Soap nut washing detergent

9:00am Friday 18th April 2008

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A NEW eco-friendly alternative to washing detergents has travelled thousands of miles to get to Bucks from Bangladesh.

And one man from Holmer Green is determined to get as many people using the natural cleaning products as possible.

The soap nut', which grows on the sapindus mukorossi tree, has been used for hundreds of years inAsia as a natural washing detergent.

Nick Reynolds, 58, first discovered the nuts last year, stocked by another, larger retailer.

Intrigued, he set about researching their properties.

After testing and experimenting with several different kinds of nut, he bought them for friends and family to try out.

In the process, he saw a decidedly different business opportunity emerge, and so Corick Soap Nuts was born.

Mr Reynolds said: "Soap Nuts have been around for thousands of years but are now set to revolutionise the way we do our washing.

"They are cheap, they clean clothes without fading or need for fabric softeners and they are free of synthetic chemicals so are great for sensitive skin."

The name Corick' is an amalgam of Nick's name, and that of Coralie, his wife.

Mr Reynolds, who has worked as a computer analyst programmer, and more recently as a handyman, added that the nuts could be used for more than just clothing.

He said: "When you first see the Soap Nuts, you cannot quite believe that they will clean as effectively as they do, but you can use them for just about anything from washing clothes, to washing your hair - even washing your car! You can also use them as a natural plant spray against garden pests - which, of course, is what the tree creates it for in the first place."

The bags of nuts, currently sourced from Bangladesh, are sold with a special muslin washing bag.

Mr Reynolds said four nuts were enough to wash a machine load, and they could be re-used several times.

He said: "I'm not a great eco-freak by any means, but I thought it was about time people started investigating better ways of doing things instead of pouring gallons of chemicals down the drain."