Soap Nuts

In the last few months I have gone crazy finding new ways to use soap nuts in place of chemicals in our house.

Many of you have probably read that you can wash your car with soap nuts, which have no chemicals in them or on them. Why would you want to do that? Everything in our world is interconnected and even something as simple as washing the car has an environmental impact.

If you wash your car with a name brand car washing product take a minute to read the label and you’ll see how many chemicals there are in the one you use. As you wash and rinse the car all those chemicals run off onto your driveway, into the street, storm drains (waste water system), and into the grass sometimes.

Those chemicals don’t just disappear with the suds. Now just try to imagine how many people all over the world wash their cars at home. Then multiply that times how many times a year each car gets washed. All of those chemicals end up in lakes, streams, rivers, and oceans. When that water evaporates those chemicals end up in the atmosphere trapped in the water vapor and get rained back down on every living thing on earth.

Then when the car is clean you use more chemicals to slick shine your tires and wheel rims and as you spray the product the chemical vapors get on your skin (over spray) and up your nose into your respiratory system. Toxically cleaned car there’s something to smile about (not).

Now let me tell you how my car turned out. I have a 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee. We bought it used and it was not well maintained so to spruce it up we recently had it repainted. This was the first time I had washed it since the paint job and I was thrilled with how it turned out. No water spots, no smearing, dirt and caked on bugs gone. It even did a great job on my wheel rims so I used no chemicals, that’s right zero chemicals to wash my car. I actually think it even helped remove some of the water spots that seem to be a permanent part of the windows and windshield. We then cleaned the windows using the soap nut liquid, vinegar, and water solution we mix up. One thing used for several cleaning purposes and all chemical free!

I poured about 1/3 cup of soap nuts liquid into a bucket added water to about half way full on the bucket. Got loads and loads of suds. I sprayed the car with the hose first to get the surface wet and also to rinse some of the dirt that had splashed up onto the fenders. I took a long handled brush and scrubbed using the soap nuts liquid. Got enough suds to make my mate happy since he still equates suds with clean, and then rinsed that car and towel dried it.

But for me the was the best part. When we hand dried this big Jeep we used only two, yes only two, bath size towels. These are what we call garage towels and only get used for cars, and soaking up spills. Since I do all my laundry using soap nuts my towels are so absorbent that I could dry my entire Jeep with just two towels. When we wash my mates 300 ZX we usually use at least five towels. Can’t wait to wash the Z with soap nuts liquid now. It’s black so if the soap nuts leave any kind of residue we’ll know for sure.

I feel secure the car will sparkle, but I have to test it for the mate’s sake. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

I’m also curious if using soap nuts liquid to wash the cars instead of chemical cleaners will make the paint look better longer. It seems logical that many chemicals actually damage the paint over time and cause oxidation of the paint by breaking it down and stripping the clear coat and sealer. This is not proven, it’s just what I think happens.

Outcome on cleaning cars with soap nuts liquid instead of chemical based car washing products.
Clear winner is soap nuts liquid. But we are winners too because not only do I have a clean sparkling car and wheel rims but I don’t have a guilty conscience about adding to pollution by washing my car.

Next post will be about how soap nuts are beneficial to the environment on many levels.

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I promised that I would provide soap nuts reviews and share my experiences with each of the soap nuts suppliers I have tried. Rather than provide my reviews in a post I’ve created a page specifically for soap nuts reviews.

I plan to try as many soap nut sources as possible to give you the most in-depth reviews and soap nut comparisons I can.

One of the main reasons I am doing this is that as the word of soap nuts spreads I find the mis-information is also spreading.

For example many unknowing individuals are beginning to infer that all soap nuts are created equal and that one soap nut is no better than another. This is false. I don’t think it is with intent to mislead. I believe they are only sharing what they personally believe to be true.

Why does it matter who I buy soap nuts from, you may ask. Like any living thing there is variation. If we are talking about fruit or vegetables it is common sense that there are superior varieties and inferior (or lesser) varieties. Eat a homegrown tomatoe that’s been vine ripened after you eat a hot house tomato that’s been picked green and allowed to ripen in transit or by being heated and you’ll taste the difference. Both are tomatoes and both will do the “job” of putting color into a dish. The flavor is drastically different however.

The same is only logical when talking about soap nuts. So why is it so easy for buyers of soap nuts to believe that one soap nut is just like another?

Well, we’ve become a society of reading is believing in many ways. We read an email about a terrible computer virus and we send it to everyone we know, but then someone who knows where to look discovers it’s a hoax, but thousands continue to believe it is true.

Okay, let me step down off my soap box (pun intended) and get back to the subject of soap nuts and quality.

If you read the Wikipedia article on Sapindus trees which is the Genus and you will count at least ten listed species. They all produce a fruit that has saponins.

I had read before that one species grows here in Florida where I live, but after a visit to Efloras.org I found that there is even a species that is native to Missouri where I was born and raised. They have one at Missouri Botanical Garden (go figure). Here’s a picture of the Sapindus drummondii growing at MOBOT and it even has fruit on it in the picture. I’m getting my brother to take pictures and send them to me. The tree is the State Champion and is 52 feet tall.

But again I digress. The point is that not all soap nuts will produce the same results and just because the seller thinks they are buying the top quality soap nut from an overseas supplier doesn’t mean that’s what they are getting or selling you.

Why do you care about all this?

If you get lesser quality species of soap nuts then you will get lesser results. You will need to use more soap nuts to do the same quality of cleaning and although you will be protecting the environment and your family from toxic chemicals in laundry detergent and cleaning products you will need to use more soap nuts and the cost benefits will be lost.

This is all common sense I know, but I feel compelled to help you become an informed buyer. Soap nuts are truly amazing. I want people and the environment to benefit by replacing toxic chemical laundry detergents and dishwashing detergent with soap nuts. Please be an informed buyer and don’t assume less expensive is the right way to go. If the total amount spent is less for a bag but you have to use more you’ve diluted the savings. It’s like buying on sale but using your credit card and paying interest.

I have been looking for side by side comparison pictures to help you identify what you are buying versus what you may think you are buying. This article has some pretty good pictures that may help.

http://www.articlesbase.com/skin-care-articles/kinds-of-soapnuts-483428.html.

You will notice a drastic difference between the lesser Sapindus Trifoliatus and the superior quality Sapindus Mukorossi. On that site you will even find pictures of the difference in the “suds” produced by the two species.

In closing, please educate yourself about soap nuts uses, quality, and performance.

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Many of you who have come to know and love soap nuts as your preferred chemical free laundry detergent may have decided to try to grow your own soap nut tree.

There are a several things you may want to know before you go digging into your bag of soap nuts searching for the treasure of a seed.

First, before you introduce any new kind of plant or tree into your garden or environment check with your local agricultural department about planting it. Just because it’s a live plant doesn’t mean it won’t cause havoc to your locally or regionally indigenous eco-system. Those of you who have seen torpedo grass in New Orleans, duck weed on pods across the US, and pitcher plants in Louisiana will understand that warning. These things overtook the areas where they were planted or scattered and they destroyed many local plants and even fish in ponds by altering the natural balance of the environment into which they were introduced. In part this was because they grew beyond expectations.

Second, it will take about ten years before your soap nut tree will begin to bear fruit for you to harvest.

Third, you will need to soak the seed to soften it for at least 24 hours. This will allow the sprout to break through as the seed germinates. If you’ve ever grown an avocado from a pit you can visualize what I mean.

Fourth, it can take from one to three months to get the seed to germinate and all seeds won’t necessarily germinate. Be patient.

Fifth, once you get the seed to germinate you will want to protect it from extreme weather conditions. Remember that although soap nut trees are drought resistant you should check to see how close your growing zone is to the natural zone for soap nut trees to know about exposure to cold, freezing temperatures, and sun.

Fourth, the soap nut trees grow to about 75 meters in height so once you get clearance to plant and you have a small tree you will want to be sure you have ample room for it to grow.

I have found a link with other details about growing your own soap nut tree, and even tracked down a source for the seeds.

Exeterra Blog – How To: Grow Soap Nut Trees

Seedman.com –  Soap Nut Tree Seeds

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