Sapinwhat I hear you asking yourself.  Perhaps if I elaborate? how about the soapberry or the soapnut?  Ringing any bells now?

Well if not read on…

Sapindus is a genus of trees/shrubs which are native to warm tropical regions predominantly Asia (especially India).  From these species a very natural environmentally friendly washing detergent can be produced, commonly referred to as soap nuts.  Soap nuts are the fruit of the plant which are then dried to make a natural eco friendly soap/detergent (saponine).

They are organic, produced sustainably (one tree produces hundreds of kg per year), contain no chemicals, are good for your skin (the soap nuts are also used to treat some skin conditions - psoriasis, eczema, etc), and can be used very easily.  The ‘smell’ of the washed clothes may not be to everybody’s liking so add a bit of essential oil to the wash.

It can also work out cheaper than many other nasty chemical based detergents.  The soap nuts can also be used as a natural general purpose clearer, shampoo/shower gel and soap.  All in all I thoroughly recommend that you try them, I am sure you will love them.  You can even compost the shells once you have used them!

If you are a user of eco-balls (firstly I applaud you as I am also a big fan) but you may be finding that these something damage your more delicate clothes, the soap nut wash will eradicate this problem.

A few additional bits of advice now: please buy in larger sizes to cut down on packaging waste; heavily stained clothes may require stronger treatment (try ecover, or eco-friendly stain remover); whites may appear dull (although I do not have that many whites so this is not a problem I have had, but others I have spoke to have commented on).

But all in all a natural, environmentally friendly solution that I would recommend that you try.