Soapnuts: Better Than Tide?

I picked up a couple of little sacks of soapnuts at a craft fair today. I'm about to do my first load of laundry with them and I'm way too excited about that.

What are soapnuts? Well, they are the dried fruit of a small tree that's indigenous to India & Nepal. They have a high saponin (cleansing agent) content and supposedly make awesome laundry detergent. Take four or five in a linen pouch and throw them in with your wash and that's it...and you can use them 5 to 6 times. Bonus: When you're done with them, compost them.

Standby for the review....

Spray Bottles Galore

I love having an assortment of spray bottles (Ikea has the best ones in their garden department) around the house to use for cleaning solutions. My partner thinks this is an hilarious idiosyncrasy. I think it's practical. I have one with Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day All Purpose cleaner, another with vinegar and water for glass, and another with a little Murphy's Oil Soap for the hardwood floors.

Duh: buying concentrated versions of the products, or making your own and filling reusable containers and means much less packaging waste.