How to Make 100% Natural Laundry Soap with Soap Nuts

Join me to explore how to make 100% natural laundry soap with soap nuts. You won’t believe how well it works and how easy it is to make!

Have you ever been so excited about an idea that you just can’t stop thinking about it? You know you’ve only scratched the surface and there is so much more to learn.

That’s how I feel about natural living. If you follow me, then you know how important I think it is to use natural products whenever possible.

This is also why I am going back to school (so to speak) at Herbal Academy Online to learn more about plants and herbs! You should join me! I’m taking the Introductory Herbal Course and the Botanical Skin Care course. They have been amazing so far!

I digress . . .

When I learned that I could make 100% natural laundry soap from something called “soap nuts“, I was all in. I’m always on the look out to see where I can use more natural products in my home. 

With that said, let me introduce you to my new friend – the soap nut.  I’ve been experimenting with using soap nuts in my laundry for a while now, and I’ve got to say, I think it’s a winner!  It feels great to be using something that cleans well, is affordable, and gives me peace of mind. 

What are Soap Nuts?

Despite its name, soap nuts are actually berries, not nuts.  They grow on sapindus mukorossi or soapberry trees. Soap berry trees are native to parts of India and Nepal. 

These trees produce soap berries that have an outer casing that dries into a hard shell-like structure, hence the term “nut” in their name.  While these berries don’t contain actual soap in the traditional sense, their berry casings contain saponin, a natural surfactant. 

How do Soap Nuts Clean?

Surfactants are natural cleaning agents. They are what give soap the ability to lift out dirt, stains, and odors. Have you ever tried to scrub clean a greasy pot?  If you only used water, you likely found that the grease stubbornly stuck to the pot. 

However, add some soap to that gunky pot, and you would have found the grease lifting and rinsing away. That’s what surfactants do.  Turns out, I’m a big fan of surfactants!  And soap nuts are full of lovely, all natural surfactants.

What are Soap Nuts Used for?

Soap nuts can be used for all types of cleaning.  In fact, people have been making natural soaps with soap nuts for hundreds of years. 

Soap nuts, or liquid distilled from soap nuts, can be used as an all-purpose cleaner, as shampoo, body wash, dish soap, or as a laundry detergent.  Those soap nuts are pretty miraculous little things!

Benefits of Soap Nut Laundry Detergent

Soap nuts make really great laundry soap for a number of reasons.  Here are some of the benefits I found while using them in my laundry.

• Soap nuts are all natural and don’t contain any toxic chemicals.
• They are gentle and don’t irritate eczema or sensitive skin.
• They contain no added fragrances (again, great for those with sensitivities).
• Soap nuts are biodegradable.  You can simply toss or compost them when done.
• They are an affordable option.  You won’t break the bank using soap nuts. (Price comparisons below!)

Does Soap Nut Laundry Detergent Really Work?

Yes!  After testing, I am happy to report that soap nuts do actually work.  I’ve been washing our clothes and dirty kitchen towels using soap nuts for a while. 

I’ve been very impressed with the cleaning power they contain.  All of our laundry has come out looking and smelling clean. I haven’t experienced any discoloring on the whites at all.

Where Can I Buy Soap Nuts?

Soap nuts can be a little tricky to find.  You likely won’t find them at your traditional grocery store.  Because of this, I like to order my soap nuts from Mountain Rose Herbs.  They are my go-to source for high quality herbs and natural products.

How do You Use Soap Nuts to Clean Laundry?

I’ve tried 3 different methods of washing my laundry using soap nuts.  All of these methods are really simple and convenient.  Best of all, you only need water and soap nuts for each one. Let’s take a look at each method.

In Whole Form

The simplest way to use soap nuts to clean your laundry is to just add them whole to your washing machine in place of your regular laundry detergent. 

Now, I wouldn’t recommend just tossing the soap nuts in your washer willy-nilly.  They are small and can get lost among your clothes.  I recommend putting 4-6 nuts per load in a small muslin bag. This way you’ll be able to fish them out later and reuse the same bag of soap nuts several times. You’ll simply throw them away when they are mushy and spent.

As Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap

This is my favorite method and also the one I use the most.  I’ve found it to work really well in my front load washing machine. 

Simply add the homemade liquid soap to the detergent dispenser of your washing machine as usual.  If you have a top loader add it to the liquid dispenser or directly into the tub along with the water.  I use about a ¼ cup per regular load of laundry.

As Homemade Laundry Pods

If you are a laundry pod user, you’ll probably like this method.  Freeze your homemade liquid soap in an ice cube tray.  

Pop out the frozen ice cubes and add to your laundry as you would a laundry pod.  This method is great for those who don’t want to measure each time they do laundry.

The number of pods you use per load depends on the size of your ice cubes.  You’re aiming for about ¼ cup per regular load.

You May Have More Questions . . .

Step-by-Step Instructions for Making the Liquid Laundry Detergent

Step 1: Add 6 cups of water and 1 cup of soap nuts to a pot on the stove. Let this simmer for 45 minutes.

You can choose to cover this pot or leave it open. If you cover with a lid, watch it carefully. It may boil over! If you don’t cover, you may have a little more water dissipate – but that is ok.

Step 2: Strain the soap nuts from the water, and set aside this first batch.

Step 3: Add another 4 cups of water to the same pot and add in the same soap nuts you just simmered. Simmer again for about 30 minutes.

Step 4: Strain once again. You’ll notice the soap nuts are much more mushy and broken up this second time. Go ahead and compost or toss them at this point!

Step 5: Let that cool and add in any essential oils you would like to use. Place it in a glass jar for storage – preferably in the fridge.

Using this method you should end up with about 6 cups of detergent in the end.

How Long will Liquid Soap Nut Laundry Detergent Last?

Anytime you introduce water to a homemade product, you have the potential for bacterial growth over time. Without the chemical preservatives added to traditional laundry products, it will spoil.

This is why I suggest storing it in the fridge to help it last 3-4 weeks, and make it in these smaller batches. By adding tea tree essential oil, you might get even a couple extra weeks before it spoils.

Additionally, to increase the life span – use the freezer cube method! Then your frozen pods will last months.

It might feel like a bit of a pain to get it from the fridge for every load of laundry. To make this easier, I measure out about how many loads I will be washing in a busy laundry day, and keep only that amount in the laundry room for that day.

You might be wondering – will this save me money? Let’s take a look at numbers!

Is Soap Nut Laundry Detergent Financially Worth it?

• Each batch of this liquid detergent should get you approximately 24 loads – if you are using 1/4 cup per load.
• To make this batch you use 1 cup (or 2.5-3 oz) of soap nuts, which if you are buying 1 pound of them from Mountain Rose Herbs, that comes to about $1.75 for one cup of nuts.
• So for each 1/4 cup of detergent you use for each load, that comes to about $.07 per load.

Now, you can compare this cost to what you are using right now. For myself, I have loved using Defunkify, which I talked about here. Defunkify comes to about $.35 per load.

Even TIDE detergents, that are full of synthetics are, about $.20 per load.

I’d say cost wise – soap nuts are a MAJOR WIN! The cost beats natural and chemical filled detergents. Even if you have to add a bit of Borax to increase the cleaning capabilities – this is a price win.

If you are ready to give it a try – print this recipe, order your soap nuts – and let’s get washing! Let me know what you think!

I hope you’ve enjoyed learning how to make natural laundry soap from soap nuts. If you like natural living content, you might enjoy reading these:

• Natural Cold and Flu Remedies That You Can Make at Home with Herbs
• How to Make a Healing Dandelion Salve
• The Study of Medicinal Herbs