Demetria Organics: Soap Nuts {Review}

If there is one household chore that I detest above all others it is doing laundry.  Having 4 children means I do laundry…a lot.  I typically do at least 3 loads of laundry a day, and if I don’t, well let’s just say my laundry room floor begins to look like Filene’s Basement after their annual Running of the Brides.  What makes doing all of that laundry even worse is how much laundry detergent that I go through…and it’s not cheap. 

I was recently introduced to Demetria Organics and their eco-friendly products.  Demetria Organics is a Canadian company who offers their customers healthy, environmentally friendly products for the home.  Demetria Organics believes that “the products we use should be as natural as the body itself” and that philosophy shows in everything that they do!  Demetria Organic’s has a full line of all natural, environmentally friendly products for the home, body, and spirit! 

Get to know Demetria Organics a little better, here’s some more information about the company from their website:

Demetria Organics was born out of the desire to create an assortment of organic and natural products without the adverse effects associated with ordinary store bought items. We've gone to great lengths to carry and distribute products of the highest quality, containing whole ingredients for the benefit of the entire body.

Marlese, the compassionate mind behind the Demetria Organics brand, sought out all-natural alternatives for nearly everything in her household. After extensive research and personal experimentation, her appreciation for these alternatives and her passion for sustainability directly led to the creation of Demetria Organics.

One of Demetria Organics best known products are their soap nuts.  In case you’re not familiar with soap nuts here’s a little lesson for you. 

Soap Nuts (also referred to as soap berries) are the fruit grown on the Sapindus Mukorossi tree. The shells of the berry contain a natural cleaning agent called saponin. When they come into contact with water and agitation occurs, the saponin is then released. Saponin is naturally low sudsing which makes this a perfect natural laundry detergent alterative for all washing machines including high efficiency machines.

I received a package of Soap Nuts as well as Buncha Farmers All Natural Stain Remover for my review.  I have heard so much about Soap Nuts, but have never actually used them so I was very curious to see how well they worked.  As i mentioned earlier I do laundry every.single.day so it didn’t take long before I got to test out both the stain remover stick and the Soap Nuts.  I admit I was a little hesitant about not using laundry detergent (I am a bit of a scent snob and the Soap Nuts didn’t really have much of a smell) but I got over it and did a load of colors using only the Soap Nuts (and the stain stick when needed).  While I won’t say that the Soap Nuts got my clothes cleaner than detergent I will say that my clothes were as clean as they are when I use laundry detergent.  What I was most surprised about was that even though the Soap Nuts have no real fragrance my clothes did seem to smell so much fresher and cleaner than they do when I use laundry detergent, and for me that was a great bonus. 

Some of the Special Features of Demetria Organics Soap Nuts:

*  100% Natural and Organic

*  Biodegradable

*  Naturally soften fabric

*  Multi-purpose for other household cleaning

*  Hypoallergenic: perfect for anyone with sensitive skin or allergies to commercial additives, dyes, and fragrance

*  Free of manufacturing processes - From agricultural procedures through to packaging you are receiving a hand processed product

Overall I was very impressed with Soap Nuts (and believe me, when it comes to what I use to do my laundry I am very picky).  I love that they are all natural and eco-friendly, and the fact that you can save a ton of money by replacing your regular laundry detergent with them makes it all the more appealing!  Using Demetria Organic’s medium bag of Soap Nuts (500g) which sells for $20 you can do 150-200 loads of laundry, that comes out to about 10 cents per load…um HELLO, Soap Nuts where have you been all my life?

If you’re looking for the perfect addition to your Organic/Eco-Friendly gift baskets this holiday season make sure to include Soap Nuts, they also make a great stocking stuffer!  Also make sure you check out Demetria Organic’s in Misadventures in Baby Raising’s 2010 Holiday Gift Guide…jam packed with the hottest gift ideas for 2010!