Homemade Healthy Natural Cleaners
Soapberry Homemade Laundry Cleaner
Warm Wash
To do laundry in a warm water wash, place 3 to 4 soapberries in the small sack provided. Place the sack in with your laundry. You can re-use the same soapberries 3 or 4 times.
Cold Wash
For a cold wash, make a cup of liquid soap by soaking 4 or 5 bagged soapberries in a cup of very hot water for approximately 3 minutes. Pour both the soapberry liquid and bag in wash.
You may want to add Borax when washing whites.
The soapberry does not foam very much which makes it perfect for front loading washing machines.
All Natural Recipe for Homemade Liquid Soap
To make natural liquid soap, put 6-10 soapberries in 4 cups of water and boil for about 10 minutes. After the liquid cools, strain-off the soapberries which can then be placed in the compost heap. Store the liquid in an appropriate container in the refrigerator. Add citric acid, lemon or essential oils and the refrigerated liquid soap will be good for about 10 days.
You can make a higher saponin concentrated liquid soap by adding more soapberries to the same amount of liquid.
Uses for Homemade Liquid Soap
Note: Natural saponin from soapberries does not foam like commercial products which have additives to make them foam. The amount of foam present has nothing to do with how well it cleans.
All Purpose Cleaner
Use this natural soap liquid to clean the bathroom, kitchen, floors, windows, appliances and cars. Put the liquid in a spray bottle, add it to a bucket of water, and use it on a sponge.
Liquid Laundry Cleaner
Use about 3 tablespoons of the soapberry solution in a wash.
In the Bath
Simply place a half a cup of your liquid soap in your hot bath water and enjoy yourself. Wash or soak and when you come out your body will feel clean and soft.
Liquid Hand Soap
Put the liquid soap in a bottle for use in cleaning your hands. It leaves you healthy clean.
Shampoo
Soapberry liquid is not as thick as standard shampoos, and does not create as much lather, so do not use too much, as a little goes a long way. Soapberry liquid shampoo will leave your hair naturally clean. If your hair feels slightly dry after using soapberry shampoo, you may have used too much.
Soapberry liquid shampoo will naturally help prevent dandruff and keep your hair soft and strong. To treat dandruff, apply the liquid on your scalp and leave on for 5-10 minutes. Make sure the liquid does not get into the eyes as it will burn. Rinse hair with water.
Adding a few drops of tea-tree oil to the shampoo will help prevent a dry scalp, and is great for treating dandruff. Otherwise adding a few drops of rosemary essential oil is great for dry hair that tends to frizz. The rosemary helps make hair more manageable.
An alternative is to simply add a few sprigs of fresh rosemary when making soapberry liquid.
Homemade Dish Cleaner
Clean dishes by hand or in a dishwasher. For hand washing of dishes, pour the soapberry liquid into a basin filled with water. For the dishwasher, place the soapberry liquid in the soap dish. Vinegar can be added as a rinse.
Jewelry Cleaner
Soak jewelry in a mild soapberry solution before rinsing, drying and polishing the pieces.
In the Garden
Spray the soapberry solution on plants to keep away bugs.
Pet Shampoo
Use the soapberry liquid in a pump or pour bottle to wash your pets. It will keep the fur soft and clean. It will also help repel pests. Add tea-tree oil to the soapberry liquid for a nice clean fragrance and extra pest control.
Clean & Detoxify Food
Soak your fruit and vegetables for approximately 10-15 minutes in the soapberry liquid. Rinse off and enjoy this food free from harmful chemicals and residue.
Window Cleaner
Mix 8 ounces of water with ½ ounce of soapberry liquid and ½ ounce of vinegar. Spray on windows and mirrors. Wipe off with newspaper or a dry cloth.
