The Simple Things

Taking time to live well
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Taking Time to Live Well

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Illustration by Kavel Rafferty

Make | Conker Laundry Soap

Iona Bower October 15, 2022

Gather up your champion conkers and give them a new life as a laundrette

Horse chestnuts contain lots of saponin – an organic chemical with a name that’s a clue as to why they’re useful: sapon is ‘soap’ in Latin. While it won’t zap the toughest of stains, this homemade liquid is an economic and eco way for more everyday washing.

The prep: 

• Gather your conkers (about a handful per wash load).
• Remove the outer brown layer, then quarter. 

• Blitz into small pieces in a blender or bash with a rolling pin through a tea towel (Wash any kitchen implements very carefully afterwards as conkers are poisonous to humans). 

• Leave the mixture to dry somewhere like an airing cupboard or windowsill. 

• Once completely dry, store in an airtight jar ready to use. (You can buy ready made ‘washkers’ at watercressqueen.company.site/products)

The wash

• Boil a kettle and add double the quantity of water to the mix used. 

• Steep for at least 30 mins. 

• Filter the liquid through a muslin. The used bits can go in your food waste/compost.
• Use the liquid as you would a normal laundry liquid (add a couple of drops of essential oil if you like it scented).
• Any leftover liquid can be kept in the fridge for a week. 


This Horse Chestnut Laundry Wash is just one of the fascinating ideas from our October Miscellany pages. Turn to page 117 of the October issue to read more miscellaneous things from puzzles and paperweights to turnip carving and foraging for fungi. 

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More autumnal fun…

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Oct 24, 2021
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Oct 24, 2021
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Oct 22, 2022
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For Fun | Spine Poems
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InMaking Tagsissue 124, conkers, autumn outdoors
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  Buy ,  download  or  subscribe   See the sample of our latest issue  here   Buy a copy of our latest anthology:  A Year of Celebrations   Buy a copy of  Flourish 2 , our wellbeing bookazine  Listen to  our podcast  - Small Ways to Live Well
Feb 27, 2025
Feb 27, 2025

Buy, download or subscribe

See the sample of our latest issue here

Buy a copy of our latest anthology: A Year of Celebrations

Buy a copy of Flourish 2, our wellbeing bookazine

Listen to our podcast - Small Ways to Live Well

Feb 27, 2025
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The Simple Things is published by Iceberg Press

The Simple Things

Taking time to live well

We celebrate slowing down, enjoying what you have, making the most of where you live, enjoying the company of of friends and family, and feeding them well. We like to grow some of our own vegetables, visit local markets, rummage for vintage finds, and decorate our home with the plunder. We love being outdoors and enjoy the satisfaction that comes with a job well done.

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