Weaverville


Soap nuts offer gentle, eco-friendly cleaning


By Matt Tate You are likely to find dishwash-


ing detergent, dish soap, window cleaner, surface cleaner, floor clean- er and a litany of other chemicals acting as a specific, and often lim- ited, cleaning agent under most do- mestic sinks. Mari Fox at Shecology said two-


thirds of those sprays and liquids can be disposed of, by eco-friendly measures of course, and be replaced by the soap nut. Soap nuts are at the heart of She-


cology, an online supplier located in Weaverville, but their origins trace back to the Himalayan foothills on India. Fox said the nuts, which look like


dried fruit shells and possess a smell akin to vinegar, are harvested from trees. Inside is a high concentration of saponin that, when in contact with warm water, releases a foamy substance that can act as a 100 per- cent natural cleaner, laundry deter- gent or odor remover. In laundry, they can be put in


a bag and used several times. To clean, they can be boiled down to a liquid. She said using soap nuts for the


first time requires a release from the norm. “It really is for people willing


to experiment and have an open mind,” she said. “But it’s really quite amazing how well they do.” Fox, a passionate environmen-


THE ONLY


Mari Fox says soap nuts are anti-microbial, anti-bacterial and hypo-allergenic.


talist, had used the eco-friendly cleaning products that are widely available at grocery stores. One day while searching for a specific brand from store to store, she realized not only was she polluting the air with exhaust fumes, but she was search- ing for a chemical-based product packaged in plastic. After spending time research-


ing, she happened upon soap nuts, and experimented with her friends, providing them with nuts from a variety of vendors. She settled on a


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vendor and promptly ordered 3,500 pounds to her home. Using eco-friendly packaging


and instructions, she began roll- ing out Shecology in the fall and is ready to introduce them to the North Buncombe community and beyond with hopes of making her way into bulk sales at area retailers. “I try to simplify it and give peo-


ple the easiest way to use them,” she said. More can be found at shecology.


com.


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