Sapindus mukorossi - Soap Nuts

The Sapindus mukorossi tree has been a source of free and natural detergent for the washer women of Himalayas.

The fruit of the Sapindus mukorossi contains a chemical called saponin which is a natural detergent and by adding it to your normal washing machine it is possible to avoid potentially environmentally damaging chemicals.

Levente Szabo; from Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design in Hungary has just won the Electrolux design award for his invention, the E Wash, which uses soapnuts instead of detergent.

Soapnuts are available in the UK already and it is possible to grow the tree easily in the UK climate.