Washed walnuts, also called soap nuts or soap nuts, are made from the fruits of a plant native to India and are rich in saponin.
Thanks to their cleansing action, these nuts are used to wash laundry in a natural way : in this article we see just how to do laundry with dry-cleaners.
Washed nuts for laundry, what they are and why they work
The dried walnuts, or soap nuts, are nothing but the mesocarps of the fruits of Sapindus mukorossi, a tree native to India and Nepal. The nuts that cover the fruits of this plant are rich in saponin which is extracted from hot water.
The saponins have a cleansing action, so the soap nuts or washed nuts are used by the most environmentally conscious to carry out the laundry in a natural way .
The decoction obtained from soap nuts is also used to clean the washable surfaces of the home as well as sanitary ware, tiles and floors.
The nuts for laundry are bought in other market stores, in organic and natural products stores and online.
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How to use washcloth nuts for laundry
Washed nuts are sold together with a small cotton bag which is used to use them inside the washing machine; in fact, the washed walnuts are simply used by inserting the cotton bag with the walnuts inside, as shown in the instructions.
For each load of the washing machine from a minimum of three to a maximum of ten nuts are used depending on the hardness of the water and the dirt of the laundry, so with the contents of a package of nuts you can make about 35 washes.
Furthermore, the nuts for laundry can be reused for more washes, since the saponin content does not end in a single wash cycle. After use, walnuts can be thrown into the organic waste collection bin because it is a completely biodegradable natural product.
Washed nuts can be used to wash light or dark clothes, but for the saponin to take effect, it is necessary to wash from 30 degrees upwards, so the nuts for laundry are not suitable for washing wool or delicate garments that you wash cold.
On more stubborn stains it is advisable to pretreat with Marseille soap by rubbing it directly on the stain.
Using walnuts it is not necessary to add the softener but if you wish you can prepare an ecological softener with water and citric acid, which will prevent limescale from depositing on the clothes. The nuts for laundry have no fragrance, so to perfume the linen you can use DIY perfumers for drawers and cabinets.
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