When I first showed my aunt soapnuts, she asked me why I was holding something that looked like it belonged in the litterbox in my bare hands. I was both amused and somewhat offended on behalf of nature’s little cleaning miracles.

I’ve mentioned soapnuts in several of my posts. I’ve been using them for 15 years for cleaning: washing laundry, dishes, produce, floors, walls, hair, windows, window screens, the siding on my house, the back patio, and just about anything else you can think of. To me, they are truly nature’s miracle and the most natural cleaning agent you will ever find. They are nontoxic and completely biodegradable. But I will admit, they do look odd. So, when you first see them, you may ask yourself, “what, exactly, ARE soapnuts? And how on earth can something that looks like THAT, actually get anything clean?”

What are soapnuts?

Believe it or not, soapnuts aren’t really a nut at all. Sometimes called soapberries, they’re actually a fruit. (But, please, please don’t eat them. They aren’t toxic by any means, but anything that makes suds is bound to cause a stomachache and some digestive distress!) Soapnuts (Sapindus) grow on shrubs or small trees in the Lychee family. They are native to tropical regions and have been used by local populations as soap and in folk medicines for thousands of years.

Their magic lies in the fact that they contain saponins that react when exposed to water. Saponins are basically a natural chemical compound that makes suds and acts as surfactants. Essentially, soapnuts are nature’s soap. They have some insecticidal properties (they kill bugs) and are currently being studied to see if they have any antibacterial properties. Jury is still out on that one. Regardless, they are fantastic. People harvest them, remove the seeds from inside them, and then use the dried remains of the fruit for all their cleaning needs.

Laundry

Most often, you hear of soapnuts being used for laundry. You just put 4-6 of the dried soapnuts into a small cotton bag and toss it in the washing machine with your laundry. Voila! Clean clothes! Because they can get everything clean with just a low amount of sudsing, these are the perfect soap for HE washing machines. They also don’t require much, if any, rinsing, and they leave no residue. This works great on loads using warm or hot water, and you can use the same 4-6 soapnuts 4-5 times before they lose their effectiveness. Then, just compost them.

But sometimes, you need to wash items in cold water. What do you do then? You make a soapnut “tea” or extract to add to your wash. It’s super easy to make. I’ve made it on my stovetop dozens of times. But lately I’ve gotten hooked on making everything in my Instant Pot because I don’t have to worry about anything boiling over and making a sudsy mess (been there, done that) or boiling down to nothing. So, here is how I make it in the Instant Pot:

Soapnut Extract

How to make soapnut extract—a great nontoxic cleaning solution. An alternative to soaps and detergents. Safe, effective and biodegradeable.

Active Time5 mins

Cook Time4 hrs

Total Time4 hrs 5 mins

Keyword: biodegradable soap, natural soap, nontoxic cleaning, soapnut extract, soapnut tea, soapnuts

Yield: 2 cups of soapnut extract

Equipment

Instant Pot or Slow Cooker
Glass Jar with lid (mason jars are perfect for this)
Mesh Strainer

Materials

30 soapnuts
3 cups water

Instructions

Dump approximately 30 soapnuts and 3 cups of water into the Instant Pot.
Seal the Instant Pot and set to slow cook for 4 hours.
Cook for 4 hours.
Pour the contents of the Instant Pot into a large glass mason jar, using a mesh strainer to strain the fruit out. Squeeze the fruit to get the last bit of soapy extract. When done, you should have about 2 cups of soapnut extract.
Store the soapnut extract in the fridge for up to a month.

Notes

Make sure to store the extract in the fridge for a maximum of a month, otherwise it will develop mold. If you don’t intend to use it for washing produce or windows, you can add a few drops of tea tree oil to it to help preserve it. But you don’t want to do that if it will be used to wash food or windows (it may cause streaking).

For laundry, use 1 TB of the extract per load.

The leftover soaked, cooked soapnuts are great for cleaning out garbage disposals. Just toss 2-3 down the disposal and run it to clean it (only do that while they are still waterlogged so you don’t damage your disposal). You can also toss some in a cotton or mesh bag and use it for a few loads of laundry, or just compost it.

Other Uses

As I said, I use soap nuts for everything. I actually don’t use it as often for laundry as I used to, but I use it for just about everything else. I use it most often for washing fruits and vegetables: I toss everything in the (clean) sink and fill the sink with warm water and some soapnut extract (a couple teaspoons), let it soak for a while, then drain and rinse. Everything gets squeaky clean. I also use it in all my homemade disinfecting wipes and bug sprays.

If you don’t feel like making your own soapnut extract, Amazon sells a brand of pre-made extract called NaturOli Extreme 18X Soap Nuts/Soap Berry Liquid. It’s a bit pricey but a little goes a long, long way, and it’s all natural and shelf stable. I always bring some with me when we travel because it can be used for absolutely everything.

As far as the actual soapnuts go, I like to buy mine in bulk. I bought a 4lb bag on Amazon for about $45. (Once again, I purchased the Naturoli brand—I’ve tried lots of brands over the years and theirs is by far my favorite.) That bag has lasted me several years.