Soap Nuts

Bubbly Bubbly Berry !!

It had all begun when I bought a new washing machine.. I was skeptical on the water consumption of upto 150litres for each wash load.
 ie: In an year, approximately
45,000 liters is polluted with detergent chemicals - is useless for any other purpose and is simply drained into the sewage.

150 liters 1 load / day
150 liters x 4 loads/ Week = 600 liters
150 liters x 16 loads/Month = 2,400 liters
150 liters x 300 loads/ Year = 45,000 liters

From the core of my heart, I choose to restore and recycle the graywater to recharge the ground water. But, this graywater is totally useless for watering my plants as they can not thrive in the harsh water nor is it good to divert to rain water harvesting pit, as it would pollute the underground water table resources.

I started to analyse on the composition of the polluted water and found that the chemicals in the detergents and fabric softeners are the main cause of pollution.
I headed to think of eco-friendly alternatives to the detergents and fabric softeners and made a lot of enquiry and research in market.

Upon profound research and analysis,I found that SOAP NUTS (Kumkudukaya in telugu) are the natural and best alternative, as they are eco-friendly and no chemicals are going into the sewage system and water table.
Hence, we had now connected the washing machine outlet pipe to rain water harvesting pit to recharge the ground level water.

Soap Nuts are probably the most sustainable and versatile cleaning product available from nature. It is organic, non-allergic, cheapest and very effective multipurpose cleanser.

How do they work on laundry? 

The Soap nuts contain saponin, which works as a natural surfactant. Surfactants reduce the surface tension of the water, essentially making it wetter and easier to penetrate into soiled fabrics. This combined with the agitation of washing machine or handwashing removes the dirt or particles, then keeps them away from your clothing until rinsing occurs.

Most commercial detergents contain chemical surfactants, some of which (such as 1,2-Dioxane) have been shown to be carcinogenic and volatile. But soap nuts are all-natural and have been used for centuries around the world.

Properties and its Uses:

• Ideal Cleanser: Soap nuts create less foam with more washing quality, which is highly recommended for front loading washing machines too.
•  Natural Fabric Conditioner: Helps retain color and shine of the fabric. Gives soft fabrics, without the need to add fabric conditioners.
• Biodegradable: The left over suds are 100% decomposed adding to the soil fertility.
• Multi purpose cleanser: Can be used in washing machine, dishwasher, floor cleaning, toilet cleanser, car wash, exhaust fans, hair and body wash, pet shampoo, gold/diamond jewellery cleaning etc..
• Non- Allergic: Free from harsh chemicals which irritate skin and respiratory system.
• Anti-Bacterial and Anti- Fungul: Good to cure Microbial and scalpy infections.
• Affordable: Very low in cost as compared to any detergents and multiple cleansers available in the market.
• Absolutely odourless: The clothes smell natural, without any chemical traces.
• Availability: Its abundant in villages and easily accessible.
• Eco-Friendly: Simple packaging ,instead of the processing industries in large scale, replacing multiple plastic bottles, which is a big havoc to the environment.
• Gentle Cleanser: Delicate on hands, washing machines, all types of fabrics and surfaces, wich need extra care such as silks, wollen's, siffons, lingerie and baby clothing.
•  Insecticide: Can be used to treat lies in the hair and insects in the garden and kitchen. Soap nuts can also be used to wash fruits and vegetables, to remove traces of pesticides.

Bubbling Soapnut juice ready to use

In a nutshell, Soapnuts are a naturally healthy way to stay clean.

It's as simple as just soaking few soapnuts(15 -20) in hot water, and the liquid can be used in many ways throughout the day. I have been doing everything possible I could with soapnuts from the last 10 months and they had worked amazingly well for my laundry, home cleaning, hair and body.

I'm astonished at the way nature provides us with everything we need - We only have to take time and LOOK for it.

Cheer up local farmers/girijans by adding income to them and let the aqautic animals thrive happily in waterbodies.

If about 45,000 liters of water per household can now be reused, imagine the water that can be saved from multi-storey complexes every year....  Isn't the idea of reusing water that's just going into drainage exciting ?
We had connected the washing machine outlet pipe to rain water harvesting pit to recharge the ground level water and also water our garden, and our plants are very healthy now.

Reuse
Recycle
Restore
The water to best of our awerness..!!

Start exploring and try the soapnuts to save our environment and the sparkling magic to happen !!

Please do share with us, the ways you adopt for a eco friendly lifestyle.

  Long Live The Potter !!

The earthenware had been an age old tradition of every Indian household, which flourished the potters in every village, is now fading away with time.

Facing all the odds of the changing technology and industrialization, they are easily available today, cheap, Eco-friendly and with maximum health benefits.

 Clay pot cooking is a beautiful ethnic way of preparing food, which is slow, even and delicate.

Cooking is fun with pots, each pot has its own story to convey about the creativity, focus, optimism and hardwork of the potter behind.

Benefits of using clay pots :

• Non-Reactive: Clay pots do not react with food, like the metal utensils do.The metallic ions leach into the food in aluminium/iron/non-stick vessels, which are slow poison to our body leading to alzheimers, diabetes, arthritis, early ageing and digestive disorders.  
Aluminium is soft and highly reactive metal. Contact with strong acids, alkalies and salts from food causes the metal to dissolve and form pits. Often, boiling tomatoes, tamarind and acidic dishes like sambar cause the metal to dissolve rapidly and affect the taste of the cooked food.   

• Neutralizer: Clay is alkaline in nature, hence the overly acidic foods like tomatoes, kenaf(gongura), tamarind etc are neutralized, balancing the ph levels, which is appetizing and healthy.

 
• Nutrients Retained: High pressure(forceful) cooking degrades beneficial vitamins and minerals in food.
Up to 100% of the nutrients are retained when cooked in pots, unlike 7% to 13% when cooked in pressure cooker or aluminium cookware. 

According to the researchers at the CDRI (Central Drug Research Institute) Lab in Lucknow, on  preservation of nutrients.

 
• Retains Moisture: The porous nature of clay, retains moisture and heat thus making the food juicier and tender. 
Curd prepared in clay pots is thick, creamy & delicious.   

 
• Retains Heat:  The cooked food retains heat for longer period of time as compared to metal utensils. 

 
• Flavorsome: The food is naturally tastier and yummy, when cooked in pots.
Clay pot cooking helps to carry spices and seasoning much deeper into food and helps reduce the use of salt. Very less oil and less water/stock needs to be added with this cooking technique. Food cooked in clay many times is lower in fat and rich in nutrients when compared with food prepared by other utensils.  

 In Pressure cooking process, the foods becomes soggy due to over cooking, whereas in pots the food is fluffy, loose and bring satiety.

  
• Natural water coolant: Water stored in clay pots in summer is more gentle on throats.The water has natural taste, pleasantly chilled and helps in improving metabolism.


• Low Maintenance: The earthen pot ware are easy to clean, without the use of harsh dish washing bar soaps or detergents.

Our Kitchenmates since 4 years

 
The process of making clay pot is a far cry from the mining, processing and making of metal cookware and its dangerously detrimental effects, it has on the environment.

              Applauding the health and environmental benefits of clay pots, lets us encourage our good old potters to a better livelihood, and there by helping ourselves to take control on the way we cook for a healthier and toxic free lifestyle 😘 

Do not panic about the fragility of the pots and their maintenance, below are few useful instructions and tips.

Preparation of a clay pot for cooking:

1. Buying a clay pot from a local potter nearby or markets costs around Rs.40/-  to max Rs.100/- and do give a thorough check if any cracks or pits.
2. Wash it thoroughly and immerse the pot completely in water for around 24hrs. 
3. Now clean it thoroughly inside and outside with a scrubpad and salt or baking soda or soapnut(Kunkudekaya) juice.
   Do not use detergents and soaps, which leaches into the pots and is absorbed by the food cooked.
4. Boil water in the pot with medium heat for a while, and dispose the water.

Now, the pot is ready to cook for the first meal.

Dal with leafy-veg delicately cooked

From the next meal, the pot can be directly used or soak it in water for 10mins pre-cooking, for better results.

Precautions:

• Do not leave the empty pot on heat/stove for long, which leads to cracks. Increase the temperature gradually from medium to high. 
• Sudden changes in temperature leads to cracks, hence do not put the hot pot post-cooking in cold water immediately, Let it cool to the room temperature before cleaning.
• Do not use harsh detergents or soaps to clean. Cleaning with salt/ baking powder/ ash left over flours/  soapnuts juice, is recommended.
• Let it dry completely before storing. Store the clay pot with the lid off allowing air to circulate. 

So what are you waiting for? Go get the pots and have a scrumptious meal!!😁

Delicious Pot Biryani in Progress

 




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