We all try to do our bit for the planet, whether it’s upcycling furniture, recycling food packaging or buying second-hand bits and bobs. But it seems there’s another way we can be more environmentally-friendly... and it involves a laundry day conker hack.
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A woman on Instagram has shared an unlikely natural product that she uses instead of traditional washing detergent – a humble conker. Her simple trick involves turning the conkers into a soapy liquid as an alternative to washing detergent, which can be harmful to the environment.
Laundry day conker hack
Blogger Josephine Becker explains to her followers how to prepare the conkers for use and how to prevent any brown stains appearing on clothes. She even offers a step-by-step tutorial on the process.
First, collect the conkers and cut them up into quarters before soaking them in a jar of water overnight. Following this, you'll see the liquid collect a foam – which Josephine says is the saponins found in soaps.
After, sieve the water to remove any leftovers. Thenpour the water straight into the washing machine drawer, in place of detergent or powder.
Josephine adds that this process has meant her clothes are the cleanest they've ever been. She's taken to collecting enough conkers for an all-year-round supply.
In her post she writes, ‘Trends such as buying soapnuts, which are shipped over from e.g. India, is C02 intensive. It harms local populations by driving up prices, appropriating their traditional-used items and is also super unnecessary because we have our own soapnuts in Europe/N.America.’
But it seems the conker hack is not only a great option for the planet. It also works wonders for people with sensitive skin.
Another clever laundry day solution: Lynsey Crombie share her genius hack to dry clothes faster in winter
One person replied to Josephine’s post saying, ‘I’ve been doing this for a year and it’s also really good for anyone with eczema/sensitive skin. I am allergic to certain washing powders but I’ve never had any problems using conkers.’
Are you going to give it a try?
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