Nancy Birtwhistle shares how to make a natural laundry detergent using conkers – it's free and gentle on fabrics

Autumn is very much in the air, inviting us to forge ahead with our September gardening jobs and prepare for the cosy season.

With the change in the seasons comes a change in what we see out and about, from the lush golden leaves that start to fall to the shiny brown seeds being dropped from the conker trees. And it’s these little chestnuts that have a surprising purpose beyond playground games of trying to break them apart.

Former Bake Off winner and queen of green cleaning, Nancy Birtwhistle has an incredible recipe for making your own all-natural cleaning detergent for free – using nothing but fallen conkers and boiling water.

How to make Nancy's all-natural laundry detergent using conkers

When you’re next out on a lovely autumnal walk, collect some fallen conkers – as many as you can carry home, pop them in a sandwich bag and then place them in the freezer. Freezing your conkers means you can keep making this detergent as long as you have a handful ready to thaw, as the finished detergent only lasts a few weeks.

When you’re ready to whip up a batch of entirely natural detergent, thaw a handful of conkers. Nancy suggests 10 should do the trick for a litre of detergent.

Slice them up, removing the outer shell, leaving you with the light coloured fleshy centres. Add all of these to a measuring jug and then pour boiling water over them – enough to completely cover them.

Once the conkers are fully submerged in water, leave them to soak overnight, or around eight hours. Use a sieve to strain the infused liquid into a bottle, and then, with the leftover conkers, add more boiling water and, after giving it time to cool, use a handheld blender or processor to whip it into a foamy liquid.

Strain all of this into your bottle, and here is where you can adjust the solution to your fancy. You can add drops of essential oil to the bottle, perfect if you want a specific fragrance.

Once you’ve added your essential oils – if you have chosen to do so – your detergent is ready to use. Just add it to the washing machine drum in a cap when you do your next load, and your washing will come out fresh and clean, all thanks to nature’s conkers.

The reason this works is that conkers, or horse chestnuts, contain natural soap-like compounds called saponins.

It should be noted that this is a gentler, all-natural detergent, better suited for freshness and light cleansing. Heavier stains might still require something a tad more substantial, but that's what the best luxury cleaning products are for.

So, what better excuse than to head out for a bit of fresh air? You can even make a fun game out of it with your children or grandchildren, tasking them with finding the shiniest, biggest conkers before turning them into a chemical-free, all-natural detergent for freshening up your laundry this autumn.