13 Sep How to wash and be more sustainable?
Researching this topic recently, I discovered several ways to wash clothes without using plastic or chemicals that pollute the water. The first product that I am tasting are the washing nuts.
The “soap nuts” are the fruits of the Sapindus mukorossi tree, known as “the soap tree”. The Sapindus Mukorossi is native to India and Nepal, its flowers are small and yellowish white and the nuts are 1 to 2 cm big. These nuts contain saponin, a soapy substance that when in contact with water above 30 ° releases a mild detergent that is 100% natural.
To use the soap nuts you have to let them dry and then break them into small pieces so that they release the saponin better.
They leave the clothes very soft and with neutral fragance. For each washing cycle you can use 3 to 4 nuts and put them in pieces in a cotton bag (tightly closed) inside the drum of the washing machine. You can reuse them up to 3 times always washing at 30 degrees, let them dry before reuse them (not in the sun).
1 Kg of nuts can last over 1 year!
You can also make liquid detergent by boiling 100g of soap nuts in 3 liters of water for 40 minutes, let it cool, strain it and then transfer it to a bottle. You can use it to wash clothes like any commercial detergent, and the good thing is that this way you don’t need to use hot water and thus you save energy!
Another way to use may be for cleaning surfaces or floor washing. On YouTube you can find recipes with soap nuts to make shower gel.
My other question was whether it really is eco-friendly and good for the environment and found an article that explains more extensively. (in spanish)
It is always a good alternative to not pour chemicals into the water and also to stop using plastic containers. I have not doubted it and I have started to use them and the truth is that I like them a lot!
The article down here.