In the recent quest to find an eco-friendly alternative to what I consider to be toxic, fragrance-strewn clothing detergents, I discovered the "soap berry." Yes, this is indeed a plant husk that contains saponins for natural, chemical-free cleaning of all those laundry clothes.

I've used these soap berries for a few weeks now and have been nothing but impressed. My clothes have come out smelling fresh (without smelling like a fake spring day) and being very, very clean. Although there are many earth-friendly detergents out there, this one takes the cake.

Although my family looks at me like I'm nuts, I just hand them their clean clothes after washing them in soap berries and those question marks turn to belief pretty fast. 200 loads for about $30 is not that bad, either.