus, you don't have to keep track of complicated ingredient lists.
Saponins work just like surfactants by softening the water so dirt loosens from textiles.
The saponins are released from the soap nut shells when they come into contact with water warmer than 30 degrees Celsius. You can read more about saponins here.
The warmer the water, the more saponins are released. Therefore, it can be strategic to use a slightly higher temperature when washing with milder agents like soap nuts.
Washing clothes in a machine
When you wash clothes with soap nuts, do the following:
Put 4-8 soap nuts in a small cotton laundry bag or an old, thin sock that you tie up and place in the washing machine with the clothes. Let them stay in for the entire wash cycle.
The soap nuts can be used for several washes, but once they lose their shine, it's time to compost them and use new ones. The higher the temperature, the fewer washes they last.
For whites, you can add ½ dl sodium percarbonate in the detergent compartment.
Soap nuts are naturally softening, so there's another reason to skip fabric softener with its unnecessary chemicals.
You can find soap nuts here.
Fragrant clothes
It can feel a bit strange at first since textiles don't smell like anything after washing.
If you want a scent, you can add 2-5 drops of essential oil of lemon, lavender, or another favorite fragrance in the fabric softener compartment.
You can find essential oils here.
If you have stains, you can treat them before washing with baking soda, sodium percarbonate (stronger), olive soap, or gall soap.
If clothes smell bad, you can add vinegar in the fabric softener compartment.
Vinegar is also softening. For really bad odors, you can let the garment soak in vinegar water before washing.
If you want to learn more about how to reduce your expenses by starting with eco-cleaning, I recommend this online course.
Do you have any good tips on how to make laundry feel soft and smell nice using natural methods?
Please share in a comment so others can learn from us!
