in that I don't want my washing to smell of stupid things like diamonds

[Jux]

which don't even have a smell FFS! Nor do I want it to smell of some sort of composite idea like Sunny Days, whatever the hell that is.

I want to use fabric conditioner which smells of something nice like, oh, apple.

Yes, I want it to smell of apples. Have these ridiculous people ever heard of them? Apples are real things which have a real smell.

Can I get a fc which smells of apple? I CANNOT. All I can get is bloody jewels or other abstract nonsense.

I need to use something that smells nice on the clothes tho, esp if hanging out on the line. Washing that comes in from our garden always smells rank to me - brought up as a country girl, I now live in a suburb of nottingham, and think the traffic & local chemical plant make the 'fresh air' far less fresh

Anything that doesn't smell like damp (where I may have accidently left the wet clothes in the machine for a day or two) is great in my books... also what ever is cheapest and will give me the most washes!

I love Soap nuts as they are cheap, work brilliantly, leaves my washing soo soft and chemical free!

We have rediculously sensitive skin though so it is great. I use 8 nuts a week for 7/8 loads. Not bad when 500g costs £7.

Also should add that I now cannot abide soap powder or fabric conditioner as it smells so strong and artificial!

Regarding th shampoo a lkot of the things in it are only to make your hair shiny, I always swore by NUtri gloss so you can imagine my surprise when I started using a goats milk shampoo bar and my hair felt much better (even though I thought it was fine anyway) so I now only use Nutri gloss to give my hair an extra boost if I am going out somewhere special just for that added glossiness!

I love the smell of my fabric conditioner before it goes in to the washing machine but my actual washing never seems to smell! My mom's and sisters do though, not sure what I do wrong

Well, you all now have a lot to live up to as I have ordered some soapnuts - if my washing is not super clean and fresh smelling I'll be back

Caught :o

My mum and gran are uber clean freaks (a gene I never inherited ) and when I told them I had bought soap nuts for my washing they were both boaking at the thought of unclean washing and just rinsing laundry instead of using soap... a month on and they are now both fully stocked up with a huge bag of soapnuts which they boght themselves after I gave them a sample :o

The nuts themselves smell a bit woody but it never clings to clothes they just smell well of nothing but once they have been hung outside it is lovely to just get that fresh and clean smell. You can also use essential oils (just 2 or 3 drops) in the FC drawer to scent it if you want but personally I might do this when I can't hang washing outside.

A few tips though,
You really need to wash at 40 degrees or they don't do the job properly as they are heat activated
They don't contain brighteners as they are natural so over time your whites may fade a bit but I have not had a problem with this after a month although you can use a bit of eco bleach or similair to brighten every now and then.
They also can't remove stubborn stains very well so if I have an issue with something I presoak and scrub in soapy water or bung in half a cap of Ace bleach.

I know the Ace defeats the purpose of no chemicals but it is not evry often I have to do this and I don't buy soap powder or FC so it balances out IMO

I change mine on a Wednesday and Sunday night, so 7 half shells does 4 washes, then let DS dig a hole and bury them in the garden when they have been used :o

Thanks upyourdiva, that's really helpful

I usually wash at 40 degrees so that will be OK and we don't have whites other than sports equipment (very messy DCs).

I've ordered from ebay so possibly won't come with instructions so very useful to know how many to use - do they always come as half shells ?

I read the reviews on the Lakeland website and it seems that there can be problems with the bag you put them in so I will have an old sock ready.

I'm now excited about using them and just hope it not going to be a real let down.

YANBU, my current detergent is lemon scented and the conditioner is supposed to be pearl or something but smells basically of honey. My laundry comes out smelling like a cold remedy.

jux had to lol at the "nothing smells clean". I get the same.. and I get complaints about scratchy towels which has me, in my head, running around like a loony screaming "WE LIVE IN A HARD WATER AREA YOU PONCE... IF YOU WANT SOFT TOWELS GET A SOFTENER FITTED TO THE TAP". I can't tip tonnes of softener into the machine because the lo has eczema and gets itchy if you use it. Scratchy towels it is then. (No-one does towels like his mum, gak!)
I also hate any advert that has people sniffing Hibiscus flowers.... they don't smell! Hardly any tropical flowers do.. they have big brash petals to attract the bugs... not a scent!

I don't use conditioner much, but one I like is the ASDA own brand eco one, which IIRC doesn't claim to smell of anything in particular but is a sort of gentle lemony.

caughtinanet - you can boil your soap nuts in water to make soap nut liquid. i find it cleans much better than just bunging nuts in the machine.

50g of nuts can make 2L of liquid, you use 100ml per wash so it lasts ages especially if you freeze it in ice cube bags.

just put 1L water in a pan with the nuts and boil for 20 mins, strain through a sieve with a flannel in it and pop into an air tight bottle or ice cube bags and either keep in the fridge or pop in the freezer.

the soap nuts can be boiled 3 more times making it up to 2L.

bamboobutton, how do you use the liquid? Do you bung it in hte machine? (Am I being very stupid?!)

i measure it into a jug and just pour it straight onto the clothes in the machine.

if i'm using frozen stuff i melt it in the microwave first.

Thanks bamboo - I've ordered enough to try both method. So you put it in the machine itself rather than the drawer ?

Ooh Bamboo, I might give that a shot too. I read somewhere that you can use the liquid for cleaning around the house too.

Caught - I ordered mine from inasoapnutshell and you get a little zip pouch with them, you can buy a sample pack (lasted a week) for 75p which includes the little bag.

I have never had issues with it, it's just a plain white mesh bag with a zip at the top, not sure about others though.

Another warning, they won't always be halved if you find whole ones break them open and if there is a nut inside remove it as these can leave dirty marks on your clothes!

I'll have to start using "go boil your soap nuts" as an insult; it has a pleasing rhythm to it...

i tried it in the drawer but worried slightly when it all drained away so i just pour it straight into the drum.

i get my nuts from here www.soapnuts.co.uk/ which was the cheapest i found.

forgot to add that soap nut liquid keeps for 2 weeks when kept in the fridge, which is why i also freeze them.

Are there different quailities of nuts ?

These ones on ebay seem to cheaper than the ones on your webite bamboo

cgi.ebay.co.uk/1-Kg-Indian-Soap-Nuts-Soapnuts-Soap-berries-/220752958655?pt=UK_HomeGarden_CLV_Cleaning_CA&hash=item3365e6d4bf

yes there are different types.

this here explains.

i haven't used ebay for years after a few bad experiences but i think i will start buying them from there now!

Do any of you have a voucher code for soapnuts.co.uk?

I don't want my washing to smell of anything edible, like cinnamon or fruit.

Blue Comfort will do fine.

What exactly do diamonds smell like?

Waitrose do a whole range of fabric softeners, more variety than most of the big brands and obviously slightly cheaper than p&g or Unilever. They smell divine! Dh secretly loves them, I catch him sniffing the green one in the cupboard ;-)

You could use a tiny bit of apple scented conditioner instead of fabric conditioner

Heracles please can we make that a thing!

What does fresh sky even mean Comfort?

Or what about things that smell like "fresh linen" depends now what you washed the linen in....