Let nature do the washing

A hot summer is coming to an end. We leave the sweltering heat behind us. We swap the heavy summer thunderstorms for fog and fresh, cool air. We swap the memory of kilos of ice cream for the desire for cosy, warm pumpkin soup. The shorts disappear into the back of the wardrobe, where we dig out our autumn coats.

An autumn walk through the woods takes me back to my childhood. Look what’s hiding under the colourful leaves on the ground. I find it hard to stop myself and collect as many chestnuts (conkers) as I can until my coat pockets are full. As children, we used to make funny animals out of them. Admittedly, I had more fun with my grandma than on my own. That's why they just lie around. After the chestnuts were moved around the flat about five times, I realised that there are people who use them for washing clothes. As this sounded like a very sustainable use for them, I definitely wanted to give it a go. So, after a lot of research, I took the plunge.

• - 5-10 chestnuts
• - 1 litre of warm water
• - a large screw - top jar

For the chestnut washing detergent, I wash about 10 chestnuts thoroughly. To chop them up, I put them in a small bag and break them into small pieces with a meat mallet (or alternatively a hammer) (the smaller the better).

I pour the resulting chestnut granules into a larger screw-top jar and fill it to the brim with warm water. I leave the mixture to stand until the liquid is milky white, shaking it occasionally. This can take one or more hours.

I pour the mixture through a sieve. I can now use the strained liquid as normal detergent.

A dash of vinegar can also be used to counteract limescale build-up in the washing machine if the water contains limescale. If you don't want to do without the scent of detergent, it helps to mix 10-20 drops of pure natural essential oil and approx. 50ml of grain in the compartment of the fabric softener.

The detergent can be stored in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. For long-term storage, allow the chestnut granules to air dry and store in a container.

Application 1: To use, repeat from step 2.
Application 2: Knot the granules in an old sock/tights & place in the washing drum. The soap substances will then dissolve in the washing drum during the wash cycle.

Chestnuts contain so-called saponins - natural soapy substances found in some plants. Saponins act like surfactants, which means they can dissolve grease and dirt in water. When chestnuts are crushed and soaked in water, these saponins are released from the chestnuts and form a mild soap solution. The saponins coat grease and dirt particles and make them water-soluble so that they can be removed from clothing during washing.

I naturally have a large supply of detergent at home that needs to be used up first. However, for the sake of the environment, I don't wash so often as most items of clothing can simply be hung out to air and don't need to be washed so often. The detergent made from chestnuts is probably not suitable for stubborn stains, but it is certainly good enough for our everyday stains. For the sake of the environment, I recommend you give it a try, because chestnuts are available in abundance and with relatively little effort, you can get a free year's supply of detergent.

photo credits: Wagrain-Kleinarl Tourismus