maggie's nuts and nellie's balls

Hey, keep it clean!
We're talking laundry here.

Maggie's Soap Nuts

Wait a minute. Nuts that clean laundry? Well, almost -- the nut in this case is actually the dried fruit of the Chinese soapberry tree. The fruit contains saponin, a natural cleaner that's been in use for millenia.

Soap nuts contain no additional ingredients (just nuts!). And if used in cold water, they can be re-used multiple times before discarding (you can throw 'em in your compost pile!). Your box of nuts also includes a cotton wash sack and a pair of seed earrings made by Balinese artisans. Read all the FAQs about Maggie's Soap Nuts here.

Get a 50-load box of soap nuts here.

Eco-bonus: In suffering rural economies Soapberry trees are cut down and sold as lumber and firewood to feed hungry families. Maggie’s Pure Land reserves the Soapberry harvest years in advance, providing families with guaranteed income from living Soapberry trees.


Nellie's Dryerballs



I came across Nellie's Dryerballs on a website the other day and I can't keep my mind off of them. These nubby little things actually reduce dryer time by up to 25% while acting as a chemical-free fabric softener. They also reduce lint and wrinkles as they speed up the drying process. Oh, and they have a two-year manufacturer's guarantee. I need to get some of these!

UPDATE: I'm not sure I'd recommend these, now that I know they are made of PVC. I also don't know if I'd recommend tennis balls, because of the potential for residual smell on your clothes. But I just found these wool dryer balls on Apartment Therapy, and a DIY version here.

(Surprisingly, Maggie and Nellie are not in cahoots.)