Our health is not dependent just on the food we eat, but also the products we use for home care. Because our skin absorbs these chemicals that interfere with body functions, increase body toxins and this leads to illnesses and diseases. There’s a better and greener way to a cleaner home offered by nature. This natural method is simpler, more effective and pocket-friendly.

Why Do You Need to Opt for Natural Cleaning Products?

As our lives become over-scheduled, busier and stressful – it’s natural to prefer off-the-shelf products like- Bathroom cleaners, floor cleaners, dishwashing liquids, detergents, phenols, body washes, kitchen counter cleaners, that offer a “quick fix” to making everything gleaming and germ-free.

However, these common cleaners are a cocktail of chemicals that are toxic for our health and environment. They cause indoor air pollution and also lead to several ill effects on health like – respiratory irritations, allergy, sneezing, watery eyes, headaches, asthma, skin infections, hormonal imbalances, chronic conditions like diabetes, thyroid and even cancer.

They also impact the environment negatively. When washed down our drains, they end up polluting local water bodies and even contaminating ground-water quality. Further, buying these chemicals adds to the plastic wastage we create.

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Introducing Bio-Enzymes aka the Garbage Enzyme

What are Bio-Enzymes?

Also known as fruit enzyme or garbage enzyme, it’s a multi-purpose household cleaner that you can make easily from household wastes – like fruit and vegetable peels. It’s an effective, natural and 100% safe alternative to regular household cleaners, bleach, phenol and other harmful chemical solutions.

You can use the bio-enzyme for all household cleaning like – wiping floors, kitchen countertop, washing bathrooms, disinfecting the toilet bowl, and so on.

What’s in the Bio-Enzyme?

Technically speaking, the bio-enzyme is a mixture of organic substances – like kitchen wastes with natural sugar and naturally occurring yeast/bacteria. The organic materials in the enzyme are capable of acting on stains, harmful microbes, and other odours, without any harmful side-effects.

How to Make the Bio-Enzyme?

Making the bio-enzyme is pretty simple. All you need are kitchen wastes – fruit and vegetable peels, jaggery or brown sugar, water, and an air-tight plastic container.

The process is simple. Here’s a step-by-step guide to making the bio-enzyme in your home.

1. Start collecting your kitchen wastes. While vegetable peels work well, if you want a fragrant, end-product then you should preferably use citrus peels. Orange, pineapple, papaya, and lemon work best from bio-enzymes. It’s because the natural enzymes present in these fruits are effective cleaners.
2. Remember this ratio – 1:3:10: one part jaggery, three parts citrus peel, and ten parts water, by volume. Start by using a cup to measure jaggery and use the same cup to measure your citrus peels and water. If you use one cup jaggery, you need to use 3 cups of citrus peels, and 10 cups of water.
3. Take a large plastic container with an air-tight lid. The container should be big enough to hold all the measured ingredients with additional space left. This is also a good way to reuse plastic bottles.
4. Put the ingredients in the container and mix well. Tightly close the lid.
5. Mark the date you started the process on the container and leave it in a dark place. Preferably under the sink or in a kitchen cupboard, away from direct sunlight.
6. The solution will start fermenting – releasing gases. Just open the lid, release the accumulated gases and let it undisturbed for one minute. You don’t have to stir or mix the ingredients. Repeat this process once every day. Put back the lid and leave it undisturbed for the rest of the day.
7. Repeat this process, every day for the first week. From the second week onwards, you can notice a reduction in the amount of gas. You can open it on alternate days.
8. Your bio-enzyme will be ready three months from the start date. You know that the solution is ready when you see the citrus peels settling on the bottom and the clear liquid on top.
9. Filter out the liquid and use the citrus peels to quicken the next batch. Use a small amount of these leftover peels, along with new citrus peels while making your next batch of bio-enzymes. This time the enzyme will be ready in 30 days.
10. Bottle the bio-enzyme in plastic bottles and use it in place of your regular household cleaners.

Dos and Don’ts of Making Bio-Enzyme

• Always use a plastic container. Glass and metal containers may break as they cannot expand to accommodate the gases formed.
• Only edible kitchen wastes work for bio-enzymes. Paper, metals and other household wastes don’t work.
• For fresh smelling enzymes, use citrus peels and rose petals. Avoid adding meat, fish, and cooked food to the ingredients.
• The preferred colour of the enzyme varies from dark yellow to dark brown. If your enzyme is blackish, add some more jaggery to resume the fermentation process.
• If you notice a white yeast layer on top or worms in the enzyme don’t panic. Just add in some more jaggery, and the chemical reaction will dissolve these organisms naturally.
• Use the leftover pulp as fertiliser for your plants, or for cleaning toilet bowls. It’s also an effective sewage cleaner.
• Bio-enzyme never expires. You can store it in regular room temperature, and there is no need for refrigeration.

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Uses of Bio Enzymes

Simply put, you can replace any commercial household cleaner with bio-enzyme. Here’s a handy chart that gives you complete details on how to use it.

Apart from these applications, you can also use bio-enzyme for various other cleaning tasks like – mirrors, refrigerators, dining tables, washing vegetables and so on. If you are wondering where to purchase soapnuts or shikakai pods, they are easily available in ayurvedic stores in all cities.

Bid Adieu to Toxic Household Cleaners

Start your batch of bio-enzyme and get rid of all toxic household cleaners in your home. Turn your kitchen wastes into an effective cleaner, and save tons of money, while doing your bit for the planet and protecting the health of your loved ones. It may take a couple of trials to the process right. But with a little bit of patience and perseverance, success is just around the corner. Once mastered, you can make large batches and gift to friends and relatives. While DIY is the best way to go, many stores also have started selling bio-enzymes.

References

• Bio enzyme from citrus peels
• A Study of the Garbage Enzyme’s Effects in Domestic Wastewater
• How to make bio enzyme
• Make garbage enzyme