I asked the question ‘DIY Washing Powder vs Soap Berries – which should you be using?’ to get you thinking. Perhaps you only use commercial powders and have never even thought about using a less toxic approach. Or maybe you are wanting to make the switch but don’t know where to start. Or you could be like I was until a few months ago and hadn’t even heard of soap berries.
Wherever you are on your journey to DIY low tox households, you should continue reading as I am a fair bit along the path of making and using my own powder and I have also been experimenting with soap berries – and I am still open to trying new things. Soap Berries are something new to me and I was keen to give them a go too!
DIY Washing Powder
Most of the time now I use my DIY Washing Powder with simple ingredients. This is part of our overall household strategy to reduce toxic chemicals in our home. The powder consists of simple ingredients including salt, bicarb, borax, Castile Soap and Washing soda and can be made in large batches to last you for months. I also add eucalyptus and tea tree essential oils to the mix. My clothes are clean and do not come out of the machine with a strong smelling scent i.e. they do not hold residues of unnecessary chemicals! Instead, they take on that lovely ‘sunny’ smell from being out in the Australian sun!!
But when I heard about the natural product called Soap Berries I wanted to try them too, not necessarily to replace my powder but to check out how they work and to have ‘up my sleeve’, just in case I need them. For example, they may be useful when travelling (domestically) as they take up very little space and can be used again and again.
I have just run a small experiment comparing the washing power of the berries with my DIY Washing Powder and will share the results below, but first I will share some information about Soap Berries themselves.
Soap Berries – what are they?
Soap berries are the fruit of the Sapindus Mukorossi tree. This tree grows naturally in the Himalayas. The berries contain natural plant saponin, a gentle cleaner. The berries can be used for a range of cleaning jobs around the house but from what I have read, are best known for washing clothes. Only 4-5 berries are needed for a load of washing and each batch of 4-5 berries can be used for around 4-5 washes. Once used, the berries are compostable. Although the online price of the berries can vary I have seen an estimate of cost / load as low as 10 cents/ wash. All in all these berries sound very appealing don’t they?
Do they really work?
But do they really work and for that matter, does DIY Washing Powder made from simple ingredients work?
I must say it does take a leap of faith to switch from the commercial products to something so simple. We are brain washed into believing that the commercial products just get better and more effective with all the additional chemicals they add. But once you make the change and you find that your clothes are just as clean when washed with your own simple powder mix, you realise that you have been duped for all those years.
Are you convinced? I would not be surprised if you were not. I have been using my own mix for 2 years now but it has still taken me 3 months to actually try the Soap Berries. I have been curious but cautious!
Soap Berries vs DIY Washing Powder
To convince you that both options can be effective I will now share my little experiment with you.
I cut up an old cotton sheet and squeezed some BBQ sauce onto two squares. I rubbed the sauce in to the sheet squares and allowed them to dry a little – for about 20 minutes.
I filled two stainless steel bowls with 2 L each of warm water. To bowl number 1 I added a small bag containing 3 soap berries. To bowl number 2, I added a dessertspoon of my DIY Washing Powder. I stirred each bowl for approximately 1 minute.
The stained sheet squares were added to the bowls and mixed around by hand for 2 minutes. This was followed by a short rinse for about 30 seconds.
I dried each square in the sun, on the washing line and took a photo of each to show you that they were both clean. The one on the right below is the clean, unstained square, for comparison.
Overall I was happy with this outcome. I will continue to use the soap berries and report back as I make observations. I won’t be throwing away my powder but it is good to know that I have an alternative, should I run out of the ingredients. So back to the question – which should you use? I would be happy using either of these options. It is over to you know to answer that question for yourself.
So watch this space and please share your observations of the soap berries or the powder with us too.
What next?
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Until next time,
Gillian (and Andrew)
