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Thursday, July 15, 2010

Soap Nuts Giveaway!

When I was contacted by Maggie's Pure Land Products about trying free samples of Soap Nuts Laundry Soap, I didn't really understand what I was signing up for. The nice person who contacted me tried to explain that this eco-friendly alternative to traditional laundry soap involved washing my clothes with dried fruit. But maybe I wasn't really paying attention. Then two generous packages of these little round dried nuts came in the mail:

You actually wash your clothes with these! They're totally vegan, hypoallergenic, low-sudsing, and super eco-friendly. The nuts come with a cute little reusable cotton sack:

Stuff the sack with 2 to 5 nuts (depending on whether or not you have an HE washer), tie it up, and toss it in the machine with your dirty skivvies. About a half an hour later, you've got clean underoos.

Afraid that these strange dried fruits would stain my clothes, I first tested the soap nuts on dirty sheets. The sheets came out of the wash clean and fresh-smelling. The Soap Nuts company also sent me a bottle of their laundry liquid (made from soap nut extract, lavendar, lemongrass, and tea tree oils), so I tested it on my delicates with perfect results. I went back to the whole nuts for my tough jeans and towels, all of which came out of the wash clean as hell (and I let my jeans get pretty funky before I finally wash them).

According to Maggie's Pure Land Products, soap nuts are the dried fruit of the Chinese soapbery tree, which is related to the lychee and rambutan. They're harvested in Indian and Indonesian jungles. Apparently, the locals there have been using these nuts as soap for ages. Here's a photo Maggie's sent me of soap nuts drying in the sun:

Maggie's Pure Land wants to give away a sample of soap nuts to three lucky readers! Leave a comment about your favorite article of clothing, and I'll use a random number generator to choose the three winners next Wednesday (July 21st). Tweet about the giveaway with a link back to my blog and then leave an additional comment for an extra entry. You can also mention the contest (with a link) on Facebook and leave another comment to let me know you did. If you have a blog, link back to this contest on your blog and leave me yet another comment.

That's an opportunity for four entries per person! But please, please, please leave an email address if you don't have a blog so I have a way to contact you. The winners will be able to choose between an 8-load liquid sample and a 5-load raw soap nut sample. Good luck!

UPDATE: A few commenters have expressed concerns about the mass marketing of soap nuts and how it might affect the prices of these natural cleansers for the indigenous people who've used them for years. I don't have enough information to speak to that point exactly, but I did find this link to information about the company's sustainable forest harvest (and paying living wages to workers who gather nuts) on their webpage. From a quick Google search, I can see that Maggie's isn't the only company selling soap nuts, and I'm not sure how their practices compare to the other companies. But I've emailed the company for more information. Until then, comment on! And good luck!

89 comments:

  1. I've never left a comment to anything on a blog, but I have to comment on this. Have you ever thought of that because these nuts become so popular in the eco-friendly-community, that the request of them is raising in the countries where they are used for ages and that the prices in these countries are rising because of the request. So the poor people in these countries often cannot afford the nuts any longer due the request of western civilisation. It may be more eco-friendly, but it's not really fair towards these people.
    Sorry if I made any mistakes, I'm no native speaker.

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  2. my jean cut-offs...so worn in and comfortable that i'm starting to sleep in them...

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  4. Anonymous, that's an excellent point. But I'm curious, is the supply too limited to meet the demand that the local price would rise? Or would higher demand invigorate the market and production? I'm asking because I don't know how it works. Do you have any sources I could check out?

    My favorite article of clothing is my Farm Sanctuary hooded T-shirt. It's big and soft, but light enough for cool Autumn days.

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  5. Black shift dress purchased years ago, but its still in great shape and functional for casual and formal occasions. Yay multitasking clothing!

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  6. my fave article of clothing is definitely my "Beef: It's What's Rotting in Your Colon" t-shirt :)

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  7. Those points may be true or it may be that the harvesting and exporting of soapnuts creates jobs for villagers in areas where jobs are scarce, improving lives for the locals, etc. As of now I would assume the demand for soapnuts are not that high and it seems to be a highly prevalent and mass producing tree.

    I would love to try these soapnuts. My favorite article(s) of clothing are my pajamas!

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  8. i blogged about it

    http://rickthehealthsle
    uth.blogspot.com/2010/07/friday-food-porn.html

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  9. Oooh favorite article of clothing...I have a really comfy and cute blue and white pinstripe dress that I LOVE and probably wear too often.

    (meghanrose.oneill@gmail.com)

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  10. My Cavaliers jersey. :( I got offered $80 to burn it the night LeBron announced he's leaving, but I wouldn't do it.

    These things look neat - always up for trying environmentally sound replacements for every day products!

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  11. My new JEANS that actually FIT! Hurray! By the way, thanks so much for all the info! They sell these at my co-op but they always smelled funky so I wasn't sure about them ;-)

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  12. I always do wonder about the local impact of going in and popularizing things from the jungle, even when it comes to bananas. (I have a friend who works at Chiquita and it's crazy the stuff they do.) But I doubt these soap nuts would ever be as popular as Tide, and I'd love to try them.

    My favorite jeans are worn in and close to being worn out.

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  13. My boyfriend jeans that were crazy cheap and make my butt look small. If only I had a boyfriend I love as much as the boyfriend jeans...

    Love the soap nuts!

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  14. I have two black comfy weekend skirts - perfect for warm weather and feel much like putting on pjs. :)

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  15. My favorite piece of clothing is my "What kind of asshole eats a lamb?" Shirt from Food Fight Grocery :) My dad sent it as a surprise...he knows me so well.

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  16. My favorite article of clothing is my green Purdue hoodie. It may look "well-loved", but I'm not giving it up!!

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  17. Tweeted the giveaway! http://twitter.com/loveliestfood/status/18685306097

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  18. say what!? dude, these are sooo cool. i want to toss around some nuts too!

    my fave article of clothing is probably an old shirt i have that has oscar the grouch on it, and it says 'scram'. oscar is my lovah.

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  19. This is so cool! My favorite piece of clothing (right now) is my red & white striped shirt.

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  20. The one pair of shorts that I bought on sale at a place that didn't let you try things on, so when I got them home and discovered they were too big, I tore them apart and resewed them. Not exactly perfectly, but well enough that they were the only pair of shorts I wore last summer (and fall, when I was traveling).

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  21. My summer dresses!!
    sdinthepdx@gmail.com

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  22. My favorite article of clothing is this shirt made of a bedsheet which goes to my calves made by my wife.

    I've long wanted to try thse. They're pretty expesnive as laundry detergent goes and I had been making my own (3 cents a load) before my homemade liquid nearly deep-sixed my HE washer.
    So now I'm back to using 20 cents a load HE store brand...

    I mgiht be wrong. I just checked prices and they seem to ahve fallen to about 9 cents a load if bought in bulk. Interesting.

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  23. I love my flannel pj's. Is that bad? They're just so comfy I could wear them all day. Except of course it's WAY too hot here now!

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  24. I linked on my blog:

    http://bit.ly/9kf5Bs

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  25. I tweeted!

    http://twitter.com/TanyaTheViolist/status/18694608876

    These things look SO cool. What an unusual thing to use to clean your clothes :)

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  26. 2o year old gap sweatshirt...so soft
    (if i win i will email an address?)

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  27. I have a pair of old jeans that are really soft and worn that feel amazing.

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  28. I tweeted about the giveaway @bealestreetchic

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  29. I also blogged about it: bealestreetchic.onsugar.com

    (Steals post)

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  30. How cool is that?!! I've never heard of soap nuts! Although that anon comment does make me a bit concerned...

    Anyhow, funny you ask what our favorite article of clothing is... mine is my new-ish black robe, and I JUST washed it for the first time yesterday. EEK! I want it to stay black.

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  31. Me again.
    As I am from Germany, I have unfortunately only links that are related to german websites. I'll post them anyway if somebody is interested.
    http://www.taz.de/1/leben/alltag/artikel/1/waschnuesse-mangel-durch-bio-boom/
    They say, that because of the eco-boom in Europe the poeople who live in India for example cannot afford any longer the Nuts, so they take normal washing agents which pollute the environment, but are less expensive than the environmental friendly nuts. You have to think of that most of Indias poor people wash their clothes directly in the rivers around, so the washing agents go directly in the water and pollutes it.
    It may be, that the nuts sounds good to all of us (which implies to me, that it may be that the demand IS rising quick), but is it really eco-friendly?!

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  32. I love the vegan cowboy boots my boyfriend gave me for Valentine's day a few years ago. :)

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  33. My favorite clothing item is my paranoia hemp dress pants. They are so cute to wear to work and especially comfortable wintertime

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  34. My Threadless t-shirts! These soap nuts seem too good to be true. I want to try them so badly!

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  35. Blogged about it:

    http://bayoucitybuddhist.posterous.com/maggies-pure-land-dharmaburger

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  36. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  37. And I tweeted it

    @BayouCityBuddhist

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  38. Thai Fisherman pants!! Best for lounging around in, and I even wear them to work on days when I don't have to see anyone important....

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  39. My favorite clothing item- a ripped, kelly green, ultra-soft, large men's t shirt that a friend left at my apartment- every time I wear it (to sleep only!) I think about the amazing summer I shared with this friend and others- it just oozes happiness.

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  40. I could live in my favorite shorts and tank top all year long, if they didn't need to be washed so often!
    Kate

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  41. My jean skirt- I've been wearing it every day!

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  42. I live in Texas so I LIVE in my summer dresses right now!

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  43. Ahh, fantastic giveaway! I gave up shampoo this summer in favor of baking soda, but have heard soap nuts also work very well!

    I would totally wash my favorite floral summer frock with those crazy fruits. :)

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  44. Oh I have heard of these and wondered how to use them!

    My favorite article of clothing are my work out pants.

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  45. I tweeted! https://twitter.com/singerinkitchen/status/18718404374

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  46. Well darn--I don't have a blog, facebook account or twitter account, so hopefully this one entry will be super duper lucky, lol! My fav article of clothing is my yoga/hangout pants...so comfy!

    Courtney

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  47. My indigo blue fake wool jersey from La Redoute (a French mail order catalogue). Love the colour, the softness of the fabric and that it is equally suitable for warm and cold weather.

    My email address is
    worldcitizenyes (at) gmail.com

    Good luck everyone!

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  48. I have a faded worn denim miniskirt that I have been wearing twice a week or more this summer- it is currently my go-to item when I have to dress in a hurry - and I can wear it hot or cold by adding a tank or a hoodie-

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  49. Wow! These sound so neat... I've never heard of them before.

    My favorite articles of clothing at the moment are my big, baggy shorts and shirts. Anything that fits loosely over my big baby belly is my favorite. :)

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  50. Blogged about it:

    http://www.missionvegan.com/soap-nuts/

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  51. Posted on FB.

    http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1280110923

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  52. Jeans, of course! I also really like gray t-shirts. :)

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  53. My favorite article of clothing? Pajama pants!!! :)

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  54. My fav is my organic peace frog t-shirt...so comfy! :o)

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  55. My favorite article of clothing is my white skirt- and it's a huge pain to keep clean. I always have to spot-treat it, and I'm super-paranoid when I drink coffee in it... I wonder if the soap nuts would keep it bright and clean?

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  56. Hoodies are my favorite article of clothing. And if I could name another, I would say pajama bottoms. But only around the house. I'll be back later with more entries.

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  57. I'm always looking for new environmentally friendly products. Just recently switched to Meyers dishwasher detergent and all organic body wash, shampoo, etc. So, I guess laundry detergent is the next step!

    My favorite article of clothing my favorite jeans that fit me like a glove. love them!

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  58. FB'd! http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/profile.php?id=1109040003

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  59. It's not exactly an article of clothing, but the first thing I would wash would be my sheets. Nothing beats clean, fresh sheets :)

    (laurendilkes@gmail.com)

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  60. This is the first I've heard of soap nuts. It's really intriguing and I'd like to give it a try. I use to hand wash my clothes with castille soap but never something so natural as this. I, too, wear my jeans at least 3 times before washing them and I'd like to give the soap nuts a go. Thanks Vegan Crunk!!!!

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  61. I posted on Facebook and twitter (@cryb and Yasmin Bowers)Awesome natural soap nut give-away http://vegancrunk.blogspot.com/2010/07/soap-nuts-giveaway.html. I learn something new evryday

    I hope I win!!!

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  62. My favourite article of clothing is my black VEGAN shirt - My dad screen printed it for me, so it's very special! :)

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  63. Wow, so intriguing! I'd love to try these.

    Hmm... my favorite article of clothing... well, at the moment it's an adorably retro black and white polka-dotted strapless dress I picked up at the thrift store yesterday - I can't wait for an opportunity to wear it!

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  64. Definitely a pashima scarf from a souq in Jerusalem. Everything feels cooler when you haggled for it!

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  65. My fave article of clothing is my black v-neck fitted tee. It matches most of my wardrobe, great for mix and match, and is the perfect canvas for all sorts of accessories.

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  66. My favorite article of clothing is my boyfriend's Mets t-shirt! I wear it all the time and it's now "mine" just don't tell him lol.

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  67. My favorite item of clothing is a pair of capris I turned into long shorts from the 2nd hand store near my Mom's house. So cozy and a very forgiving waistband :)

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  68. I have one pair of jeans that fits perfectly!! I can't find the brand anywhere so I have to take good care of the one pair I have :)

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  69. I blogged about the giveaway.
    http://veganandsoforth.blogspot.com/2010/07/we-ate-mexican-y-last-night-with-lot-of.html

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  70. Mentioned giveaway on facebook!

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  71. I like a cute t-shirt, preferably of an organic textile, that sports a vegan message. I need more of 'em! :)

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  72. Here goes my last chance!
    http://feedmesoulfood.blogspot.com/2010/07/vegan-pandamonium-blogger-meet-up.html

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  73. I came for the soap... ;)

    My favorite article of clothing? A pair of black, cotton gauchos. I can dress 'em up or dress 'em down, and they are the most comfortable things I own!

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  74. I guess my fav article of clothing would be my blue jean shorts. They are comfy and cute and I wear them alot!

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  75. I have this OLD blue DC skate hoodie that I've had for over 12 years and I LOVE this hoodie. It doesn't fit, the zipper is broken, it's totally ratty and has holes everywhere but every time I go through my clothes to down size it ALWAYS ends up in the keep pile!

    Kendra

    KayBabe785_1999@yahoo.com

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  76. Just questioning if eBay enables you to market [url=http://www.ticketchoice.com.au]concert tickets[/url] on the internet? Do you know if there are any restrictions depending on what country you are in?

    My parents have just known as me and asked if i could "get rid" of their two tickets to some concert as they wont have the ability to make it because of one more family event.

    Apart from asking close friends etc, i thought ebay would be a fantastic place to market them.

    But whats ebay's policy on promoting tickets? Ive heard alot about it around the news but ive forgotten what happened.

    and if it matters, the concert is inside of this coming month

    Thanks ahead of time for your advice.

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  79. Wow! Thanks! I generally wanted to write in my web site one thing like that. Can i consider portion of the submit to my web site?

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    Also welcome you!

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  80. I'm really Glad i ran across this site.Added vegancrunk.blogspot.com to my bookmark!

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