Soap nuts are an affordable and entirely non-toxic way to do laundry.
Despite the name, a soap nut isn’t even a nut… it’s a berry. That makes this laundry soap completely safe for those with nut allergies.
Homemade Liquid Soap Nuts Laundry Detergent
Ingredients:
- 1 cup soap nuts (approx. 2 oz)
- 4 cups Water
- 1/2 cup Vinegar (this acts as a natural preservative)
Supplies:
- Measuring Cups
- Mesh Strainer
- Water Tight Storage Jar
Instructions:
- Measure and pour all ingredients into a large pot. Bring to a low boil and then reduce to a med-low heat to simmer with the *lid on* for 30 minutes.
- Stir and mash the berries occasionally with a slotted spoon.
- After 30 minutes, remove the lid and continue to simmer at a low heat for 30 more minutes to remove excess water.
- Continue to stir occasionally.
- Remove the pot from the heat, strain into a clean glass bowl with a mesh strainer and let cool.
- Pour detergent into a water tight jar for storage.
This should yield approximately 2 1/2 cups of liquid detergent, which will 40 loads in an HE machine or 20 loads in a standard washing machine. Yield may vary depend on the heat settings used while cooking.
To Use:
Use 1 tablespoon per HE load, or 2 tablespoons per regular load. More may be used on heavily soiled loads. As with any detergent, pretreat tough spots.
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How long is this suppose to last on the shelf? I’ve made liquid soap before but was told it only keeps a few days out or up to 2 weeks in the fridge. Does the vinegar help that much that it doesn’t go bad?
I made this over a month ago and it’s still good. I made a double batch and filled 2 reused pasta sause containers. Works very well.