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Within your bag you should find a small linen, draw string, bag.  Place some nut shell  halves in the bag (6 for soft water / 8 for hard water).  Pull the string tight and tie it off.  Then place the bag on top of your washing in the machine – that is it!   

Each "set" of shells should be good for up to 4 wash cycles. (Dependent upon wash temperature and quality of shells.)   Personally, I change the shells after 3 washes and use the old shells to make liquid (see below).  Each set only cost a few pence, so if you were to  use a set that were "exhausted" and have to wash certain items again, you will have lost more than you gained.  That's my view anyway! 

Indeed, there is one report on an internet site of a lady getting 7 washes from a single set!  

    New Shells      -      One Wash               Two Washes           Three Washes          Fourth Wash  

You should be able to see in the above pic. that fresh shells have a shiny inner surface. As if they were made from solid satin varnish!  Or tasty toffee - so keep children away from them. This progressively changes to a matt beige as the saponin is released and the outer surface gets darker.   Note that this is only really obvious when the shells have dried.

You will find that they work better if multiply washes are done the same day.  For that reason I keep the used nuts in the bag, in a small bottle, part filled with water.  (or soap nut liquid - see later) 

  N.B. -  The general advise is to compost the exhausted shells.  Personally I don't think it makes sense.  As I've already mentioned, Saponin is a mild insecticide,  so it does not seem logical to me to add it to an ecosystem that relies on wee beasties to work!  I think a far better idea is to collect them in a mesh bag / large sock and hang them in your Water Butt.  This will not only add mild insecticide to your watering supply but should also keep the water clean and free from nasties.  If you have a condensing dryer that is another source of "clean" water for the garden that generally goes to waste. 

(or See "hand Wash" later)

If you don't like the linen bag,  (and I don't- the string gets all tangled up!) You can use an old white sock / foot of an old pair of tights / even the wash bags that come with commercial detergents.   However, be aware, the "commercial" bags are much more open and let more water flow through.  Therefore each set of nuts will be exhausted sooner.

TIP  Take the closing device off the commercial bag and transfer it to the linen bag.  It is much easier and more convenient than unraveling  the draw string.

Doesn't more soap get released in the rinse cycle?  Saponin is only released above 30 degrees, a cold rinse has no effect.

Which raises the question -  will they work on a 30 degree wash?
Answer - As "Saponin is only released above 30 degrees" - probably not.  I haven't tried.
HOWEVER I have hear of one lady's cunning plan.  She stores her "sock of nuts" in an old jam jar.  With a lid. Fill the jar with hand hot water allow to soak (maybe while filling the machine etc) then give the jar a good shake.  Empty the jar onto the clothes. 
                                   ---------------------------------------------------

 N.B. One of our customers made a litre of liquid and left it on the hob to cool. 
 Her Son came home and, for reasons that are not relevant to this site,  took it to be
 clear  soup! ....... and drank a couple of spoonfuls. 
 Apparently, it was not up the usual standard of his mother offerings.  He felt a little sick
 for a few hours but seemed otherwise unaffected.  
 
                                       Please Don't Drink It  -  Not Recommended!!

The general advice seems to be to simmer about 50g of shells in 1 litre of water for about 20 minutes. 
Allow to cool, then strain into a suitable container.  Top up to 1 litre.

So, if you used the whole 250g bag, you would have 5 litres of SoapNut Liquid. If you use 100ml per wash that would give you 50 washes from a single 250g bag.

Further experiments seem to indicate that using a pressure cooker may actually releases LESS saponin. Maybe the simply fact of having the pressure inhibits the release.  However it could also be that, as much less water evaporates, the liquid is just less concentrated.

Having allowed one set to dry after a 30 minute "Pressure Cook" the shells still showed shiny areas. A subsequent 10 minute simmer released more soap from the same set. For a similar reason I do not recommend allowing the liquid to cool completely as the shells might reabsorb some saponin from the liquid.

NEWS -  Further to the above.   I suspect that simmering for more than than about 15mins does not produce a "stronger" solution.  It is as if the liquid gets to a certain strength and the shells do not release any more!  So you are better off simmering a first litre for 15 - 20 minutes.   Sieving this into a container, then simmering  the same shells in some more fresh water.

SoapNuts are odour free – if you want to add a fragrance to your washing, add a few drops of your chosen essential oil in the fabric conditioner drawer.  Although I find it more effective to put a few drops on a handkerchief / soft cloth in the tumble dryer.

        

As an entirely natural product the amount of "soap" released from each shell will vary.  So you will 
need to experiment a bit to find the ideal for your machine / hardness of water  / wash temperature.
Also, as more is released from a fresh set of shells in the first wash it is advisable to wash a white load with a fresh set if you are doing multiply loads. 

   6 / 8 half shells in the bag OR about 100ml of liquid in the drum / a wash ball.
     A scoop of washing soda in the detergent drawer (to help with grease AND
        protect the machine.)
     For "sparkly" whites  / difficult stains add a scoop of "oxy" bleach.
     If possible use a fresh set for a white wash.
     For extra softness, without chemical nastiness,  try white vinegar in the 
        softener compartment .   (it also deodourises the machine.) 

Soapnut Shampoo - it is an excellent shampoo (for you or your pet). 

Asian women have been using soapnuts as a shampoo for hundreds, maybe thousands, of years.

It has been suggested that soapnuts will reduce dandruff by not drying the scalp. 

Look in the ingredients on commercial shampoos and you will probably see – Sodium Laureth Sulphate. It is a foaming agent that creates all those suds you have difficulty washing away. If you would like to know what S.L.S does, and you should, Google it. 
Here is one I found earlier - http://www.whatisaids.com/cosmetics.htm   Nice stuff?

According to that website it is also an industrial strength degreaser for garage floors!  What will it do to your hair and scalp?  It is present even in most baby shampoos! 
From a customer - "when Dxxxx was sourcing a product for cleaning his print machine ink rollers (being a printer) Johnson's baby shampoo was recommended by one of our suppliers!!"

To use as a shampoo, pour some liquid into a smaller bottle. A small drinking water bottle with a spout is convenient.  See pictures below.

If you just use the liquid, because it is so "watery" you will probably waste a lot as it runs off.  As it's virtually free that may not matter but it also makes it more difficult to penetrate to the scalp.
SO

1.   Finger (or stopper) over the spout,  give it a good shake to get loads of lovely foam.
2.  Massage this into the hair and scalp, leave for 30 seconds or so as you massage in.
3.  Rinse well - Then apply again.  Keep adding until the shampoo starts to suds up a little.  It  won't
     be  much as there is none of the nasty foaming chemical additives.
4.  Rinse well, then rinse again.   Keep it out of your eyes!  It stings!  

You will be pleasantly surprised just how soft and clean your hair feels.  -  For Free!

Of course it also makes an excellent, convenient hand wash.   

-------------------------------------------

  The obvious way to get around the problem of the liquid being too thin is to make it thicker!
  After much experiment I've found what I think the ideal solution.

  Rhassoul Clay  This can be used as a hair cleaner on its own by mixing it with water to a paste.  
  However if you use Soapnut liquid instead of plain water you get 2 benefits.

  1.  The soapnuts makes the clay soapier (not surprisingly!) and has less tendence to dry out.
  2.  The clay thickens the liquid, makes it easy to apply and adds its own cleansing quality.

   Result!

10 grams of powdered Rhassoul Clay +  20 grams of Soapnut Liquid = easily enough for a chap's hair!

  This had ever passed the ultimate test!  
  My beloved wife, being a woman of discrimination and taste, can get a bit "touchy" about  what goes
  on her hair.    She has tried the mix and declared it excellent!

SoapNuts
Even assuming you only get 50 washes (and you should get much more) 
from a single 250gm bag @ £5 a bag -  10p per wash

Detergent
Average price for Commercial detergent 20 washes for £5 box Per Wash - 25p.
Fabric Conditioner 1 litre @ £1.20 / 55ml per wash / 18 washes 7p  -  32p per wash

Where should you buy from?

Our previous supplier identified 3 different shell types. Extreme left, good Mukorossi. Centre, lower quality generally known as South Indian Soapnuts, whilst on the right are smaller darker shells that he believes comes from Burma. Less than 50% are good quality. He maintains that it is common practice for certain suppliers to mix them to save on costs!

Now this is not only going to cost you money. How are you going to get any consistency when one bag of shells could be much weaker than another? You may use more than necessary or, somewhat tragically, decide that the product, whilst highly interesting, does not guarantee the sort of consistent performance that you rightly expect.