Perusing the internet one day looking for more natural ways than harsh chemical detergents to clean my son's cloth diapers, I stumbled upon a chat forum of cloth diapering Mommas. The topic of discussion was "How do you keep your cloth diapers clean, stink-free and absorbent?" Or something along those lines. Many of the Moms said they swore by soap nuts. Now for all I knew, this was just another brand of 'eco-friendly' commercial man made detergents that usually cost a fortune. "Soap nuts? Nuts about soap? Clever name for a detergent company," I thought to myself. But just like the others that people were mentioning, I checked it out on good ol' faithful Google.

What came up astonished me, simply because a picture of a tree and little shriveled berries is what I saw first. "Are they actually nuts?? Huh! who ever thought soap grew on trees!" -My thoughts again. "I bet they don't work as good as 'regular' detergents though." Being the way I am, wanting to prove them wrong and be the only one on the Cloth-Diapering-Momma page who they didn't work for, I set out to find some and give them a shot. However, finding some in Western Canada, never mind Vancouver Island, was a challenge to say the least. I looked for nearly a week before finally buying some off of one of the Moms on the site who lives in Oliver BC (who apparently had enough to share the wealth, and it turns out she gets hers out of the states) and getting her to mail them to me. I was desperate ok? I have used them ever since and LOVE them.

But reaching into the box and finding I only had 5 left one day sent me into a panic. How am I going to get more without having to buy them from back East and pay tons of shipping, or having to buy out of the states and get charged shipping, duty, taxes AND the exchange rate?? I expressed my frustration to my husband, and Cleaner Planet Soap Nuts was born. I admit, it was his idea. He suggested, since they are so great, and obviously hard to get over here, why don't we try and be the ones to introduce them? Were we up for the challenge (and a challenge it has been!) of starting a business? Finding suppliers, doing market research, building a website, talking to people about their needs in this area, and oh so much more that comes with starting a business? Yes. We both love a good challenge.

And so it has begun. We look forward to building a relationship with you, our clients, and to finding more ways we can make this truly, a Cleaner Planet.

I shall start of with the technicalities. The species of soap nuts we supply is the Sapindus Mukorossi species of the Sapindaceae (soap berry) family. The fruit of the large deciduous Sapindus Mukorossi tree which grows in northern parts of India and Nepal are not really nuts at all, but are actually berries. The outer part of the berry, or the meat, is more like a thick skin which secretes a substance called Saponin. Saponin is a surfactant, or a "substance that when dissolved in water or an aqueous solution, reduces its surface tension" (dictionary definition). This allows dirt and grime to become suspended in the water rather than being stuck to your clothing (or hands, or dishes etc.). These berries once they are ripe, fall from the tree, are harvested, de-seeded, and dried in the sun to become what we know as the common (or not-so-common yet in Canada) Soap Nut. Being essentially nothing but a dried fruit, they are dye and fragrance free and completely compostable once they have been used several times.

Find out even more about Soap Nuts by visiting the Frequently Asked Questions  and Uses pages.