Zero Waste in autumn: 5 DIY-ideas for chestnuts

There are different types of chestnuts, which differ significantly from each other. The horse chestnut is probably the best-known type of chestnut, at least in Germany. It is particularly large, shiny and surrounded by a spiky green shell. You can find them lying on the roadside during the month of October. Although this type of chestnut is not edible, it has other useful properties.

Horse chestnut trees belong to the soap tree family and contain so-called saponins. These are natural detergents that have soap-like properties and contribute to the formation of foam. These and other properties of horse chestnuts can be very useful around the house! Here are our five ideas:

If you want to make detergent from chestnuts for one load of laundry you will need 5 to 8 chestnuts and 300 ml of water. First collect 5-8 fresh and large chestnuts. Use a knife or a nutcracker to chop the chestnuts into small pieces and place them in a pot with 300 ml of water. Boil the water with the crushed chestnuts and then let the chestnuts simmer slowly for 15 minutes on low heat. During this process, the saponins in the chestnuts dissolve into the water. After the water has cooled down completely, you can drain the liquid through a sieve or cloth and collect it in a container. You can now put the filtered water in the detergent compartment of your washing machine and start the laundry!

Similar to the laundry detergent made from horse chestnuts, you can also use them to make an all-purpose cleaner. First you have to chop 5 to 8 horse chestnuts. You can also put them in a cloth and smash them with a hammer. Then put the crushed chestnuts in a large glass. Boil 1 liter of water in a pot and then pour the hot water into the glass with the chestnut pieces. Let the chestnuts soak in the water for 12-24 hours, stirring the crumbs occasionally. You can then pour the liquid cleaner into a bottle through a sieve or a cloth. The finished all-purpose cleaner can now be stored in the refrigerator and used for up to a week.

To make hand soap from chestnuts, you can proceed in a similar way as described above. If you want to add a little fragrance to the liquid hand soap, you can also use other natural ingredients. For example, you can also add lemon peel to the pot while the chestnuts are cooking. This gives the chestnut soap a slight scent of lemon. After the soak time of 12-14 hours, you can pour the chestnut water through a sieve or a cloth and collect it in a soap dispenser or a container of your choice. Your chestnut liquid hand soap is ready! When you shake the liquid, a soapy foam will form.

Chestnut shampoo cleans your hair naturally. It also has an antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effect. To make it, first clean 20 horse chestnuts and cut them into small pieces. Pour 700 ml of water into a pot and boil it. Then put the chopped chestnuts into the pot and let them simmer slowly over medium heat for 30 minutes. Then pour the liquid through a sieve or cloth and collect it in a new pot. To thicken the liquid like a shampoo, add 4 tablespoons of cornstarch. Gently stir in the cornstarch and let it simmer until the consistency becomes gel-like. Then you can fill your chestnut shampoo into an empty shampoo bottle or use it directly! Use it on wet hair and rinse it out thoroughly afterwards.

Chestnuts can be used wonderfully as a table decoration for autumn! For example, you can spread them decoratively on a plate with pine branches. However, since fresh chestnuts can mold quickly, it is advisable to dry the chestnuts beforehand so that they can be used for a longer time period. Here's how to do it:

Place the chestnuts next to each other on a smooth surface, such as a metal plate or a plastic board. Place the board with the chestnuts in a warm and dry room or right next to a heater. Let the chestnuts dry there for a few days and turn them around every now and then. Once they're completely dried, you can use them as decoration!

Did you find these ideas helpful? You can find more tips for using leftovers on our blog - for example using leftovers from apple peel, coffee grounds or citrus peel!