Since starting my journey towards making more healthful changes for our home, trying to find a natural soap for our laundry was frustrating. When I did find laundry detergents that sounded like a perfect fit for my family, I couldn’t justify the price. Then I heard of Magic Washberries, also known as Soap Berries or Soap Nuts.
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They sounded a bit too good to be true if I’m being honest. But they claimed to be an organic alternative to regular detergents and all it took was learning that one box of washberries lasts up to 300 loads and cost less than a regular bottle of liquid laundry detergent before I was buying a box to try.
When they came in the mail, I was so intrigued, I immediately started a load and the rest is history; I’ve never gone back and have no intention of ever spending money on another chemical detergent again.
What are Magic Washberries?
This may be the first time you’ve ever heard of soap berries but they have been staples in Indian homes for ages. Soap berries are the dried shells (husks) of nuts from the Sapindus Mukorossi tree and get their name from the natural surfactant they produce.
When soaked in water, the washberries release Saponin which serves as a liquid soap ideal for sensitive skin or for those working towards minimizing chemicals in their home. I can’t tell you how happy I was to find something that is both safe for my daughter’s skin AND cost-effective.
How to Use Magic Washberries
Each box of washberries comes with two drawstring wash bags. (If you misplace yours, any nut bag or muslin bag will work.) Add 4-6 washberries into the cloth bag, toss into the washing machine with your dirty clothes, and start your load. Super simple, you don’t even need to take it out for the rinse cycle.
(If you have hard water, there are some who add borax and white vinegar to each load with their washberries.)
When your load is finished washing clothes, you can empty your wash bag on a paper towel to dry or throw it in the dryer with your load. Another great thing about these magic berries is they double as a fabric softener so now you’re saving even MORE money!
Each bag of washberries can last up to ten washes and when you’re ready for new ones, just add the old ones to your compost pile.
Do Magic Washberries work?
Yes! My hubby is a police officer and if you have never tried to keep a kevlar vest smelling good, let me just tell you, this stuff really is magic!
When I used washberries for the first time, the first thing I did was smell the clothes. I have never had a laundry detergent make my clothes smell so fresh! It was like I took them down off the clothesline. And they stay fresh smelling all day!
I was getting so tired of other detergents because no matter what I used, the clothes would smell off halfway through the day. Since I’ve started using washberries they actually smell like clean clothes all day long.
You can use washberries for pre-soaking if you have heavily soiled clothes or add the watery suds to a spray bottle for stain treatment. In fact, they work great for cleaning just about anything that needs washing, whether it be your car or your hands; some even use it as a body wash. There are so many uses for it.
Pros
- Easy to use
- Cost-effective, one box lasts forever.
- Gentle on sensitive skin
- Gentle on fabrics
- Envirionmentally friendly
- Can be used in both standard and HE washing machines
- Hypo-allergenic
- Don’t have to risk kids getting into laundry pods.
- No synthetic fragrances
Cons
- The box it comes in does not hold up well. I transfered my berries to a container I already had which works well for me.
- As you use the berries, the husks start to disintegrate and sometimes come out of the bag during the wash and can end up caught in certain materials.
- If you are a “laundry scent” kind of person, you might not like the subtle scent of the washberries. But adding your essential oil of choice could be a solution.
- You will need to presoak heavily soiled clothes or add more berries to the wash.
- Not all of the berries come whole, but the husks work just as well as the whole berry.
- Some feel their whites don’t get as clean as they do with commercial detergents, but adding some baking soda to the wash might help with that.
Conclusion
If you are looking for a natural solution to your laundry needs and want something that is cost-effective, you really need to give Magic Washberries a try. For the price, you can’t go wrong and who knows, you might be among those of us who couldn’t be happier that we made the switch.
Get Your Washberries Here!
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