Dish Soap? ------- NATURAL LIQUID DETERGENT

NATURAL LIQUID DETERGENT

_http://users.chariot.net.au/~dna/Makekefir.html#preparing-cotton_

(http://users.chariot.net.au/~dna/Makekefir.html#preparing-cotton)

 

For cleaning or detoxifying natural fibre materials and utensils.

 

A natural way of keeping utensils clean ... very clean, in fact!

 

The two-step process explained below, may be used to remove chemical or

toxic residues found in natural commercial fibres, including cotton, linen,

bamboo, hemp or cane etc. These include unwanted compounds that may have been

used

or formed during growing, processing or storing the natural fibres and

materials or utensils. During my earlier research, I learned how when corn maize

contained aflatoxins or mycotoxins were cooked with either wood ash or lime lye

for preparing massa [a maize dough for preparing tortillas], the process

destroyed those toxins in the corn. Here, three systems combined as two steps,

thereby, possibly deactivating/extracting undesirable compounds with--

 

1. Using a natural alkali.

 

2. Organic acids and enzymes.

 

It is not imperative to perform both steps. You could just follow step 1;

the lye wash. Lye solution is also an effective natural detergent for washing

utensils clean. Excellent for chemical-free cleaning of any fresh vegetables,

including legumes, to remove unwanted pesticides including insects such as

aphids, caterpillars, snails or slugs. Lye water will also kill and dislodge

harmful bacteria that may be found on fresh vegetables. House floors and

glassware are cleaned without leaving any streak marks. Wooden or other types

of

cutting boards are cleaned effectively also, removing odours left over from

previous use. Wood ash also removes odours from jars tainted with the aroma of

pickles, such as pickling jars e.g. In fact, I have yet to find anything that

can remove odours from glass jars as well as scrubbing with a little amount

of wood ash.

 

1. Place the natural fibre or utensil in a pot and cover with a solution of

_wood ash lye_ (http://users.chariot.net.au/~dna/Makekefir.html#potash-lye)

_http://users.chariot.net.au/~dna/Makekefir.html#potash-lye_

(http://users.chariot.net.au/~dna/Makekefir.html#potash-lye) , bring to a

boil and simmer

for about 2 minutes, stirring the material continuously with a spoon. Remove

the material and rinse well with cold water.

 

2. Place the natural fibre utensil in a suitable pot, cover with water with

the addition of 1/3 cup of non pasteurized vinegar to every 4 cups of water.

Let this sit at room temperature for 12 hours to 24 hours. Remove and rinse

well in hot water.

 

How to Prepare Wood Ash Lye Water [a natural liquid detergent]

 

Wood-ash lye water is prepared by mixing fluffy gray wood-ash mixed with

water. The ash must be prepared by burning natural and untreated wood. This is

to say, wood which has not been painted, stained, or chemically treated in any

way what so ever. The fluffy gray ash is first sieved to remove any pieces

of charcoal. The sieved ash is added to about 4 to 5 parts hot or cold water.

The mixture is stirred for a few minutes then left for 12 to 24 hours. After

this the ash settles to the bottom of the container to form a sediment. A

clear solution will form on top of the ash sediment. Pour off the clear

solution, which is your wood ash lye water. Lye water has a slippery feel

similar to

soapy water. This solution is used as a liquid detergent. Ash lye needs to be

diluted with hot water for use, similar to any liquid detergent. A stronger

lye may be prepared by bringing 1 : 3 [ash to water by volume] to a boil and

then letting it sit for 12 to 24 hours before pouring off the clear solution

of lye water. Store the lye water in a separate container.

 

The partially spent ash that remains, still contains high amounts of potash

alkali, which can be reused to make more lye water. Simply add more hot or

cold water to the ash sediment, and let stand. The ash may be used again, over

3 to 5 cycles, or until the solution ceases to produce a slippery feel. Well

spent ash may be composted, or sparsely scattered over the garden. Do no

water plants directly with the ash lye water solution for it will burn plants!

This is because ash-lye is very alkaline and caustic to plant roots if used

concentrated. I mostly add a little kefir to the spent ash, to neutralize each

other, so that the ash is neutralized from an alkaline state to a base, and

the acidic kefir is neutralized from an acid to a base. This can then be safely

poured around trees that are well mulched. To protect sensitive skin, one

should wear gloves when handling ash or undiluted ash-lye water.

 

Natural Liquid Detergent for Washing

 

Wood-ash lye, also known as Potash lye or lye water, is an excellent natural

detergent for washing virtually anything. Ash-lye is the predecessor of

today's detergents. I always keep some wood ash lye lying around in a bucket

covered with a lid. I use lye water for washing cooking utensils etc. This

includes cheesecloth, kefir pouches, doilies, strainers, jars, dishes and glass

utensils etc. I also use it for a body and hair wash. Using the actual spent

ash

found at the bottom of the ash-lye bucket makes a fantastic non-abrasive

scrubber, including a fantastic tooth paste [see Dom's _ToothSaving paste_

(http://users.chariot.net.au/~dna/toothpaste/toothpaste.htm)

_http://users.chariot.net.au/~dna/toothpaste/toothpaste.htm_

(http://users.chariot.net.au/~dna/toothpaste/toothpaste.htm) web page]. The

spent ash can remove and lift

stains which many of today's commercial products leave behind, without the use

of

any harsh chemicals or abrasive compounds! Ash and ash lye or lye water is

also a natural sterilizing agent, again, without toxic chemicals. Lye water is

useful for washing cast iron pots, pans and woks, leaving a fine protective

film of oil, without any chemical amalgamation that occurs when using a

commercial detergent [which you should not use on any of these types of iron

cookware, for harsh detergents remove the protective film that forms on the

surface

of a well sealed wok or iron skillet. Removing the protective film makes the

iron wok or skillet rust, which we do not want].

 

How to Use Ash Lye as a Liquid Detergent

 

To wash with ash lye water, add say about 1 cup of lye water to 4 litres or

1 gallon of hot water. Use this dilution for washing as you would wash with

any other detergent. Then simply rinse what you've wash with clear water.

Depending on concentration of the lye, will determine how much lye water is

diluted with hot water. You can tell by the feel of the lye solution with your

fingers, if it has a slippery feel, then it has the power to clean, and clean

well it shall.

..

 

Commercial Lye Water

 

I find most Asian grocery stores stock lye water. The bottle of commercial

lye on the left, is used for preparing certain Asian food-products, including

tenderising fresh meat, Chinese moon cakes, for cooking rice and pastry,

including dumplings. It can be used as baking powder substitute. It is also a

wonderful basic liquid detergent to wash and sterilize utensils. I've found

four

different brands of lye water at Asian stores. Some brands are prepared with

Sodium Carbonate while others contain Potassium Carbonate or both. Lye

prepared with a Potassium Carbonate is best suited as a natural liquid

detergent

simply because potassium is considered a softer base compared to a sodium base

lye. The ingredients should be printed on the label.

 

Such commercial lye water is concentrated, so the liquid must be handled

with care and diluted accordingly for use. I find that 1 Tbs in 8-cups hot

water

in the kitchen basin is more than enough, and does a great job as a liquid

detergent. This may be used to wash and sterilize cheese cloth, kefir pouches

and bamboo strainers etc.

 

To sterilize and wash utensils in one action, add 1 Tbs commercial lye water

to 4-cups hot water in a deep stainless steel pan [do not use aluminium or

copper]. Bring to boil and stir utensil with a wooden ladle, or press down on

cloth material with a hand potato masher. Remove and rinse utensil or

material twice with hot water.

 

A final rinse with the addition of about 2 Tbs vinegar to 4 cups warm or hot

water, followed by rinsing with water. This last step neutralizes any alkali

left in the utensil, or material, and is recommended.

 

I have to thank my late grandmother who passed away shortly after her 106

birthday [born on April 4,1899] for the recipe for this natural liquid

detergent. [she saw 3 centuries!]. THANKS NONNA MARIA!

 

Nonna Maria passed on peacefully in her sleep 2 months after her 106th

birthday. She was the oldest Italian-Ozzie in South Australia at the time of

her

passing on. She passed on an abundant amount of knowledge, as much of my early

curious years were spent asking her how she prepared many things during her

time, when electricity and other modern commodities were not available. She

was always more that happy to oblige my many questions. By the way, one of her

favourite beverages, her herbal brew, consisted of wild Marshmallow root,

Chamomile flowers, dry fig and fresh apple. The concoction was steeped in

boiling water for 5 to 10 minutes strained and enjoyed warm. When she used to

stay

with our family, I was often picking wild marshmallow from our garden for

her concoction, which she prepared for the two of us on those occasions.

 

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