EcoZone Soap Nuts Natural Laundry Detergent, 100% Organic Biodegradable Washing Machine Pellets, Plastic Free, Effective Eco Cleaning for Clothing & Fabrics, Hypoallergenic & Vegan Friendly (300g Bag)

We've now used a few bags of these and 1 bag of an alternative brand before returning to these. I can say now that 1 bag lasts us about 6 months (using around 6 soap nuts per wash), which is amazing! I've used them mainly for mine and young child's clothes and our sheets, while my other half still sometimes prefers conventional washing liquid (I think because he likes to have a nice smell with his clean clothes, though this is I think due to a mysterious smell that the machine leaves on his large clothes but not on mine or child's). These soap nuts may be more effective than another brand I tried (also, they have a slightly tacky glistening sheen on them when unused, while an alternative brand did not, which I think may be the soap content?) and on a practical level the zip bag supplied with Ecozone's soap nuts are better at keeping the nuts inside the bag than the drawstring type bag from the other supplier (but which is more ecofriendly). We use the soap nuts with a little soda crystals, and this works well for us. The clothes turn out clean, soft enough and with no scent whatsoever detectable to my sensitive nose. We used them on reusable (cloth) nappies - no problems there. (Regarding nappies, you get occasional stains also with conventional washing powder/liquids; sun is the best remedy for that.) Those who want perfumed clothes or optical brighteners will not find what they are looking for here, but is that what you really want? For me, it is a win-win-win-win for clean clothes, fewer chemicals, more eco-friendly and cheap. I occasionally reuse the soap nuts if I have a small wash, then they go into the food recycling! Someone mentioned a small inconvenience fishing out the bag for the next wash. I'm not sure if they are using a drier or something, but I usually hang up my clothes on the drying line and then you end up with the bag at the end. I then leave this on the top of the washing machine to dry as I may use them again if there's just a very small wash (e.g. toddler shoes, nappy accidents). I find it all very simple and it is one of the few eco changes I've implemented the last few years that have lasted without inconvenience! In fact, I would go as far as to say that these soap nuts have made life easier! No messing about with yucky sticky conditioner lids or messy powder ever again!!!! No more carrying heavy clothes washing products home from the shop!!! And no more paying extortionate prices for cleaning clothes (and their advertising, perfume and packaging). We even use the old drawstring bags for various things; e.g. we have one bag in the kitchen for used Quorn packets to return to plastic bag recycling facilities. High, high recommend!

One Year Update (original review 25/07/14, now updated 22/07/15): A year on and we're still soapnut converts! They really are fantastic and I'm still finishing off that first bag (!!!) from a year ago. Can you imagine spending only £10/year (give or take) on your detergent? Absolutely fantastic. My regimen for hard water is as follows: seven whole (the hulls are in pieces, so I estimate the equivalent of 7 whole hulls) soapnuts in one of the provided muslin baggies, 10 drops of tea tree essential oil as water starts filling up the detergent tray in the washer (I use this for its antimicrobial properties and to help keep the washer drum clean--works a charm), with a couple Tbsp of baking soda for particularly grimy loads. I get approximately 8 loads of laundry out of every baggie when used like this before I need to replace the nuts; I can generally tell when the suds are less significant. Do be aware that if you have a very high-efficiency washer which uses very little water, you may need to pop the baggie of nuts into a cup of warm water for about 15min before you do your laundry, then toss the nuts and soaking water in with your wash (alternatively, select a pre-wash soak) in order to get the saponis going. I've tried using the nuts for other applications, from soap to shampoo, but frankly the smell of them when boiled and used like this was really off-putting (sort of like spoilt apples). I'm happy just using them for the laundry, especially as they soften clothes just as much as fabric softener and do a fantastic job. Original Review (July 2014): Is it fair to write a review after one wash? I think it might be. Both of us suffer from fairly sensitive skin (I'm probably the more sensitive one in the household) and we like to keep the chemicals to a minimum. We had been using Ecos (both the lavender and lemongrass varieties smell amazing and clean superbly, but don't last very long) and Ecover (seemed to build up in our flat's HE washer more than other detergents, especially with the hard water here) but wanted something that reduced the need for fabric softener, was even more ecological, and would still do a great job--after all, if your laundry's not getting clean, no amount of 'green street cred' is worth it. In particular, I often use tea towels in the kitchen for straining liquids (broth, tea) and for making cheese, so I wanted something that'd get things clean without leaving any potentially dangerous residue that could get into the food. Since our water is very, very hard, I opted for six nuts in one of the two little fabric bags provided. I'd read a bit about telling the quality of the nuts apart and how the nuts without the seeds are better; by all accounts, these are excellent-quality and were pitted, which is what you want. I washed at 90 C with a medium load of sheets and hand towels, along with 5 drops of lemongrass essential oil in the softener tray (for a light scent and extra sanitising qualities--works very well, but definitely don't do that with anything in the kitchen, since the oil can be quite irritating) as per usual. Even with hard water and an HE washer, they lathered up nicely--not the sort of crazy bubbles you get with conventional detergent but enough to let you know they mean business. (Our particular washer is rather awful and I have to add extra water to the machine or nothing actually gets beyond damp, so I did that as well.) The sheets came out soft, everything was lovely and clean. Apparently I can reuse these nuts up to 6 times, and then there are various uses for the pulp (like home-made scouring cream for grout applications) as well as the ability to compost them safely afterwards. I can't compost anything in the city, but it's great to know that it's possible. Also, apparently the grey water produced by soap nuts is a lot safer for reintroducing into the biosphere.

I tend to use these soap nuts between using regular washing powder, so I alternate between the two. The nuts are great for a light wash or refresh if things aren't that dirty. They have absolutely no scent, so sometimes I put a little bit of essential oil in the drawer. You can also use bicarbonate of soda or Epsom salts to boost your wash, or white vinegar or lemon juice. (Google this for more information.) The nuts last for ages; I still have loads left. You can put them in the compost when used; you use the same ones a lot!

With a son with sensitive skin we had been using zero rated washing liquid for some time, even after he left home, and came across soap nuts by accident, deciding to give them a try. They cut out all chemicals, apart from the organic, natural ones in the seed casings, are much kinder on the environment and save a fortune on washing liquids or powders. The real test though is how well do they clean clothes? We have been using nuts for about nine months and this particular batch are much the same as the last bag we tried - a brand no longer stocked in the UK. For the majority of washing we have found they are fine. Whites are white, colours don't fade, and everything appears clean. Stains vanish, which is a test when they are on the T-shirts of grandchildren, there is no fragrance whatsoever, apart from a pleasant fresh smell on line-dried clothes, and because there are no chemicals involved, skin sensitivity is not a problem. On heavily stained items then, much the same as with commercial washing powders and liquids, treatment with an organic bleach, stain remover, or even concentrated soap nuts liquid is needed, but for the majority of washing needs, soap nuts do as good a job as commercial products in our experience. Another son, having seen the results, is now using the nuts for his family, including my grandchildren, and is happy with how clean everything appears. Some people don’t like them, some say they don’t wash clean, and admittedly, you can’t see a drum full of soap suds through the washing machine porthole, which could deter some people, but both ourselves and our son and his family, have no problem with the nuts and are happy with the results.

Definitely reasonable product gets clothing clean only one issue that the shells sometimes come out of the bag which create a mess in the washing machine

The price of this product is just ridiculous to its actual worth. I've finally found out the ultimate laundry detergent that is good for me as well as for the environment. This product does not generate any additional waste, 100% clean, very good for all sorts of textile, and also definitively, the cheapest laundry detergent you'll ever find. The package says that this would last for 300 washes, however, the nuts can be replaced every 4-5 times and not just 3, that basically means that a pack of 1kg will last for a year or even longer. I've recently got sick of the artificial smells of the other detergents in the market, you can sense that it came out of a lab. The soap nuts allow me to use 100% pure essential oils and the best part is that each laundry can smell different so you can get creative. In a stressy period use lavender that calms down, or in the winter use peppermint to keep your nose open or eucalyptus to keep cold at bay. Some of my knitted jumpers shall be handwashed, I've created a soap extract using just a handful of nuts, boiling them for 15 mins just on the stove generated me an huge amount of liquid soap I can wash and sterilise basically everything. It's been quite a while when I did this, I filled up 2 bottles of this liquid and haven't yet finished the first one since a really small amount of this liquid is required for a single handwash, the reaction is just like every soap, amazingly the water starts to foam as you add some of the liquid and from there the handwash is done normally.

Several nuts were broken as shown in picture. I dont know if the nuts are packed that way or it happens being moved around warehouses and in transit but they have nothing but the bag they come in to protect them. They did soap up in the washing machine but barely. I reused the nuts a second time and no suds so I run the load again with my normal washing tablets as I wasn't sure if my clothes were clean. They don't leave a scent however the first load didn't smell dirty or stale so was happy enough they were clean. I certainly wouldn't use the same nuts 4 times as advertised. The bag for the nuts to go in were a tie string not zip as shown. The string is quite difficult to untie once wet. Overall I think these will be OK for smaller light loads but I certainly wouldn't rely on them for stains or a hygiene wash. I'm always looking to be eco friendly where I can whilst saving the pennies but unfortunately I don't thing this is the product.

We used to use a well known brand soap powder for over 20 years because it was supposed to be gentle. I contacted the manufacturer and was told they’d recently changed the “ingredients” and I think this was making some of us (myself and one of my sons) itchy so I thought I would give these soap nuts a try. They work well and because you can reuse the nuts a few times it’s actually saved me money. Our clothes come out clean and they are very efficient with the used ones going into our food recycling but best of all it doesn’t irritate our skin! The reason I gave it 3 stars for freshness is because before the nuts are put into the muslin bag they don’t smell too great and after the wash our clothes don’t really have a smell at all. I’ve always used a liquid clothes softener and I’ve tried them with the wash nuts (this was after I made sure our skin wasn’t irritated by using the nuts on its own) and because our skin is ok I continue to use the softener. I would definitely recommend these especially if you have sensitive skin.