Thursday 27 March 2014

Natural Laundry - Am I Nuts?

I've been reading lately about some issues with the chemicals used in soap, detergents, and specifically, laundry products. The ingredients (aka: chemicals) can cause skin irritations and allergic reactions, not to mention environmental problems as they go into our water system. For more about skin problems related to laundry detergent, check out this blog from Pai Skincare (my go-to for sensitive skin products ... and read more about Pai Skincare here).



I read about using soap nuts as an alternative to laundry detergent, so I thought I'd give them a try and see how it went. Those who know me know I'm a little fussy (read: borderline OCD) about how laundry is sorted, washed, hung, and dried, so this was a big step outside my comfort zone. (Despite the obvious environmental issues with water wastage, I have been known to double wash items if I don't think they're clean enough! I AM working on this, however ... )

According to Wikipedia, soap nuts come from Sapindus, a genus of about 5-12 species of shrubs and small trees in the Lychee family. These are found in warm temperate or tropical regions around the world, and include both deciduous and evergreen species. The fruit of these plants is what is known as the soapnut.

Soapnuts are a little smaller than chestnuts, and although they are about the same colour, they are significantly more wrinkly and have a weird vinegary, organic smell (you know, like when you go to the changing room of a yoga studio and one of the really hardcore yogis has just finished a really sweaty class and they exude a very "natural" odour? This is usually a combination of fermented cabbage, hemp products, patchouli incense, and baking soda deodorant ... pleasant is definitely in the nose of the beholder ... me, I can pass on this smell).



As you can tell from my description, it was with great trepidation that I decided to try out this new "soap". I like opening my drawer a week after doing laundry and having a soap smell waft up, and although I am really into yoga, I don't like my sheets smelling of "eau de yogi".

First off, the soapnuts were extremely difficult to buy. I went to all my favourite healthfood stores and generally people just looked at me like the crazy organic hippie consumer that I am ...

"What are they?"
"Soapnuts"
"Nuts are over there ..."
"Ummm ... these are for washing your laundry"
"You're going to do what, now? Wash your clothes with nuts? Weirdo hippie ..."

(Ok, I added that last part in)

But seriously, no one had heard of them, and no one stocked them. I eventually found them online (the joys of being a consumer in today's technologically advanced world), but had to wait a week or so to receive them (the joys of being a weirdo hippie consumer in today's technologically advanced world). When they eventually arrived, I read the directions and got to work...

So that the soap nuts don't go all over your clothes and leave bits of debris everywhere, it is recommended that you use a soap nut bag (I simply made a cheesecloth pouch, although I think a bag would have been better). Similarly, if you like a less "soap-nutty" smell to accompany your laundry, adding a few drops of your favourite essential oil to the bag/cheesecloth is key (I used lemon oil for clothes and towels, and lavender oil for sheets ... and I added about 20 drops instead of just a few, as I like my laundry to be fragrant).

I watched as the laundry started to spin around, and although eventually there were some suds, there were significantly less than with my normal detergent (probaby good from an environmental point of view). I was highly skeptical at this point ... but the first load (sheets) seemed clean and were pleasantly fragrant with the subtle scent of lavender. I did another load (this time clothes), and was less impressed. So that my clothes don't shrink/warp/discolour/etc, and so that I am (somewhat) friendly towards the environment, I usually wash clothes in cold water (sheets and towels in hotter water for hygiene reasons). I'm not sure if this had to do with the choice of essential oil, the fact that the water was colder or that I had used the soap nuts again (which you are supposed to be able to do - several times!), but the clothes were not nearly as fresh as I had expected. One or two items even had some residual stains from the kombucha I had spilled earlier in the week (I joke - what kind of a glamour girl drinks kombucha? Oh ... wait ... this kind) In any case, the second load = #epicfail.



I waited for everything to air dry, eventually (two days later) started folding, and was disappointed that the fresh smell had already faded. I recognise that associating a smell with a hygiene rating is a result of social conditioning, however, it did make me question how clean everything was (and to be fair, some of the more dirty things, i.e. yoga clothes, got put back in the dirty pile rather than in the appropriate clean drawer, just to be safe - remember my thoughts on "eau de yogi" above?). I suppose this has more to do with my perceived cleanliness levels than actual levels of cleanliness, but still ...


My conclusion? Soap nuts are really good if you have severe allergies to the chemicals found in regular detergents, are happy to use hot water, and if you don't feel the need to have that perfumed detergent smell waft up when you open folded sheets and clothes. I would not recommend soap nuts for heavily soiled or delicate clothes as they may not reach the desired level of cleanliness/delicacy required. Overall it was an interesting experiment that allowed me to step outside my comfort zone, however I forsee the soap nuts sitting in the back of the cupboard, while I continue to look for a laundry detergent which meets both my cleanliness requirements and is less harmful to my skin and the environment (read: invloves less harsh chemicals and perfumes).

GG Rating: Good for Carob Converts - this was one tough challenge!




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