Our latest zero waste find: soapberries

Have you heard about them?
For those who haven’t, soapberries are a berry-like fruit that works as soap! Yes, exactly what you are reading. They come from a tree called ‘Sapindus Mukorossi” that is part of the lychee family and grows in warm temperatures and tropical regions. Soapberries can be harvested from September to February. It takes 9 years for the tree to provide the fruit, but once it does, it can be harvested for about 90 years. Considering it harvests for 6 months a year…well, that’s pretty sustainable, don’t you think?
What can they be used for?
1.Laundry detergent
All you need to do is place the berries in a cotton bag and add them to your washing machine load. You can reuse them 4-6 more times and they are scent-free. How great is that?
2. Dishwashing liquid
Following the same logic as with the laundry, put 4 soapberries in the cotton bag and leave them in a sink full of water. You can also add vinegar to the mix for more effectiveness.
3. Shaving cream
For this, you’ll need to make broth out of the berries, add olive oil, and your favourite essential oils. Blend together until thick and apply to the skin to shave as normal.
4. Stainless steel and glass cleaner
Boil the soapberries and mix ⅔ of broth with ⅓ of vinegar. Put the mix in a spray bottle and voila!
So far, we have tried them as a laundry detergent as we can assure you they work really well! During this week, we’ll be trying some of their other uses. Stay tuned on Instagram to see the results, and if you try it first, don’t forget to tag us!