In a recent post, I mentioned that I’m in the process of eliminating toxins not only from the food my family eats, but from the products we use in and around our home, too. That includes health care, beauty care, and of course, laundry products.
I’ve heard a lot of buzz about soap nuts, and while I’ve been curious, I’ll admit that I never really understood how a nut would get my clothes clean. I guess I just assumed this particular idea was just a little too far outside my personal realm of crunchiness…
That is, until Kim, the mom behind Yoreganics, sent me a sample pack of her Laundry Trio to try out.
It included:
- enough soap nuts for 5 loads w/ wash bag
- travel stain remover (perfect for my purse!)
- 3 oz. Brightens & Whitens
I love the fresh, clean look of the Yoreganics logo, website and promo materials, but would they actually get my clothes fresh and clean? I wasn’t sure…
But then I saw that a soap nut is not a nut. It is a fruit berry from the soapberry tree (Sapindus Mukorossi) found in northern India and Nepal. The shells contain saponin, which creates a natural soap when agitated in water. You can use them to replace not only your detergent, but your fabric softener, too!
How cool is that? (Ma Nature does it again…)
Other benefits: Once the soap nuts get thin and no longer release saponin, I can toss them in the compost. They are also organic, vegan, sustainable, compatible with both standard and HE washers, perfect for those with sensitive skin or allergies…
…and great for use with cloth diapers! Woot! 
Plus, they’re just cute. See:
I didn’t use my soap nuts on my dipes yet, but I did use them on baby sheets and clothing. I also pretreated my son’s cloth crib rail protector with Brightens & Whitens, and spritzed one of our kitchen cloths with the stain remover. The combination left my laundry feeling, and looking, much better than I had expected! I just love it when a natural product exceeds my expectations! Um, exactly WHY have I been using the yucky manufactured stuff that’s full of chemicals?!?
I was especially impressed with the crib rail protector because my son chews on it a lot and it’s quite discolored. After washing with the Brightens and Whitens, I couldn’t see his favorite teething spot anymore! (I tried to get a photo, but since I was dealing with all shades of white, off-white, etc I just couldn’t do the products justice. Besides, you don’t really want to see my dirty laundry…)
My laundry was definitely clean, with a lovely freshness about it. It wasn’t exactly a scent that was left behind, but the kind of freshness you get when you hang clothes on the line (which I welcomed on a snowy day in February!) I don’t know how the soap nuts would handle a heavily soiled, truly dirty load of laundry, but I can attest to the fact that they can definitely stand up to the everyday stuff.
I accidentally left the little bag open when I threw it in my washer for one load, and all my nuts fell out. 
It wasn’t a problem, though – I just had to gather them back up. But I did get to see the little suds that they produce…
So, in a nutshell 
, I am SO glad I tried soap nuts, and Yoreganics other laundry products. I no longer doubt whether soap nuts are effective, and I plan to incorporate them into our regular laundry routine! I love my laundry, and now I love Yore Laundry, too!
Buy it!
Check out the full selection of Yoreganics products here.
Have a question about soap nuts that I didn’t answer? Click here.
Win it!
***This giveaway is closed! Random.org says that my winner is Brittney, with comment #26! Thanks for entering! 
***
Win your own Laundry Trio Sampler!
Mandatory Entry: Just visit Yoreganics and tell me one thing you like about the company.
Bonus Entry: Tell me why you want to “green” your laundry routine!
Bonus Entry: Like Yoreganics on Facebook
Bonus Entry: Subscribe to my blog!
Bonus Entry: Tweet this giveaway (limit 2 tweets per day, one entry each, at least 2 hours apart. Please leave me the link to each unique tweet.) Use the tweet button, or this sample tweet:
Win a soap nuts Laundry Trio Sampler from @Yoreganics and @ABCGP! http://wp.me/pTRQh-Do Ends 3/12 #organic #clothdiapers
The Fine Print:
Entries will be open until March 12th at 8pm EST. A winner will be chosen on or about that time using Random.org. Winner will be notified via email and will have 48 hours to respond and claim prize or a new winner will be chosen. Contest open to US and Canada.
I received the product mentioned above at no cost. I was not compensated for my review, nor was I obligated to provide a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own, honest opinions based on my personal experience with the product in question.
