For centuries, soapnut has been one of the best and safest ways to wash clothes.
We at Sankalpa Angadi suggest an eco-friendly natural wash care method. A mandatory Do’s and Don’ts handout / soft copy regarding the maintenance of fabrics is shared on purchase.
Hindi: फेनिल phenil, रिष्ट risht, रिष्टक rishtak
Kannada: ಅಂಟುವಾಳಕಾಯಿ antuvala kayi, ನೊರೆಕಾಯಿ norekaayi.
Details:–
Soapnut/ಅಂಟುವಾಳಕಾಯಿ/ನೊರೆಕಾಯಿ are naturally hypoallergenic, odorless, and do no damage to surfaces or fabrics.
Natural detergent can be prepared using this soapnut either in the form of liquid or powder or the shells can be used directly. It can be used for both hand wash and machine wash.
Here are the different ways and methods to prepare the detergent:
Liquid Detergent:-
Boil the soapnut shells in the water for 10-30 mins on a low flame.
Let the liquid cool down.
Mash the softened soapnut shells in the liquid to extract the pulp.
Separate the soapnut shells from the prepared liquid.
The soap solution is pale brown. Cool and strain.
You can store it for about a week in the fridge, after that it spoils.
Or you can freeze it, later use one cube (equals one tablespoon) for doing your laundry.
Direct shells for washing.
Crack open the nuts, remove the seeds.
Put the opened nuts in a Cloth Bag(preferably a small cotton muslin bag).
Put the little pouch in your washing machine(both front load and top load) and run a full cycle.
Let the clothes air-dry.
Usually, one can use the same pouch for up to five washes.
Nuts have to be replaced if they turn grey and mushy.
Powdered form:-
Remove the seeds from the soapnut.
And grind the soapnut into fine dry powder.
Put 2-3 teaspoons of your homemade powdered soapnut laundry detergent into your washing machine or can be used during a hand wash.
