Soap nuts!! Do they really work?

[Dragonfly74]

I'm thinking about buying some Soapnuts to wash my dc's nappies and clothes.

I've done some reading up on them and although there's lots of good reports about them there seems to be an equal amount of bad.
So I would like some advice from anyone that has used them. What did you think Good or Bad?

Thanks.

I like them - though if nappies are soiled I use a little bit of soda crystals too

Google them and get a free sample first(lots of companies do them).
I'm not a fan - didnt seem to work even on midly dirty clothes (dried on mash)

Yes, I've used them for years. Not great on super-stained stuff (but then non-bio isn't either), but I wash all my boys' muddy P.E. kits using soapnuts and they come out great. As do the clothes my husband wears for gardening and mucking out chickens! They cope well with all day-to-day stains (I have 3 children including one who may be 11 years old but is still a messy eater!).

For whites (e.g. children's white school shirts and some P.E. kits), I chuck in a bit of Ecover laundry bleach as well, and our whites are still very white! Very rarely I also use the Ecover pre-treatment thingy on shirt collars and cuffs.

Get some free samples and have a go, work out what works for you, what loads need a bit of a boost etc. They are not a miracle cure but are pretty good all-round. And so cheap - I use mine 4-6 washes, then either compost or simmer the shells to get a solution for general cleaning purposes or even shampoo.