|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Soap Nuts Fact Sheet Soap Nuts: Clean, fresh and soft will never be quite the same. Your clothing is in contact with your skin all day. Your body lies in bed linens all night. Soap nuts fit our mission of providing safe, non-toxic, natural alternatives to harmful synthetic chemicals. Whether you are an allergy sufferer, one with sensitive skin, a cloth diaper user, or just want to do your part for a greener earth, soap nuts are a dream come true. Very simply, soap nuts release an extremely effective, hypoallergenic, biodegradable cleaning agent with no added synthetics, chemicals, toxins or artificial perfumes. This pure, natural detergent leaves laundry amazingly clean, fresh and soft, plus provides a plethora of other truly green household uses. Welcome to a better way to clean. What they are What Is a Soap Nut? Far away, in the foothills of the Himalayan Mountains, Mother Nature has provided us a great treasure. Soap nuts are known worldwide by many names such as soapnuts, soapberry, washing nuts, soap nut shells, wash shells, soapberry nut husk, Ritha (Hindi) nut shell, Chinese soapberry and many more. Very simply, soap nuts are the dried fruit from the soapberry (or soap berry nut). These berries are the fruit from a quite unique tree species. These shells contain a substance called saponin that produces a soaping effect. Saponin is a 100% natural alternative to chemical detergent and cleansers. It can replace many chemical detergents such as those containing sodium laureth sulphate (SLS) that are becoming well known by consumers for being a skin irritant and health hazard. Soap nuts have been used for centuries throughout the world as a detergent for laundry, as soap for personal hygiene and as a cleanser with a plethora of other uses. It is most commonly used in India, China, parts of Europe and numerous countries in the eastern hemisphere. There is even a species, Quillaja Saponaria (called a soap bark tree) that grows in South America. However, only in recent years has the soap nut and its many benefits made its way to the shores of the U.S. The Trees and the Soapberry Nuts Sapindus (the botanical name) is a sustainable agriculture and forest product. In many ways it is similar to an olive tree. There are several common varieties of the soapberry tree. Sapindus Mukorossi and Sapindus Trifoliatus are the primary sources for the soapberry that has become know as the soap nut. They are both of the family Sapindaceae, and the genus Sapindus. The botanical name is derived from the Latin words, sapo (soap) and indicus (Indian). Based upon its high amount of ‘soap’ content and consistency, the highest quality soap nut is Sapindus Mukorossi, which grows primarily in northern India and Nepal. It grows uncultivated in poor quality ground and helps fights erosion, particularly in the Himalayan foothills. It also provides needed income to the local population. It is a relatively hardy tree being resistant to diseases and insects. The tree grows to 10 to 20 meters in height and begins flowering and bearing fruit after about 9 years. It blooms with small, white grouped flowers in spring and early summer and is harvested annually during the fall season. The soapberry fruits (the soapnut) are round yellow berries that become gummy, reddish tan and wrinkled as they ripen. Its appearance is somewhat like that of a date. The tree synthesizes its own natural saponins, (soap) which coat the shell of the fruit. The tree has great longevity and will produce fruit (soap nuts) for about 90 years. Soap Nut Tree Species: The Sapindus Mukorossi variety produces the most consistent quality of soap nuts of high saponin content. Sapindus Trifoliatus, which grows primarily in southern India, Indonesia and Pakistan, is a smaller tree producing smaller fruit that lack consistency and saponin content compared to Sapindus Mukorossi. The soap nuts from the Mukorossi tree are larger, brighter in color and gloss and are more effective in producing the ‘soapy’ effect. These soapnuts are typically exported from New Delhi (closer to their growth areas in the Himalayans). Soap nuts from the Trifoliatus tree are less desirable, of lower cost and are often exported from Indonesia. All soap nuts being marketed throughout the world contain the all-important saponins. Consistently high saponin content is the primary measure of quality. In this regard, Mukorossi reigns supreme. Note: Many other varieties of this remarkable tree grow around the world, including the U.S. (one notably called the Florida Soap Berry Tree). The data with regard to the effectiveness of their fruit as detergent is limited and often conflicting. However, data consistently indicates that the Sapindus Mukorossi is the premier variety, and its fruit is the most cherished. To date, we have no knowledge of successful growth and harvests of Mukorossi outside its Asian origins. Albeit, there is no evidence that it cannot be cultivated elsewhere. How they work How Do Soap Nuts Work? Very, very simply. But first, the name Soap Nut is misleading for it is the fruit pulp that actually works. The soapnut berry contains and releases the saponins (soap) when it comes in contact with warm or hot water. (See directions for use in cold water.) Agitation further releases these saponins. The saponins then circulate as a natural surfactant (surface active ingredient). They break down the surface tension between water and oil in the wash water reducing the surface tension of the water aiding it in freeing dirt, grime and oils from clothes. Essentially this is the exact same fundamental principle that applies to how most detergents and soaps work. It’s simply not achieved via use of synthetic chemicals. The name saponin is derived from the Latin word ’sapo’, which means soap. There are many plants around the world that are saponaceous (meaning that they contain saponins) but only a few, are known to produce appreciable amounts. Hence, this is why soap nuts are so very special in their ability to be an effective cleanser - directly from the tree. As discussed on other pages, sapindus mukorossi trees have been found to produce the highest and most consistent quality soap nuts. Ready for use by the end user directly from harvest, extraction of the saponin from the soap nuts requires nothing more than putting them directly in the wash machine in warm water. Drawstring bags are used to contain the soap nuts, and the soap nut can be reused until their saponin content has been depleted. Given that the saponins are naturally a low sudsing detergent, they are ideal for high efficiency (HE) washers and even carpet cleaners. Important points about Soap Nuts: - Effectively clean laundry - leaving it softer and fresher that you may have ever experienced. - Antimicrobial properties. Remove microbes from laundry. - Natural anti-fungal properties. - Hypoallergenic. Most allergic reactions to detergents are due to the chemicals and fragrances in them. - Great for removing odors. - Mild and gentle on fabric structure and colors. - Low sudsing: Good for all washers. Excellent for high efficiency (HE) washers. - Eliminate the need for fabric softener. - 100% biodegradable. - No animal testing. - Requires no manufacturing processes. No chemicals or fossil fuels needed to produce. - A primary product from a sustainable source. - Does not pollute our water systems. - Good for septic and grey water systems. - Environmentally safe. - Natural product with basically an endless shelf life. - Since Soap Nuts are primarily a resource from only emerging nations, increased demand will provide an additional needed economic stimulus, plus will encourage increased planting, growth and farming. Increased forestation and natural means of harvesting will aid in the reversal of Co2 accumulation. - Virtually untapped potential for eliminating most harmful chemicals from the market. Laundry directions Washing Laundry with Soap Nuts. Most detergents on the shelves of our supermarkets contain numerous chemical substances, synthetic dyes, fragrances and fillers. These chemical substances are effective in deeply penetrating our clothes - cleaning, sanitizing and scenting them. However, these same chemicals build up in our clothes and linens and transfer to our skin leading to short term and/or long term skin troubles for some individuals. They break down fabric fibers and fade colors and they are harmful to our environment. Soap Nuts are simply a better way. The following list is simply very basic directions. Only your imagination will limit what soap nuts can be used for. It is noteworthy to mention that for centuries many Eastern cultures have earned a reputation for producing some of the finest of fabrics and jewelry known to the world. Saponins (soap nuts) played a role in the care of these ultra-fine creations. We encourage you to write us with your own ‘recipes’, and we will gladly share them. Basic Laundry Directions: The simplest, most common and traditional method of washing laundry with soap nuts is by using the raw soap nuts in a drawstring bag, and simply tossing the bag in with your laundry. The soap nuts can also be used to make a ‘tea’, a fine powder or concentrated solution. (See other forms and tips.) All forms and methods work great. NUTS (whole and pieces): Warm or Hot Water Wash: - Put 3 to 5 shells or equivalent pieces, about a half-ounce, in cotton or muslin drawstring bag and tie bag securely. - Toss in washing machine before you add your clothes. - Remove from washer at end of the wash to dry (leave soap nuts in bag). - Re-use 3 to 6 times. Soap Nuts are no longer effective when they become thin, mushy and very light tan or gray.
Cold Water Wash: - Simply make a cup of soap nut ‘tea’ by soaking 3 to 5 bagged soap nuts in a cup of very hot water for approximately 3 minutes. - Pour both the tea and bag in wash. - Remove from washer at end of the wash to dry (leave soap nuts in bag). - Re-use 3 to 6 times. Soap Nuts are no longer effective when they thin, turn soft, mushy and very light tan or gray.
Hand Wash: Add about 2 tbs of soap nut liquid to wash water and stir, or make a tea with your soap nut muslin bag. Simply hand wash as usual.
Other Uses Other chemical-free cleaning solutions. Rid your home and life of toxins! Certainly we’ve all heard the alarms of ‘bio-hazard’ in our head when we reached in to pull out our arsenal of cleaning solutions. Interestingly, it is quite difficult finding an image of cleaning products without rubber gloves in the picture. That is certainly a good thing. If it were not for gloves our hands would be a scary site. Household chemical cleaners can be both horribly damaging to our skin and highly toxic to our body. Soap nuts offer a solution. Many common household cleaners can be replaced entirely with the use of soap nuts. Saponin’s inherent effective cleaning power, antimicrobial and antifungal properties, odor reducing capability, and natural gentleness combine to provide an amazingly safe yet effective cleanser for a multitude of everyday uses. Incredibly, the vast majority of highly toxic synthetic chemicals in our homes can be thrown away forever. The following is only a very short list of some alternate cleaning solutions that soap nuts will work great for. You will even notice hair care. We have many saponin-based formulas for both household and personal care that are nearing the end of their research and development pipeline. Stay tuned for many new products to be unveiled. However, if you can boil water, the basics can be in your hands and at use in your home today! (See other forms and tips.) For Household Cleaning: Pour soap nuts liquid into a spray bottle. Use full strength or dilute as desired. Use for sinks, counters, floors, etc. For Windows and Glass: a half-ounce of vinegar. Spray and then wipe clean with dry cloth. Fill a spray bottle with about 8 oz of water. Add a half-ounce of soap nuts liquid and For Dishwashers: Fill the dishwasher soap dispenser with soap nuts liquid. Wash as usual. Tip: For extra sparkle, add a half-ounce of vinegar to the rinse dispenser or during the rinse cycle. For Hand Wash: Add about 2 tbs of soap nut liquid to wash water and stir, or make a tea with your soap nut muslin bag. Simply hand wash as usual. For Steam Cleaning Carpets: Soap nuts work exceptionally well in carpet cleaners because they are so lowsudsing and odor reducing. Add about a quarter cup of soap nut liquid to hot water in the portable cleaner. Great for urine stains! For Jewelry: Soak jewelry in soap nuts liquid for a few minutes. Use an old soft toothbrush to remove debris. Rinse with clean water and polish with a soft cloth. Soap nuts have been used as a fantastic jewelry cleaner for eons. There’s no need for harsh, toxic chemicals! For Pets: Same as above. Superb for pets! Your little loved ones will never feel and smell this fresh again! They’ll appreciate it, too! For Shampoo: Use soap nut liquid to shampoo hair. Leave in for about 5 minutes. Rinse as usual with warm water. If you prefer more suds, add a little your favorite shampoo. We know it’s hard not to want more suds. TIPS: - Soft water may require less soap nuts. Very hard water will require a bag of 5 shells. - There is no need for fabric softener. Soap nuts leave your cloths soft. - Soap nuts have a distinct odor, similar to vinegar when they are dry and more pungent when wet. Soap nuts do not smell pleasant: but amazingly your clothes smell clean and fresh after washing with soap nuts. - Soap nuts will not remove heavy stains, as with any detergent, pre-treat stains with a stain remover as you normally would. - If clothes are very dirty, do half size loads instead of full. - If you like super whites, you can add oxygen bleach to the load. - Soap nuts perform better in a less than full load. - There will be very little suds. No suds actually means no commercial foaming agents or chemicals. - Soap nuts are wonderful for washing cloth diapers. Unlike chemical detergents, they will not clog the fabric causing the diaper to loose its absorbency and they will not cause diaper rash. In addition, soap nuts will clean and remove detergent residue from diapers. - Soap nuts will last longer using warm vs. hot water.Quality control NaturOli Nuts – Hand sorted select quality. Assurance of only the finest. As with virtually all fruits of harvests, there are very significant differences in quality. Also, as with virtually all plants grown there are different varieties. Some are simply better than others. So, how do you know exactly what you are buying? That is a tough one. Knowing with 100% certainty what you have is almost impossible. There are no reliable rules or governing regulations. How does one even know that an apple or orange (which are in large part governed and monitored) will be sweet until one tastes it? Given the very low level of consumer awareness about soap nuts combined with its relative obscurity, it’s basically a caveat emptor (buyer beware) scenario. Often distinguishing between varieties is difficult for even a trained eye. To further complicate matters, variables such as growing conditions, weather conditions, harvesting methods and storage conditions, packaging methods, shipping conditions, etc. can all greatly impact the appearance and quality of the soapnut. Any harvested fruit is subject to all such variables. (Refer to page on Variations.) To make matters worse, the vast majority of soapnuts are sorted once, bagged and packed - for retail - overseas to save costs. Unfortunately, that results in a very minimal level of quality control. In other words, the last person that really looked at that soap nut in your hand may have been the person who actually harvested and bagged it many months ago. In order to ensure optimal quality and proper grading, NaturOli imports only Mukorossi soap nuts in large sealed, presorted bulk packaging from exporters of only the highest reputation and integrity. The initial sort by our suppliers ensures an initial high level of quality mukorossi nuts leaving the port. Upon arrival at our air conditioned Olive Park facility in the dry desert of Arizona (the perfect environment), those large bulk bags are broken down, re-inspected for quality and hand sorted - again. This second local sorting results in a very important final quality check before being packaged for retail or wholesale. NaturOli Nuts soap nuts are a truly ‘hand sort - select’ quality. Soapnuts that do not meet our criteria for this grade still contain the effective saponins. They are still of great value, therefore they are simply utilized in our various powder and liquid formulations. Hence, be assured you are always getting only the absolute finest quality available. FAQs Can soap nuts be used in my high efficiency (HE) or front load washer? Yes. Because they are low sudsing they work very well in these washers. You may use 4 or 5 soap nuts in the bag or you can use 3 or 4 tablespoons of soap nuts liquid in the detergent drawer. Are soap nuts safe for those with sensitive skin? Absolutely! Soap nuts are highly recommended for those with allergies or sensitive skin. They are 100% natural, free of synthetic chemicals and are hypoallergenic. They are wonderful for use by those who are sensitive to the dyes, perfumes and chemicals used in most commercial detergents and cleansers. Most people who are irritated by such commercial products find soapnuts their ideal solution. What other uses are there for Soap Nuts? Saponin, the active ingredient in soap nut shells, is a highly effective alternative to many common yet toxic cleaning chemicals. This includes cleansers for household and personal hygiene. The known cleaning properties are wide and diverse. They are superb for not only laundry, but can replace many cleaning products in the average home. From dishes to fine jewelry, soap nuts provide a natural effective solution. Being so gentle saponins are even excellent for shampoos, and many other personal care products. Finally, there is a good cleanser that will not leave your hands rough, dry and scaly! Are Soap Nuts good for pets? Absolutely! Many people use soap nuts liquids for bathing their pets. The odor reducing properties of the soap nut makes for a remarkably effective pet shampoo. Are soap nuts good for washing diapers? Absolutely! Interestingly, we first learned of soap nuts from mom’s using cloth diapers. Commercial detergents and soaps contain chemicals that build up in the diaper. Not only do these chemicals break down the fibers of the material causing it to loose absorbency, but can also be irritating to your baby’s skin. In addition, soap nuts are very effective at removing odors! I see very little suds when washing with soap nuts, are they cleaning my clothes? Yes. Suds should not be equated to cleaning power. We have been brainwashed to think this way through decades of marketing. The foaming you see with most detergents is because of the chemicals and fillers used. Soap nuts produce very little suds, but they are still working very effectively. Your clothes will come out of the wash clean and fresh. Does it matter that some of the soap nuts are pieces instead of whole? No. In order to properly inspect and sort to ensure the quality of your soap nuts, we remove all very small pieces. Our select grade is composed of whole nut shells and large pieces. Since agitation is a catalyst in releasing the saponin, small pieces will work fine and possibly even release the saponin faster. Do not hesitate to break up the nuts into smaller pieces if desired, or be concerned if they are broken up while handling. Soap nuts can be even ground into fine powder. Soap nuts have a vinegar-like scent. Will my laundry have this scent? The scent of the soap nut does not transfer to your clothes. Amazingly, clothes come out of the wash smelling totally fresh and clean. There is not even a trace scent of the nut itself. A pure soap nut liquid has an unpleasant scent also. It will not transfer to your laundry either. Nor will it leave a scent after other cleaning uses. If you prefer a scent, you can simply add a few drops of your essential oil of choice to the soap nut wash bag before dropping it in the wash. The scent of the oil will remain. I use bleach in my whites. Are soap nuts a substitute for bleach? No. If you desire to bleach your whites, adding your bleach of choice will not affect the cleaning power of the soap nut. If the soap nuts stay in the wash through the rinse cycle, don’t they keep releasing soap? No, as long as you are using cold water in the rinse cycle. Soap nuts release very little saponin during the rinse cycle. This is why it is best to use a cup of soap nut ‘tea’, when washing in cold water. Do I use soap nuts in addition to my regular detergent? No, soap nuts do a great job of cleaning your laundry by themselves. They are a natural alternative to detergents containing chemicals. Use of them with a chemical detergent would be negating their primary purpose and benefit. Should I use a fabric softener or dyer sheets anymore? Normally there is no need, hence only if or when you feel the need. Soap nuts naturally soften your laundry and reduce static. We highly recommend using no additives at all. Due to certain combinations of fabrics and environmental conditions, sometimes additives may be desired, but the need will be dramatically reduced. Is there anything that I should concern myself with in using Soap Nuts? As with a chemical cleanser, the only thing that we highly recommend is that soap nuts (in all forms) should be kept out of reach of children and pets. Soap nut are not consumable and are harmful if eaten. Given their datelike appearance in raw shell form, a bag of soap nuts could look like food to a child or pet. Given their absolutely horrible taste, it is quite unlikely that any child or even a pet would not literally gag at the taste, but we simply recommend using good judgment and common sense in the storage of them. Shared with permission from NaturOli ©2009 NaturOli. All rights reserved
|
 Shopping Basket
 More Shopping
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
