Soapberry seeds

The shell of the soapberry fruit is very high in saponin, which acts as a surfactant that removes stains and grime from fabrics.
Not only is it a natural detergent, it can also be used for shampoo, dish soap, glass cleaner, or just as an all purpose cleaning agent. The soap nut also has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties, so it is great for cleaning counter tops and floors. Once the soap is extracted from the shell of the fruit, it is completely compostable.

-Can use as a detergent and fabric softener at the same time
-Soapberries do not leave a residue on clothing like most detergents do, leaving clothing more soft and absorbent – great for laundering cloth diapers!

-Soapberries are great for dark clothing because they keep colors from fading

-Soapberries are completely organic and compostable – no more throwing away of bulky plastic bottles!

How to do your laundry with soapberries

You will need a few dried, deseeded soapberries. If you buy your soap nuts, make sure you are getting deseeded ones; otherwise you will have to deseed them yourself. You will also need a muslin or thin cotton bag that ties on top. An old sock could also work for this. Some retailers provide a bag with the soapberries. Place 4-5 soap nuts (more if larger load, less if smaller load) in the bag, and tie shut so they do not escape into your laundry. Make sure that the bag is not too full or to tight; the berries need to be able to move around freely. Place the bag in the washing machine (front loading, top loading or HE type washers) and run as usual. Soapberries work best in warm and hot water, but the saponin will also be extracted in cold water as well. You don’t have to remove during the rinse cycle, but do remove the bag before putting clothes in the dryer. You do not have to use fabric softener or dryer sheets because the soapberries also act as a natural softener. Set bag aside, and let them dry out again for the next load. You can reuse these berries for 4-7 more loads, until the berries are grey in color (this indicates that there is no more saponin in the shells).

How to make Soapberry liquid detergent

Place 12-15 soap nuts into six cups of water. Bring this to a boil, then simmer for about an hour until all the saponin is extracted from the berries. You will know when this has happened because the soap nuts will turn gray or light tan. They will also lose their slippery feel. If the berries still have saponin, you may want to squeeze them until all the soap is out. Strain, and compost the soapberries. This liquid will last about 3-4 days, a little longer if refrigerated.

Tips for using soapberries

-Make sure your soapberries dry out between loads

-Soapberries work best in warm or hot water

-Compost your soap nuts when they turn grey

-Always store soap berries in an air-tight container – they are very absorbent and will get moist easily

-If the soap berries are not working as well as you had hoped, you may have hard water.