For centuries, soap nuts have been used by people in northern Asia (India, Nepal, etc.) to wash their laundry and textiles such as wool, silk, and cashmere. They’ve also used soapnuts to make cleaning solutions for washing dishes, floors, and their hair!
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 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 saponin is responsible for the soapnut’s ability to produce soap suds, and becomes extractable in hot water only after it has been dried.
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). When the nuts are left to dry after use, they can be used again (assuming cold water use)!
Use
Place 6-8 soapnut-halves in the small cotton pouch included in the package of Himalayan Soapnuts. Make sure to tie the drawstrings shut. In cases of hard water, you may need to use 10 soapnut-halves for optimum cleaning.
Place the pouch of soapnuts in the washing machine with your laundry. For a scented wash, sprinkle a few drops of your favorite essential oil directly on the cotton pouch before tossing it in the washing machine.
