Conkers

[Ms-T]

Has anyone tried making soap out of them....and if you have , what did you think of it. ?

[burnie]

Never heard of that one, we do collect them for games with the grandsons though.

[Ms-T]

Burnie , look it up on u-tube....

[MelanieSW]

Has anyone tried making soap out of them....and if you have , what did you think of it. ?

No, but you've given me an idea! Will go looking for horse chestnuts in the local parks tomorrow.

[Plot70]

I can remember tasting one when I was young.
It was a pretty bitter pill so I spat it out never to try one again.

[MelanieSW]

I am almost positive conkers ( horse chestnuts ) are poisonous !!!!

Are you sure you can make soup from them?

Soap not soup

[Plot70]

The trees are named after horses because the leaf scars on the twigs look like hoof prints.

[Ms-T]

Soap... Not soup ...do not eat.... Poisonous.....yuk

[Ms-T]

Hand soap

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ToF...hereOurHeartIs

Conker laundry detergent/soap

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnx0...heLemonadeFarm

[Snoop Puss]

I've come across a website in Spain that recommends boiling them briefly so you can peel them, then grinding them to what looks like ground almond texture, and then simply using the powder:

For washing hands, just the powder
For laundry, put two conkers' worth of powder in a sock and then bung that in the machine (doesn't work for very dirty clothes, apparently)
For washing up, mix five conkers' worth of powder with a litre of water, boil for two minutes and then filter. Needs a generous dose of the filtered water.
Shampoo, 200 ml of the washing-up mixture above.

Apparently it doesn't always smell very nice so a drop or two of essential oil is recommended. Watch out, I guess, if you're going to use it for shampoo that you don't get any in your eyes if it's got certain essential oils in.

Might be worth an experiment... Maybe...

[Ms-T]

Thanks Snoop,... i don't think i would try the shampoo....but just a bit of fun as the conkers are about now....just making some to spry on my beans , to get the black fly and the ants.

[MelanieSW]

I can report back that it is a gentle soap, I've now used it twice in the washing machine for delicates. Clothes look ok (not that they were that dirty to begin with), and it smells quite neutral.

[Ms-T]

Thanks for the feedback Melanie