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We’re all pinching pennies (if we’re lucky enough to have them) these days, stretching our paychecks to their limits. And in our quest to live eco-friendly lives, we’re also becoming more conscious of the health hazards associated with everyday products. But here’s the catch: greener options often come with a higher price tag. Just take a stroll down any store aisle and you’ll see what I mean.

Recently, I came across numerous articles about the rise of green profiteering across all industries. It’s disheartening, but not surprising. And amidst all this, there were also some misguided pieces that labeled soap nuts as an expensive green alternative for laundry detergent. Boy, were they wrong. I received a few apologies (sort of) from these writers who clearly didn’t do their homework. When you base a study on faulty premises and shoddy testing techniques, you end up with erroneous data.

One of the major issues with soap nuts is the lack of comprehensive information available, which has led to some confusion. One writer claimed that the cost of using soap nuts was around 50 cents per load. That’s complete nonsense, and I set her straight right away. When used correctly, soap nuts are actually one of the most affordable ways to do laundry. It’s really simple math, if you have the right data to work with.

Now, here’s an important caveat: it’s not cost-effective to buy small quantities of soap nuts, like samplers or just a few ounces. The purpose of those “samplers” is to simply try them out. If you like how they work, you’ll want to buy larger quantities to reduce the overall cost per load.

Let’s compare the cost of using soap nuts to using commercial detergents that we’re all familiar with. Here are the numbers:

You can purchase about two pounds (32 ounces) of good quality soap nuts for around $30. This is a common amount that knowledgeable soap nut users would buy. When used in the traditional manner, you’ll use approximately half an ounce in a wash bag, which gives you around 5 loads. So, with 32 ounces of soap nuts, you’ll get approximately 320 loads for $30. Personally, I can usually get even more loads than that, but let’s be conservative and stick with 4 loads per half-ounce for now.

Now, let’s break it down. With only 4 loads per half-ounce, you’ll get 256 loads out of 32 ounces. That means the cost per load is $0.127. And keep in mind, we’re talking about standard loads, not high-efficiency loads that can stretch the usage and lower the cost per load even further.

Now, let’s compare these numbers to the cost per load of well-known natural and other types of detergents. I’ve taken these prices from reputable sellers and they’re typical prices that you can easily find. Again, these soap nut prices are based on standard loads, not high-efficiency loads.

Here are some common sizes of soap nuts and their cost per load:
– 64-ounce bag: $57.95 for 512 loads ($0.113 per load)
– 32-ounce bag: $29.95 for 256 loads ($0.117 per load)
– 16-ounce bag: $19.95 for 128 loads ($0.155 per load)
– 8-ounce bag: $12.75 for 64 loads ($0.199 per load)

And now, let’s look at various commercial detergents in typical sizes and their cost per load, according to the manufacturers’ instructions:
– Seventh Generation’s Free and Clear Natural Laundry Detergent 2x Ultra: $11.99 for 50 loads ($0.239 per load)
– All’s Small and Mighty 3x Concentrate for HE washers: $8.49 for 32 loads ($0.265 per load)
– ECOS Laundry Detergent, Ultra Concentrated with Soy Fabric Softener: $9.49 for 26 loads ($0.367 per load)
– Tide’s 2x Concentrated Laundry Detergent: $14.99 for 32 loads ($0.468 per load!)
– Dreft’s 2x Concentrated Baby Laundry Detergent: $31.99 for 110 loads ($0.290 per load)
– Babyganics 3x Concentrated Laundry Detergent: $13.49 for 33 loads ($0.408 per load)
– Method’s 3x Concentrated Baby Laundry Detergent: $10.99 for 32 loads ($0.343 per load)
– Mrs. Meyer’s Lavender Laundry Detergent: $13.49 for 32 loads ($0.421 per load)

When you compare these numbers, it’s clear that soap nuts are incredibly affordable compared to most detergents. And keep in mind, these are just average prices. Soap nuts come out to be less than half the cost per load compared to Tide’s flagship detergents.

Let me share a story to illustrate the point. I gave a bag of soap nuts to a single mother friend of mine who is raising three children. She has been working tirelessly to make ends meet. And let me tell you, she couldn’t stop raving about how well they worked. Her laundry has never smelled so clean and soft, her washing machine no longer reeks of mold and mildew. She struggled to describe the scent because there is no scent. How do you describe the scent of something pure and clean?

But it doesn’t stop at laundry for her. She’s been experimenting with soap nuts and recently told me that the liquid she made cleaned her coffee maker better than even CLR did. Now, that’s impressive! She says her coffee maker works and looks brand new again.

Soap nuts are gaining popularity for a reason. They’re affordable, eco-friendly, and they work wonders. So why not give them a try and see for yourself? Your wallet and the planet will thank you.
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Ihab Salloum