Yes, I said Soap Nuts. Actually, they're the dried berry of the Chinese Soapberry Tree.
Anyway, had to go to King of Prussia the other day and while we were that far, we decided to pop over to West Chester to go to Senora's Authentic Mexican (I don't how to do the thingy on the 'N') for lunch. Then we thought, while we're here, let's see if the Great Pumpkin Market is still open.
I had heard about Soap Nuts before, but I hadn't seen them in a store, at least not that I can remember. The best part, they had them in a trial size. Which meant I didn't have to buy the 80 load huge box, just to try them. So we've got the first load in the wash right now. Wish me luck.
Here's the deal about Soap Nuts. First thing, if you want all the info go to Maggie's Pure Land Products website. But I'll summarize it here. Basically, they're a natural source of Saponin which is a natural cleanser. It's been used for something like 2500 years and is low sudsing and safe for high efficiency machines.
You take like 5 of them and put them in a cotton pouch and toss it in the washer (use less for hot water). It's fragrance free and works naturally as a fabric softener, which is great for me because I'm allergic to fabric softener. And you get to reuse them. Once the saponin's gone you toss them in the compost pile or turn them under in the garden.
I'll let you know how it turns out, but everything I can find online says that everyone who uses them loves them.
