Soap nuts can be used for almost every cleaning job in the house.
Whether you will be using soap nuts as a natural laundry detergent, in homemade chemical free cleaning products, or for personal care products you’ll need to understand how to use the soap nuts to get the best possible results from them. On this page we will cover soap nuts laundry instructions. Other soap nuts use instructions can be found on the Soap Nuts Green Cleaning Uses page
How to Use Soap Nuts for Laundry:
Traditional method in wash bag
Place 1/2 ounce of soap nuts into the wash bag.
The equivalent of 5 whole soap berries should equal 1/2 ounce.
Load washer being sure clothes are separated by color, fabric weight, and fabric type whenever possible.
Wash in warm or cold water according to your personal needs and choice.
Do not over pack the washer. Soap nuts work best with good water circulation and agitation.
When filled with water there should be about 2 inches of water above the clothes.
Drop the soap nuts wash bag into the washer.
Close the lid and start the washer.
When cycle ends remove wash bag.
If used in cold water you can re-use the same wash bag and soap nuts for up to 10 loads
If used in warm water you can re-use the same wash bag and soap nuts for up to 5 loads.
Number of loads will depend on water type and size of washer load.
See our Soap Nuts FAQ for how to know when the soap nuts need to be replaced.
Soap Nuts Liquid Laundry Detergent Method
Create soap nuts liquid using one of the two methods we suggest
Take the equivalent of 20 whole soap nuts and drop them into an empty clear plastic (or glass) container like a 2 liter soda bottle. Remember to shake the bottle around every couple of hours so that as the soap nuts soften from being in the water the saponin will release in greater concentration. Another helpful note is if you have pieces your soap nuts liquid will be ready faster because the broken pieces have more ready access to the saponin in the soap berry pulp. Alternatively you can crunch the soap nuts up in your hand or mash them up into pieces by any other means you devise.
Place 12 to 15 soap nuts (about 1.5 ounces) in about 6 cups of water. For best results, bring to a boil and simmer for approximately 30 minutes. Turn off and allow to cool. Bring to a boil again and simmer for approximately another 30 minutes. You will know that you have fully extracted from the soap nuts when they fall apart and are basically skins with no visible pulp. Allow to cool and strain through paper coffee filter or cheese cloth. The extract every possible bit of saponin take the skins and pulp wrap in muslin or cheese cloth and squeeze until no liquid is left. Store the soap nuts liquid concentrate in an airtight glass jar, preferably refrigerated.
Load washer being sure clothes are separated by color, fabric weight, and fabric type whenever possible.
Wash in warm or cold water according to your personal needs and choice.
Do not over pack the washer. Soap nuts work best with good water circulation and agitation.
When filled with water there should be about 2 inches of water above the clothes.
Pour 1/4 cup soap nuts liquid around the circumference of the wash
Close lid and start laundry.
Soap Nuts Powder Laundry Detergent Method
Grind approximately 1/2 of soap nuts in coffee grinder or blender until a very fine powder, sift out large pieces if necessary.
Cover grinder with damp cloth to prevent powder from becoming airborne when you lift the lid (it will clear your sinuses but is not hazardous).
Place soap nuts powder in air tight container and keep in dry cool place to prevent clumping
Load washer being sure clothes are separated by color, fabric weight, and fabric type whenever possible.
Wash in warm or cold water according to your personal needs and choice.
Do not over pack the washer. Soap nuts work best with good water circulation and agitation.
When filled with water there should be about 2 inches of water above the clothes.
Spoon 2 teaspoons of soap nuts powder into wash bag and tie shut
Drop wash bag into washer
Close lid and start laundry.
The soap nuts powder should fully dissolve in a single wash (hot, warm, or cold water).
Some sites recommend pre-soaking the soap nuts if they are used in cold water. We have only found this necessary if the soap nuts are very dry and dark in color which means they have lost a great deal of internal moisture and need a jump start to begin to release the saponin.
Soap Nuts Laundry Instructions
Soap nuts can be used for almost every cleaning job in the house.
Whether you will be using soap nuts as a natural laundry detergent, in homemade chemical free cleaning products, or for personal care products you’ll need to understand how to use the soap nuts to get the best possible results from them. On this page we will cover soap nuts laundry instructions. Other soap nuts use instructions can be found on the Soap Nuts Green Cleaning Uses page
How to Use Soap Nuts for Laundry:
Traditional method in wash bag
See our Soap Nuts FAQ for how to know when the soap nuts need to be replaced.
Soap Nuts Liquid Laundry Detergent Method
Soap Nuts Powder Laundry Detergent Method
Some sites recommend pre-soaking the soap nuts if they are used in cold water. We have only found this necessary if the soap nuts are very dry and dark in color which means they have lost a great deal of internal moisture and need a jump start to begin to release the saponin.