An Experiment With Soapnuts To Find A Natural Alternative For Laundry Detergent
In this post I write about:
- How I converted soapnut berries to a liquid concentrate to wash clothes, dishes, and hands.
- Testing and Results (ketchup test, dirt test...common tests we see in detergent advertisements).
- Takeaway: A possibility of 100% natural, biodegradable and zero waste detergent that can compete with conventional detergents on performance and economics.
When I walk in the neighborhood, I know which house is getting its laundry done, thanks to the strong scent of their laundry detergents. To help people like me who are averse to strong scent, there are no fragrance detergents too. But the problem with the detergents is not fragrance alone. Detergents are energy intensive products and have negative environmental impact throughout their lifecycle. Needless to mention the packaging waste they create. So I started looking for a natural alternative to our everyday detergents and thought of experimenting with soapnut berries.
In India soapnut berries or reethas have been used as a 💆♀️ shampoo for centuries. In recent years it is gaining popularity as an eco-friendly substitute for detergents across the globe. There are a lot of recipes and methods on the internet to use soapnut berries for washing clothes, dishes, hands, and hair. (For the recipes, I found this link very interesting).
- How I made a soapnut concentrate:
I made a homemade soapnut concentrate by boiling 10 soapnut berries in a cup of water till the water was reduced to half a cup.
2. Testing and Results:
a. Ketchup test: I dropped some ketchup on two spots on a cotton cloth. After it dried, I put a few drops of my regular laundry detergent on one spot and a few drops on soapnut concentrate on the other. Rinsed the two spots for about 10 seconds and washed it in cold water.
From the no filter photos it is clear that both the liquids did equally well.
b. Dirt test: I soaked one sock in a solution containing 1 cup water and 1/4teaspoon of regular laundry liquid and one sock in 1 cup water and 1 teaspoon of soapnut liquid for 30 minutes. Rinsed each of them for about 20 seconds and washed them with cold water.
From the ‘nofilter photos it is clear that the regular laundry detergent did clean better than the soapnut solution.
c. Oil Removal test: While the first two were for clothes, this one is for dishes. I used a few drops of the soapnut concentrate on a sponge and gently scrubbed the frying pan and washed it in cold water.
The results were at par with my regular dishwashing liquid.
So if the laundry and dish detergents that I am currently using score 10 on their performance then the soapnuts would score as follows:
Ketchup Test: 10
Dirt Test : 06
Oil Removal Test: 10
Total score of soapnuts = 26, total score of my current detergents =30
Takeaway:
The score of 26 out of 30 means that the soapnuts are 86.67% as good as my current detergents for the selected performance criteria. On the other side the soapnuts are completely biodegradable, are not harmful for the environment and water bodies like conventional detergent and are potentially carbon neutral solutions. Also the same solution can be used for dishes and laundry.
Having said this, am I ready to make this concentrate every single week for everyday use? May be not but think about this — the laundry detergent I use has sixteen ingredients and the dishwashing liquid has fifteen (and both are supposed to be earth friendly 🌍 ) whereas the soapnut concentrate has only two …seems adding another 3 or 4 natural ingredients has a potential for a better cleaning performance and commercial viability for a 100% natural, biodegradable, and zero waste detergent.🤗 The soapnut trees do not need fertile soil plus the trees serve as a carbon sink.
In the quest of achieving carbon neutrality and preserving biodiversity, I see a lot of potential in products like these. Such products can also be made by cottage industries, cooperative groups or social enterprises working on empowering people in rural areas.
Anyone interested in developing this product further?😉
P.S.: Soapnuts are not the only natural detergents. Stem and roots of Soapweed Yucca, and soapplant found in North America, Buckeye or horse chestnuts found in North America and Europe, leaves of Sydney Golden Wattle, Ash tree or Soap tree from Australia, Endod or African Soapberry from Africa are some of the natural saponin makers around the globe. A saponin tree /plant can be found locally so we need not make the Indian Soapnuts travel the globe to leave its carbon footprints.
