KidGlue Review: Eco Nuts Laundry Soap

By Bonnie Owens on September 7th, 2009

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No, it’s not food, but it kind of looks like it.  It is an amazing way to wash your clothes that, frankly, has knocked my socks off!  Eco Nuts are essentially dried berries that contain saponin, which gives them stain lifting and germ killing properties.  They have been used for washing and cleaning for centuries in India and China and are now starting to make their way over to Europe and America.

I was quite skeptical when I received my Eco Nuts in the mail.  The directions said to place 4-5 dried berries in the little linen pouch provided and throw it in the washer machine in place of detergent.  Because they leave no residue on your clothes like detergent, you do not need the rinse cycle.  If you want, you can stop the machine after the wash cycle finishes, which saves gallons of water on each load.  You don’t need fabric softener either because they naturally leave your clothes soft and fluffy.  And the berries can be reused for another 4-6 loads and then tossed out or composted.

I decided to give the Eco Nuts a challenge.  The first load I use them in was my husband’s work out clothes.  I wash them separately because they stink that bad.  I was amazed that they removed all of the odor(some detergents can’t even do that!).  I proceeded to do the rest of our laundry and they did a pretty good job.  The stain lifting action is not very powerful.  I have two young boys so I tend to get my share of tough stains.  You would definitely need a stain remover for most of the stains you encounter.  Other than that the Eco Nuts were just as good if not better than my regular Tide detergent.

Some other perks of this “nut soap”  are that it is:

• antimicrobial making them great for cloth diapers and beneficial to use with septic systems and gray water systems.
• gentle on clothes and usable on delicates like silk and wool
• hypoallergenic, no dyes or man made chemicals or artificial foaming agents
• great for sensitive skin, skin allergies, eczema and psoriasis
• non-toxic and biodegradable, there is no danger of your children getting into chemicals and making a mess (you won’t be making a mess either because there’s nothing to drip)
• lightweight to carry, 50 loads weighs as much as a hamburger and the box is about the same size
• packaged with 100% recyclable material in the USA

Eco Nuts can also be boiled and made into a liquid soap “tea” that can clean just about anything around the house – fruits and vegetables, dishes, jewelry (one of their traditional uses in India), hands, hair and even your pets.

There are other soap nuts companies out there.  Some of them use  inferior, lower-quality berries, sometimes even different species of berry.  Eco Nuts has distinguished themselves by using only berries from high up in the Himalayas in Nepal where they are particularly potent and long lasting.

Many detergent companies have gotten more environmentally friendly with smaller bottles and concentrated formulas.  But you would be hard pressed to find a more environmentally friendly way to do laundry than Eco Nuts.  Now all you have to do is hang up your laundry line in the backyard and you will be mother nature’s favorite mom on the block.  Eco Nuts are a pretty good deal at $12 for a box that does 50 loads.  And they make you feel so clean and almost virtuous every time you throw in a load of clothes.  Check out www.econutssoap.com for lots other uses and then order a box or two, shipping is free with three!

**Special Note: econutssoap.com is having a special through the end of September.  You can get a 50 load box for $8.00 insteadof $12.00**