Homemade Liquid Soap Nuts Laundry Detergent

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:

1. 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.
2. Stir and mash the berries occasionally with a slotted spoon.
3. After 30 minutes, remove the lid and continue to simmer at a low heat for 30 more minutes to remove excess water.
4. Continue to stir occasionally.
5. Remove the pot from the heat, strain into a clean glass bowl with a mesh strainer and let cool.
6. 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.