Natural products such as soapnuts and chestnuts promise to wash the laundry clean in an environmentally friendly way.
Unfortunately, you can only do this to a limited extent.
Regardless of whether in liquid or powder form:
detergents pollute the environment
.
They contain many chemicals such as soil-dissolving surfactants, bleaching agents, phosphates, fragrances, dyes and preservatives.
Wash chestnuts and nuts, on the other hand, promise to be the ecological alternative.
How useful are these natural detergents?
What are soap nuts and chestnuts?
Organic detergents * have been on the rise for years.
The most ecological variant appears to rely on
shells made of special nuts or chestnuts
.
Nowadays, even in drugstores, customers can choose between two types:
Soapnuts come
from the tropical soapnut tree.
The fruits contain soap-like saponins.
These are traditionally used in India to wash clothes, but also hair.
Wash chestnuts
are nothing else than our domestic horse chestnuts.
They also contain saponins.
Both agents promise to wash the laundry just as cleanly as common detergents - only more environmentally friendly.
Is that correct?
Also read:
Black pepper is the insider tip for the wash cycle - Have you heard of it
?
Soapnuts in the test: Better to do without them
Stiftung Warentest examined soapnuts and chestnuts in more detail in the summer of 2019 and
came to a
damning
verdict
: none of these eco-detergents could compete with common products.
The examiners found that the granules could not remove severe stains.
In addition, the laundry
was very gray after just a few
washes
.
The reason: Soapnuts do loosen the dirt from the laundry, but this is not rinsed off with the water, but instead settles on the clothing again.
Stiftung Warentest also sees
no advantage
in terms of the environment
.
They argue:
The clothes have to be washed more often, are used up much faster and are likely to be replaced soon.
The natural detergents do not have a limescale dissolving effect.
In regions with hard water, there is therefore a risk that the washing machine will break down faster and have to be bought new.
Soap nuts have to be flown in from Asia.
Another disadvantage: Since the demand for soapnuts in Europe has increased, prices have exploded in home countries.
This makes them unaffordable for the local people.
After all, you can
easily make
washing granules from chestnuts yourself in autumn
, as Ökotest recommends.
Also read:
Washing bed linen correctly and hygienically - this is how it works
.
Environmentally friendly detergent: how to wash properly
Even if soap nuts are apparently the most ecological detergent - you can also
clean your laundry in an environmentally friendly way
with conventional products
.
However, you should consider a few points:
Use
a
highly concentrated washing concentrate
.
Eco-labeled products are also beneficial.
Use the correct dose of detergent
: You can find out the hardness of your water from your supplier.
Only use as much detergent as is necessary according to the manufacturer.
The quantities for light to medium soiling are completely sufficient in most cases.
Use an
energy efficient washing machine
and wash at a
low temperature
.
For most items of clothing, 30 degrees is sufficient.
Make sure you load the drum fully.
Do not use fabric softener.
You only need a hygienic washer if a household member has a highly contagious disease.
* Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.
Also interesting:
clean the washing machine in a flash - without any chemicals
.
Those who use home remedies like this worsen the dirt
Those who use home remedies like this worsen the dirt