Ash lye. As for the home preparation of detergents and household cleaners, an interesting option is the lye. Those who are at the disposal of wood ash, as owners of a fireplace or a stove, or those who manage to get some will be able to dedicate themselves to its preparation. To prepare the lye, in addition to the ash you need simple water. Hence the low cost of preparing this household cleaner, which reminds us of our grandmothers or great-grandmothers.
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him
Homemade lye with ash. As for the home preparation of detergents and detergents for the home, an interesting option is the lewd. Those who have at the disposal of the wood ash, as owners of a fireplace or stove, or those who will manage to get some.
prepare the lye, in addition to the ash, simple tap water is required. Hence the low cost of preparing this household cleaner, which reminds us of our grandmothers or great-grandmothers.
175 grams of wood ash
875 milliliters of water
1 old pot with lid
1 glass or wooden rod
1 pair of gloves
1 thin cloth or filter paper
With the indicated doses I got approx 220 milliliters of lye it's about 250 grams of ash paste. In case you have plenty of ash available, you can increase the doses for the preparation, in order to obtain a real supply. For example, you can think of using 1 kilo of ash and 5 liters of water.
You must first remove any impurities from the ash using a colander. I recommend to use for the preparation of the lye an old pot, to be used only for the preparation of lye, artisan soaps or household detergents. Aluminum pans should be avoided, as they could corrode when in contact with the lye.
The ash must be poured into the chosen pot and covered with water. Everything must be brought to a boil and left simmer for 1 hour and a half. The more the ash cooking times are prolonged, the more concentrated and powerful the lye will be. It is therefore better never to extend the time spent on the fire beyond 2 hours.
Remember to keep the stove and flame low mix water and ash from time to time with a glass or wooden rod. It is advisable to cover the pot with a lid, leaving a gap free to allow the steam to escape. Once this phase is finished, the pot with water and ash, in which the lye will have formed, must be left to rest for 12 hours.
After the resting times, the lye (the liquid part that you will find in the pot, on the surface), must be poured into a container, preferably in glass with the help of filter paper or a sieve covered with a thin linen or cotton cloth. An emergency remedy is to cover the colander with a layer of toilet paper. The lye obtained may have a particularly basic pH. I therefore recommend to wear gloves as a precaution.
During the filtering operation, make sure that the ash remains at the bottom of the pan. It is possible to proceed in several stages, leaving the pot to rest again so that the ash can settle once again on the bottom. When you are done, you will end up with two products.
The first of them is represented by a liquid part, the actual lye, which can take on a different color depending on the wood with which the ash was formed. The color of the lye can vary from transparent to yellow and orange. The liquid can be filtered several times to remove any impurities.
The second product is the ash paste, which can be decanted and stored in a glass jar. The duration of both products is actually very long, almost eternal, but as a precaution we indicate one year as a maximum duration and as a period after which to check if the products have not changed since the beginning.
How to use lye and ash paste
The lye can be used, after being diluted in water and transferred to a spray container, for the cleaning of washable surfaces of the house, like sanitary and tiles. For this purpose, half a glass of lye can be diluted in a liter of water, to which possibly add a few drops of lemon essential oil to perfume and increase the disinfectant power of the product.
Half a scoop of lye can be added in the washing machine to enhance the effectiveness of the detergent. It is also possible to pour a glass of lye into a bucket with water and use the liquid obtained for the floor cleaning.
The ash paste is great for cleaning pot bottoms or dishes and dishes with stubborn dirt. It can be applied to them and rubbed with the help of a sponge.
Marta Albè
