Are you nuts? No, I'm saponin! (Soapnuts)

Member Name: LadyAudley

Product:	Soapnuts
Date:	08/01/08 (125 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap, green, fully biodegradeable

Disadvantages: You might need a bag to put them in!

Alright, I have to admit it. When I opened the pack of soap nuts I'd bought from my nearest hippy store, I was a bit dismayed to find a bunch of little squashed spheres, bearing a striking resemblance to kangaroo poo and smelling strongly of creosote. This was entirely my own fault. I'd seen - and ignored - all the signs. First of all, they were on sale right next to the jossticks. Second of all, I'd had to squeeze my way through rows of tie-dyed and besandled customers to get my hands on a pack.

I sorted out the cheapest, roughest clothes I could find to wash with them first time through. No sense in ruining my best togs, I thought... let's see how they do with my muddy gardening trousers. Following the instructions on the packet, I tied up 8 soap nuts inside a sock, shoved them into the wash, shut the door and made a dash out of the room before I chickened out altogether.

I needn't say that it was with trepidation that I opened the machine... to find a load of extremely clean, fresh-smelling clothes! Gone was the creosotey smell, to be replaced by a scent as clean that left by any washing powder, and gone was all the mud and dirt too! The wash was also really soft, even though I hadn't added fabric conditioner - this is a known advantage of these, since they naturally give a soft finish.

Soap nuts are an entirely natural product. They grow on trees in India and Nepal and their shells contain "Saponin" a natural soap. You use 7 or 8 nuts per wash, and they can be reused two or three times, after which they can be composted - they're fully biodegradeable. They are also extraordinarily cheap - a pack of them (enough for 100 washes or so) cost me £2.50. They're also extremly good for those suffering from sensitive skin or dermatological conditions like eczema, because they give a very mild wash.

The only downside is that the nuts do make a bit of a mess inside the sock. I'm going to get a small bag to put them in instead, so I don't end up with flakes all over my feet!

I guess those tie-dyed people knew what they were doing after all...

Summary: Recommended