How to Make Laundry Detergent From Conkers (Horse Chestnuts)

Below are instructions on how to make soap from conkers, very easily found outside and near trees depending on your area. This is what the finished product looks like, it is gel like in consistency and can simply be used as a drop in replacement for standard detergent. This has a nice smell to it and is very effective as detergent.

Supplies

For this project you will need

Conkers, amount varies depending on how much you want to make. around 30 for a litre is recommended
Hammer
Cutting board
Plastic bag
Kettle

Collect Conkers

The first step is to collect some conkers, They look like this and can have spiky shells on them so be careful when you collect them.

Rinse Off Your Conkers

After that you should give them a rinse in a bowl, be sure to remove the shells before you do this, simply run them under water for a few seconds to remove any dirt or grime present.

Crush the Conkers

This is where the hammer and bag come in, place the conkers in the bag and use the hammer to smash them. Make sure they're all crushed. It is advised to do this outdoors and to wear hearing protection while doing so, be sure to take care as they are very hard.

Place the Crushed Conkers Into a Container

Now it is time to put all the conkers into the jar you precured earlier, remember to leave space as you need to add water.

Boil Water and Wait

Now all you need to do is boil some water and pour it off into the jar, cover the jar and leave it to sit overnight.

Strain and Use

The final step is to simply strain off the liquid created into a separate container, BE SURE TO CORRECTLY LABEL THIS CONTAINER AS HAVING LAUNDRY DETERGENT and then either bin the conkers or put more boiled water over them to create more laundry detergent. You've now successfully made conker laundry detergent!