I was so excited when a friend of a friend emailed me and asked all about what I do here at From Dates to Diapers. You know me, I love to talk about blogging! I probably bored her to tears, but Stephanie, who is an Independent Chartreuse Consultant, asked me if I would be interested in reviewing some Chartreuse products. She wanted to send me some cleaning products, hand lotion, and some soap nuts. Soap nuts?, I thought. hmmmm
Most of you know that I’m not a green mom, by any stretch. However, my kiddos are starting to wipe down counters and toilets now, and I would much rather they inhale use organic cleaners infused with essential oils, rather than the chemical-laden liquids. Plain and simple. So, I thought we would try what Chartreuse had to offer. Boy, am I glad we did!
Stephanie sent me two of different cleaners – the All-Purpose Cleaner in Peppermint and the Bathroom Cleaner in Citrus. I use the All-Purpose everywhere, but mainly in the kitchen. This cleaner is seriously a miracle for cleaning up everyday messes! The Bathroom Cleaner is a bit stronger than the All-Purpose, both in effectiveness and on the senses. I was impressed to find that it really does get off soap scum, mold, and mildew with very little elbow grease. Ooh, and, in spite of it’s strong scent, it really does make the bathroom smell great!
I keep the Herbal Tea Lotion right next to my kitchen sink. It’s perfect for moisturizing my hands after washing them or rinsing the dishes. It, too, has a very powerful scent, and just a little dab’ll do.
Now, the Soap Nuts… I have to admit that I have yet to try them. Stephanie says they are a natural alternative to laundry soap, and I know they are more inexpensive, but I’m just not convinced that these little boogers can really clean my kiddos’ mud-encrusted jeans! Have you ever tried them? Can you convince me they work?
On that note, are you ready to fill an order, Stephanie? This not-so-green mama needs some more cleaning supplies!
More about Chartreuse:
Chartreuse was founded by a Bay Area mom of 3, only about a year ago. At Chartreuse they are all about changing the popular image that green products are boring, expensive or full of marketing hype. They provide unique, fashionable, earth-friendly products at reasonable prices and offer a selective array of products that will help you on your path to going green.
Check out Chartreuse’s wide array of products from Personal Pampering, and Organic Facial Care to Home Keeping (includes cleaners and laundry) and Biodegradable Bags.
If you see something you would like to try, please order through Stephanie!
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
No, I cannot convince you that soapnuts work. I wish I could. But experience has shown me that, while better than nothing – they don’t come close to regular detergent for cleaning.
Soap nuts, what a great idea! I completely agree that organic cleaning products are probably the best to kids and even adults to use, as the fumes of regular products are so horrible for us! Using as many organic products as possible will help keep our homes healthy, and our bodies happy
Def. let us know if they work! I’ve never used them but I’m now highly intrigued by all these natural products.
So many of my crunchy friends swear by Soap Nuts. But after a year of making my own laundry soap and ending up with dingy, stained clothes….sorry….I don’t think I can be swayed from my conventional detergent.
I use soap nuts on my cloth diapers and they work great! However if I have really soiled (AKA poopy)I let them soak in oxyclean and them wash in the soapnuts. No problem so far, after 22 months.
I have boiled the soap nuts to make a liquid out of it too and used it for cleaning around the house. It also works great and doesn’t have any nasty odors especially since I am pregnant I am very sensitive to smells.
For all those who have not tried them I suggest you check out some of the first person experiences with them from people with kids, cloth diaper folks, people whith MCS, and psoriasis, eczema, and dermatitis.
While not all companie’s sell quality soap nuts, which can definitely affect the outcome (results). Chartreuse definitely sells top quality soap nuts.
Rather than take my word for whether or not soap nuts work by visiting my blog about all the ways I use them, including on whites in cold water with no bleach (enviro-friendly or otherwise).
Checkout these sites if you really do want to either read the experiences of people who use them and have challenging laundry issues
http://www.naturemoms.com/blog/2007/05/30/natural-soap-nuts
http://tinychoices.com/2009/02/17/nuts-about-soap-nuts ;
or an independent review by a journalist who compared them to conventional green detergents
http://www.examiner.com/x-608-Early-Childhood-Parenting-Examiner~y2008m10d1-The-Best-Natural-Detergents
Please notice that I am sharing sites with people sharing their experience with several different brands. I have my own personal favorite company, but what I really want to share is that doubting people all over the world are hooked on soap nuts once they take the dive.
Besides I am sure that since you already believe in Chartreuse you will go to them for all your products and save some fossil fuel by getting your soap nuts there too.
hello,
Glad to hear that the fan following of soapnuts is increasing. I m a soapnut supplier for wholesale as well as retail. I would like to post my comment on your blog in a hope that this would help be get some business. To get soapnuts, kindly visit my blog at
http://soapnuts-online.blogspot.com
or email me at samruddhi.parmar@gmail.com
or you can call me at
+919764907663
Regards,
Samruddhi Parmar
Hi,
I hope you have had the chance to explore what soap nuts (soap berries) can do. The possibilities are endless. It’s just so simple that we actually have a tough time grasping it. A cleaning agent that grows on trees. How can that be? Mother Nature has many tricks up her sleeve. I think what is most important is that we stop listening to the marketing departments at P&G, J&J, Clorox, etc., stop buying into their smoke and mirrors – and start thinking for ourselves.
I am so pleased to see Stephanie embrace NaturOli and their standards. She is obviously doing things the right way – the greener way: eco-friendly packaging, concentrated Extreme 18X… Kudos! Soap Nuts are and aren’t a miracle. That solely depends on your perspective. If you expect them on their own to clean as well as harsh chemical detergents and cleaners, they’ll likely come up short in some departments. BUT they will surpass them in others.
We just have to get real and try to see the big picture. If we can significantly reduce the huge carbon footprints and toxicity in our world and lives caused all the chemical products on the store shelves by simply using soap nuts, why wouldn’t we? Maybe it’s because the people profiting by selling us all these big jugs poisons know how we think – and then lie to us. Yes, LIE. I hate to say that, but it’s the truth. Just do your homework. It’s not easy work, but the truth has a way of rising to the surface. Thankfully because of sites like this and people like Stephanie, we are all getting smarter – quickly. That is the key.
If you are looking for in-depth information about soap nuts (not sales hype), visit
http://www.soapnuts.pro
It is dedicated to education, instruction and raising our awareness of what soap nuts are and the impact they can have on our life.
Thanks Christine for sharing. I hope you discover that being greener doesn’t require much effort or compromise. We just need to learn how to properly use the tools that nature has already provided us.
Soap nuts are an incredible product that cleans as good as toxic chemical detergents, but are non toxic, non polluting, hypo allergenic and cost 2.5 times less than the toxic brands. For the best prices on soap nuts go to http://greenvirginproducts.com.
Eczema is really so itchy and i cant help but scratch it. Corticosteroid is a heaven sent because it can relieve the itchiness and redness. “
My sister uses soap nuts for making their own soap. All I have to say is that when we were at her house my son refused to drink water later explaining to me that after washing his hands after playing with the dogs, his hands still smelled like dog and he thought it was the water. Also he politely said he really likes his aunt but didn’t really liked the way she smelled.