Soap Nuts Review & Giveaway Ends 5/27

Laundry Detergent. It's one of the banes of my existence. A) It's expensive and I have a husband who can't seem to figure out that it's concentrated and you don't need to use that much. B) Many of them are bad for the environment and your skin.

So after cruising the internet I discovered BuySoapNuts.com ...I thought "Soap Nuts? What?" and started doing some reading. Turns out that Soap Nuts are not actually nuts at all, they are berries that grow on trees in India and Nepal.

How can a berry be a detergent you ask? Well, the contain large amounts of saponin in there shells, which acts as a natural detergent when you combine it with water. They are gentle enough to use on your delicates but strong enough to get out nasty oders like those mildewed towels the kids left in a pile or those stinky cloth diapers!

When I contacted BuySoapNuts.com and asked them to participate in a review and giveaway on my blog, they were kind enough to agree and sent me right out a 500kg bag of Soap Nuts and a Coconut Coir Fiber Scrub pad.

I got my package in the mail and popped it open. My husband happened to be beside me when I was opening it and I have to be truthful here, we both looked at each other and thought no way. These nuts are ugly and kinda smell weird, although to be truthful, it could have been because they sat on the porch in the sun for a bit before we noticed them.

This weekend I geared myself up and used them on my laundry (no way was hubster gonna try them first, wimp). They are easy to use, you put 4 or 5 in one of the little muslin bags provided and toss in the washer with your clothes. That's it.

I had my doubts and am pleased to say here that I was wrong. My clothes came out clean, no odor, no stains (I hate when my clothes get stains from the darn detergent I put in there to clean them in the first place!) and fairly soft. You do have to remember to remove the muslin bag before you toss the clothing in the dryer and you can keep using the Soap Nuts inside of it for about 4 washes, they turn gray and mushy when you need to replace them. The 500kg bag I received sells for $22 and does 150-200 loads of laundry, which is a pretty good deal. If you prefer a liquid detergent these berries can be boiled with water and boom! Detergent! I have also read that many people with eczema have seen a noticeable improvement upon using Soap Nuts. I hope to see this happen after several washings, since the hubster does suffer with eczema.

I also had my doubts about the scrub pad, which is made with coconut fibers and bound with a non toxic adhesive and again, I was wrong. It seemed very stiff and I was afraid it would scratch my dishes but I gave it shot anyways and it cleaned them like a charm, not even scratching my good pot! This Scrub pad is nice because unlike your normal scrubby it isn't going to get the mildew smell from sitting on your sink or in your drainboard, because it doesn't retain water or nasty food residue!

All in all, I am pleased with my Soap Nuts and looking forward to trying them in different ways. The bag they came in lists ways to use them as All Purpose Cleaners, Steam Cleaning Spot treatment, window and glass cleaners and even in the dishwasher!!

BUY IT

You can purchase Certified Organic Soap Nuts in a $1 trial size all the way up to a 1kg bag HERE

WIN IT

BuySoapNuts has graciously agreed to give one of my lucky readers the same items I received. A 500kg (1.1lbs) bag of soap nuts, good for up to 200 loads of laundry and a Coconut Fiber Scrub pad.

*Mandatory Entry* Must be completed for any subsequent entries to count.

Follow Carrie's Rambles on Google Friend Connect.

Bonus Entries:

1. Visit BuySoapNuts.com and tell me something you learned, either about them or a different product you would like to try. 1 entry

2. Like Carries Rambles on facebook for 1 entry and share this with your friends for

2 addtional entries. Leave me a link & your user name

3. Follow ME on twitter and tweet this giveaway
Leave the link to the tweet.

Can be done up to 3x daily for 1 entry each

You may use this sample tweet if you like:

Soap Nuts Laundry Detergent & Scrub Pad Giveaway

Ends 5/27 #win http://bit.ly/cfTTCd @yorkiemomma

4. Grab my button and leave a link to where I can find it +3 entries

5. Blog about this giveaway and leave me a link +5 entries

6. Sign up for my emails. Must follow through and be verified. +2 entries

Giveaway is open to both the US and Canada. Ends 5/27 at 11:59 pm EST. Winner will be drawn by Random.org and have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is drawn.

Disclaimer: I was sent the above items for review purposes. I was under no obligation to provide a "good" review. All opinions are my own and other consumers may have differing opinions.