Keep your whites white
To help with those stubborn stains, like beetroot on white shorts (my 5 year old likes to wear his beetroot!), run cold water over the stain, then cover with bi-carb soda and let it sit overnight. Wash the bi-carb soda off with cold water, then take your current SoapNuts washbag and (if not already wet) wet it then rub the stained area vigorously with this to form a lather. Then place the clothing into the wash as per normal. Use a cold water wash and let the load soak for extra cleanliness.
A teaspoon of citric acid in with your washload will help to keep your whites gleaming white.
Lemon juice is another natural bleach so try soaking your ‘stained’ washing in a bucket with a ratio of 1 cup lemon juice to half bucket cold water.
Always hang your white washing in the sun as this not only helps to naturally disinfect it, but also naturally ‘bleaches’ it.
Best way to tie your SoapNuts washbag
I’ve found that the best way to tie your SoapNuts washbag so that the SoapNut shells do not escape is to loop the string over the top of the bag as you would an elastic band. When it becomes wet, the cloth expands and the tie is secure. It’s best to wait for the bag to dry to unloop the string….you can do it when it’s wet, but it’s much easier when it’s dry!
Do you want your washing to have a certain fragrance?
100% Natural SoapNuts leave your washing smelling clean and fresh because there are no toxic fragrances added. You can, however, add essential oils if you would like your washing to have a certain scent. Just add a few drops of your doTERRA essential oil of choice to the wash bag, or (if using a top loader) add a few drops to the water once the machine has filled. Be careful not to get any directly onto your washing as it may leave an oil mark. By adding the essential oil to the water rather than the washbag, you can change the scent for every wash!
My favourites are lavender, eucalyptus, clove and peppermint. You could also try lemon and orange. The choice is up to you!
Save water, money and time....
100% Natural SoapNuts leave no residue on your washing, so you don’t need to do a rinse cycle. This will not only save you water and money, but also time as the wash cycle will be shortened. You will have to check your washing machine to see when to stop its full cycle and avoid the rinse cycle, thus saving you water, money and time!
Stubborn Stains
To help with those stubborn stains, like grassy knees or red wine, run cold water over the stain, then cover with bi-carb soda and let it sit overnight. Wash the bi-carb soda off with cold water, then take your current 100% Natural SoapNuts washbag and (if not already wet) wet it then rub the stained area vigorously with this to form a lather. Then place the clothing into the wash as per normal. Use a cold water wash and let the load soak for extra cleanliness.
For heavily soiled washing, use a warm to hot water wash as this will extract more saponin from your wash bag of SoapNuts, giving it a more powerful clean. This will mean, however, that your SoapNuts washbag will have to be reloaded with fresh SoapNuts after the 2nd or 3rd washload.
Pre Wash SoapNuts Liquid
I’ve found that by keeping the wash bag in a jar of water between wash loads, the water can be used as a spot stain remover/pre wash liquid. It also acts as an indicator of when to reload your wash bag with fresh SoapNuts as the water will remain clear when no more saponin is being released.
SoapNuts Liquid Concentrate for Front Loaders
Some front loading washing machines use only a small amount of water, so using SoapNuts in the wash bag supplied may not give an effective clean. Instead, bring to the boil and then simmer your SoapNuts in water for 20 minutes, then strain the liquid concentrate and use this in your front loader drawer. Use 10 whole SoapNuts (approximately 1 cup of broken pieces) to 1 litre of water. Be sure to simmer on the lowest heat or your liquid will boil and bubble over….which wouldn’t be so terrible as it would clean your stove top at the same time!
PLEASE NOTE: It is advisable to only use good quality Essential oils as they have a strong effect on the body. Some essential oils are not pure grade and contain potentially harmful fragrances. I provide doTERRA Certified Therapeutic Grade essential oils as I know they are safe to use both externally and internally.
What are your experiences with 100% Natural SoapNuts?
Do you have any SoapNut secrets or recipes to share? If so, please email them to recipes@soapnuts.net.au