100% Certified Organic Whole Soapnuts. For Laundry, Body, Bair, Pets, Kitchen, Bathroom. Used for thousands of years in the East for eco-friendly, chemical-free, effective cleaning from head to toe. Hypoallergenic. 100% Natural, Chemical-free. Suds-free.

100% Organic Whole Soapnuts | Laundry Detergent

Have you heard of traditional soap nuts and their many uses? Used in the Indian Subcontinent and elsewhere for hundreds of years before the advent of chemical soaps, 100% organic soap nuts have natural saponins that make short work of any cleaning job, be it laundry, kitchen cleaning, bathroom cleaning, even hair and body washing. Included in the package is a small cotton pouch to place the organic soap nuts in so the soap nuts don’t all disperse in the wash.

Whereas many vendors sell soap nuts in a mix with other ingredients (often of a chemical nature), we only offer the soap nuts in their whole, natural, raw state. Our soap nuts are also USDA certified organic and entirely whole as nature makes them. They are the fruits of the soapberry (ritha) tree. Nut allergy safe!

For people with chemical sensitivities, it makes sense to use just organic soap nuts to wash their laundry and home. And for everyone else who is averse to using chemical detergents that make their way into our collective waterways, organic soap nuts are an excellent solution to every cleaning job.

Certified Organic Soapnuts for all your laundry, house cleaning, and body care needs!

Ingredients
100% organic soapnuts.

Usage Directions
All-purpose laundry detergent, cleaner, shampoo, & dish detergent. Costing as little as 12 cents per load, this is the most economical organic laundry detergent, period. Use once for hot water washes; for cold washes (up to 40°C), the soapnuts can be used twice. After being used for laundry, spent soapnuts can be used to create a cleaning solution for cleaning the house, shampooing your pets, etc… making this an even more economical option. Simple instructions for making a cleaning solution are given below. Dispose of used soapnuts in the compost pile, where they will break down completely.

Includes one small organic cotton drawstring pouch per order (put the soapnut halves in this pouch and throw the pouch in with your laundry).

Soapnuts come in halves, the pits having been removed. Simply place 6 to 8 soapnut halves into the cotton pouch provided and add to the laundry. For hard water, use 10 soapnut halves. The soapnuts can be used twice with water temperature of 40°C, and once with water temperatures of 60°C and beyond (the higher the temperature, the more saponins are released during the wash). If you prefer scented laundry, simply sprinkle a few drops of your favorite essential oil directly on the organic cotton pouch. For heavily soiled laundry, use in combination with oxygen whiteners or Borax. Once you are done, simply add the used soapnuts to your compost pile or make a soapnut solution (as outlined below) that can be used for general cleaning chores.

Over the years, customers have asked us what is the best detergent to use with our washable organic cotton, hemp, and linen clothing, bed, and bath products: a detergent that is mild, safe, natural, & completely biodegradable yet effective, one that will not harm septic systems, pollute ground water, or cause an allergic reaction in chemically sensitive people and babies.

Our answer has always been 100% certified organic soapnuts: they are nature’s 100% natural and biodegradable laundry detergent.

Can you imagine a fruit which is actually a detergent? Soapnuts have been used in India and Nepal for centuries as a versatile and gentle cleaning agent. It cleans your laundry, washes your pets, shampoos your hair, washes your dishes, and cleans your house from top to bottom. Most importantly, it does all these things in a safe and environmentally friendly manner. One would be hard pressed to find a more natural laundry detergent and all-around cleaner anywhere. Safe for all municipal, suburban, and rural septic systems and groundwater. Organic soapnuts will not harm the soil or the myriads of soil-dwelling organisms in any way.

Soapnut Information: There are no chemicals with long names and no components that take time to break down in the soil and waterways (as in the case with many so-called environmentally-friendly detergents on the market). The natural dried “fruits” of the soapnut tree will decompose completely just like any other plant matter in your compost pile. Go directly to nature’s bounty and bypass chemicals in most laundry detergents that could harm you and the environment. Organic soapnuts generate little suds; they are suitable for use in both front-loading and top-loading washing machines.

The soapnut grows on the soapberry tree (also called the Ritha tree) — Sapindus Mukorossi — which is indigenous to India and Nepal. The soapnut is high in saponins (10%), a versatile natural cleansing / sudsing agent. The tree is deciduous, with five to ten pairs of long, thin leaves on each branch. For hundreds of years, local populations have used soapnuts to wash their laundry, their bodies, their homes, and their finest textiles (wool, silk, cashmere, etc…). Soapnuts offer a truly eco-friendly alternative (because they are 100% natural and biodegradable) to conventional detergents without the polluting side effects. There are no other options out there for laundry & general cleaning that we’ve found that even come close to soapnuts in terms of being as natural as can be. We import our soapnuts from India, where they are harvested once a year by the growers and sold to wholesalers by the pound. They are processed in a small production unit in Delhi which provides jobs to otherwise unemployed women. We personally know each individual involved in our import process and have measured firsthand the modest positive impact of our soapnut production on the local economy (courtesy of Eco-ideas).

More Info
How to make a Soapnut Solution:

In a small-medium cooking pot with a lid, add some water, and cook a small handful of soapnuts for about five minutes. Cover the pot with a lid while cooking. After five minutes, remove the pot from heat and let cool. Remove the soapnut shells, and place in the compost.

* By increasing the amount of soapnuts when making the solution, you can make the solution stronger, and adding more water will make it weaker.

Dishes & Kitchen Cleanup

Himalayan Soapnuts™ are excellent for washing dishes and cleaning. Make a soapnut solution using the directions found above. Determine the strength of solution that best suits your needs by experimenting with the amount of soapnuts you cook each time. The soapnut suds are extremely gentle and softening on the skin, so there is no irritation or dryness experienced when washing dishes.

All Purpose Cleaning

You can make a soapnut solution for all-purpose cleaning by experimenting with the concentration of soapnuts in the solution. The solution is safe for using on floors, and any other places you would use soap for cleaning.

Hair Shampoo & Body Wash

By making a soapnut solution and placing it in a squeeze bottle, or a reusable shampoo bottle, you can use it as an everyday shampoo! It is wonderful for helping to get rid of dandruff or psoriasis. Try it for a body wash too!

Bathing Your Pets

Just as you would use a soapnut solution for your own shampoo or body cleanser, use it for your cat or dog, too! They will love the mild, soothing suds, especially if they suffer from dry skin or bald patches.

Taking Care of Your Plants

A mild soapnut solution is wonderful for getting rid of common houseplant pests, and protecting the plants from possible ones. The mild suds deter any prospective pests due to the ‘saponin content’ which is repulsive to insects and pests. Simply make a mild solution and put into a spray bottle. Spray generously onto the foliage of your plants and on top of the soil.

Reusing Your Soapnuts…

Once you have used the soapnuts in the laundry, remove them and let them dry completely. When they have dried, they are ready to be used again! After using them in the laundry a second time, set them aside to dry. Try making a soapnut solution with them for all-purpose cleaning.

Because Himalayan Soapnuts™ have not been altered or added to in any way, it is completely safe to wash the suds down the drain. The suds, as well as the nuts themselves, are fully biodegradable and septic-safe. When the soapnuts have been used to their full potential, we recommend that you throw them into your compost pile to break down into dark, rich humus for your garden.

More Soapnut Information

Himalayan Soapnuts™ are the fruit of the Ritha tree, also known as the Soapnut tree, or Soapberry tree. Its botanical name is Sapindus Mukorossi. The tree is deciduous, with five to ten pairs of long, thin leaves on each branch.

They are a vibrant green color when they are still young, and a dark, reddish brown color after they are harvested and dried.

Soapnuts are called soapnuts due to their ability to produce a rich, cleansing suds. The hard, stone- like pit of the fruit is removed, and the fleshy part (the pericarp) is dried in the sun.

The fruit is approximately 10% saponins. The saponins are responsible for the soapnut’s ability to produce soap suds, and becomes extractable in hot water only after it has been dried.

For centuries, soapnuts have been used by people in northern Asia; India, Nepal, etc. to wash their laundry and finest textiles (wool, silk, cashmere…). They’have also used soapnuts to make cleaning solutions for washing dishes, floors, and their hair!

Where Do Himalayan Soapnuts™ Come From?

The soapnuts are very popular in India and Nepal, used by the local populations to wash laundry and finest textiles (wool, silk, cashmere). They’re also used to make cleaning solutions for washing dishes and floors, as well as hair shampoo!

We import our soapnuts from the Himalayan Mountains in Northern India.

Once every year, the soapnuts are harvested by the growers, and sold to our facility located in the Himalayan Mountains where they are cleaned, pitted, dried, and packaged. Ecoideas’ Himalayan Soapnuts™ are processed in a small production unit in Northern India which provides jobs to otherwise unemployed local women.

We personally know each individual involved in our import process, and have measured firsthand the positive impact of our demand on the local economy.

Himalayan Soapnuts™ are Unique…

Himalayan Soapnuts™ are certified organic, and come in an organic cotton bag with a smaller organic cotton laundry sac inside for doing laundry. Each bag has enough soapnuts to clean over 200 loads of laundry (1Kg bag) and over 50 loads of laundry (250g bag) , and when the nuts are left to dry after use, they can be used again! *see The Soapnut’s Many Uses… for instructions and recipes.

Eaternal organic soapnuts, Ecoideas organic soap nuts