Do Soap Nuts Really Work?
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I have tried several well-known and popular cloth diaper-safe detergents and was perfectly happy with them, but I was always curious about soap nuts.
I was intrigued and confused by how they worked. How could something that looks like a plastic walnut clean dirty diapers of all things! I had to know so when they were on one of my daily deal websites, I ordered them and haven’t looked back!
Note: Eco Nuts is no longer in business, but there are other brands of soap nuts, also called soap berries, available. They all work in the same way.
What Are Soap Nuts?
Soap Nuts are a berry that grows in the Himalayas that naturally produces soap. That soap is called saponin, a natural cleaner that works as a surfactant, breaking the surface tension of the water to penetrate the fibers of your clothing to lift stains from the fabric, and leaving the dirt suspended in the water to be rinsed away.
For diapers, you put three nuts into one of the bags that are included in the box and four to five soap nuts for regular laundry. Drop the bag in with your laundry and that’s it! You end up with clean, odorless diapers and laundry!
They really do work and it’s a wonderful alternative to regular detergents for delicate laundry or a more green option. I have even started using them on our regular laundry and they’re fantastic!
You can reuse the nuts until they dissolve or remain soft, I find that I get about 5-6 uses out of one bag! I ordered these two boxes at the end of December and I still have one and a half boxes left! So not only do they work wonderfully, but they’re also economical.
The next time you’re looking to make washing your laundry more eco-friendly, give soap berries a try. I love them and I’m pretty sure that you will too!
I love the idea of EcoNuts, and would LOVE to try them out.
I love Econuts!! I use Rockin Green for my diapers because the hubby isn’t convinced by them but I do use them for all of our other laundry.
naturally interesting!!!;)
So excited to try these!
I’ve tried the liquid version and I wasn’t to sure about it. I’lll have to give theses ones a try.
very intersting! id really like to try this!
I really like how concentrated their liquid detergent is!
I never heard of soap nuts before. How interesting. Thanks for explaining!
I wonder if these would work in non-High efficiency machines? These are very intriguing, and I would love to try them out on my dirty diapers, and other baby laundry, etc. So cool!
-Hannah
Hi Hannah,
My machine is an older non HE top loader
I have heard so many good things about soap nuts and have been wanting to try them for awhile now.
Ive never tried Eco nuts but have heard such good things about it I would love to try it!
I’m always looking for REAL natural options!
These look really neat. I want to try them out soon.
I’ve had problems getting the smell out of my diapers – I’d love to try these to see if they work. And, it’d be great for my husband so he doesn’t put too much detergent in with the diapers.
I’ve been wanting to try these for awhile. They sound so interesting!
when we run out of our country save, this is definitely what i’m trying next!
i love eco nuts
I have always been curious about these as well! I hope I win so I can give them a try!
I received a sample at the GCDC event I attended. I haven’t tried them yet but I will as soon as my current detergent runs out. It’s such a neat idea! I like that they are 100% natural. Can’t beat that!
heard about these but never knew how they actually worked! thanks for the review!
I am so intrigued by these!
I’m still a bit confused about how these actually work; however, I love that you reviewed these by using them on diapers and that they worked. I would be willing to give these a try since I have yet to find a cloth diaper safe detergent that I’m entirely happy with.
I have never even heard of a soap nut before. How crazy is that?! Very cool. I’d definitely give it a try. But, I am curious…is it a sustainable solution? I imagine there are probably plenty of these out there in the Himalayas but I always wonder about things like that…you know like over foresting, etc. 🙂
I would imagine that yes, it is sustainable. You don’t have to chop the trees, just pick the nuts. Plus the nuts are compostable. They really are great even if I still don’t really “get” them. All I know is that they work! 🙂
‘Intrigued and confused’ is exactly how I’ve felt about Eco Nuts as well! I just haven’t been able to bring myself to purchase any 🙂 I’d love to give them a try and be convinced as well!
I just used a trial of EcoNuts and LOVE them! They get my regular laundry clean! I’m still a little nervous about trying them on my diapers… but if they keep my clothing clean for awhile without any problems, I’d be willing to try them on the diapers!
I have yet to find a detergent that works really well for my diapers. This may be worth a try!
interesting to see how Econuts stacked up per load price-wise against my Arm and Hammer… what a savings!
I thought it was laundry detergwent that was in the shape of a nut. But no it is an actual nut. Interresting.
I think it is so interesting that they are actual nuts!! I love that you can reuse them! You are right, it is hard to believe they will work!
I use another brand of soapnuts. Love them! I especially love that they’re compostable!
I have a friend who uses Eco Nuts, too. Glad to hear another good opinion on them.
I’ve never tried these but I would love to see how they work on our diapers. We currently use Rockin’ Green detergent which I love, but it seems a little pricey. These seem like they would be more eco friendly and a little cheaper. Thanks for the review!
I have been seeing these lately but haven’t taken the plunge into actually using them. I love that they are non toxic! Since my son has sensitive skin, this might be something I need to try out. Thanks for the review
I like that it’s non-toxic and safe for HE machines. There are so many soaps that are NOT.
Thank you for the giveaway!!
I love Eco Nuts! I use their liquid detergent and really like it for my clothes – especially since my son has sensitive skin!
i want to try these… i love the packaging, and i love what i hear about how great they are.
I really want to try these. I have heard such wonderful things about them!
I want to try this, but I’m nervous about trying it.
OMG, these are crazy. Must. Try. Immediately.
This product really intrests me but I am just not sure… i have heard amazing things about soap nuts but i guess i would have to see it to believe it… hopefully i can win some and see for myself 🙂
That is such a cool idea! When I run out of my Rockin Green, these will be my next trial run for diaper laundry “soap”!
This is my FAVORITE detergent ever! Love Eco Nuts!
I’ve always wanted to try soap nuts, but I was never sure about them. Thanks for the review. 🙂
I thought that EcoNuts was just a weird name for regular detergent – now I am intrigued too! I have to try these.
Thanks for the review. I’ve always been intrigued by this and have not bought them because I’ve been so nervous they would not work.