Let me start out by saying I am not a patient person. Just ask anyone in my family. No wait, don’t. Just trust me on this one.

So when I read about making this enzyme cleaner that takes three months to “mature” – I just knew I could never stand the waiting! So I almost passed on this idea until I read in the comments of this particular blog post instructions how to speed the process up from three months to two weeks!

I thought about it long and hard and after some deep soul searching I decided I could do two weeks.

So the “two weeks” were up about two weeks ago, but things have been a bit hectic around here so I didn’t actually get around to giving it a good test drive until this weekend! As you can see by the date on the bottle … I almost made it one month. So I figured it should be ready enough for a good test. I decided the bathroom would be my first “test subject.”

After cleaning the toilet and the tub, I have to say I am very impressed!

But let me back up a little. When I found this idea online I was intrigued because I had heard good things about enzymes. As a matter of fact, a few months back we had to call a plumber to deal with some clogged pipes that caused a minor flood. After he took care of the problem he gave us a bottle of enzyme cleaner to pour down the drains on a regular basis to keep it that way. We have been clog-free ever since.

So the idea of making my own enzyme cleaner was appealing for several reasons.

• It’s natural, environment-friendly, and non-toxic.
• It’s made from kitchen scraps!
• It’s effective!

So here is the recipe:

Citrus Enzyme Cleaner

• 2-liter Plastic Bottle
• 100 g (or about 1/2 cup) Brown Sugar
• 1 teaspoon yeast (optional, to speed up process)
• 1 liter Water
• 300 g (or about 2 cups) Lemon and/or Orange Scraps
• Marking Pen

Instructions:

• Pour the brown sugar into the 2-liter plastic bottle.
• Cut the lemon and orange scraps (I only had lemons on hand) into pieces small enough to fit the mouth of the bottle. Put them in the bottle.
• Add yeast. Add one liter of tap water into the bottle. Tightly screw the cap so that no liquid falls out and dissolve the sugar by shaking the bottle for about 30 seconds.
• For the first couple of weeks, give the bottle a shake once a day, making sure to leave the bottle cap loosely fastened to avoid gas build-up (ie. Explosions!) from the fermentation process.
• Using a marking pen, write the date on the bottle. It will take three months for the ingredients to ferment. (Or two weeks if you add the yeast.)
• When the enzyme cleaner is ready…add half a cup of enzyme cleaner to one liter of water and mix thoroughly. (Use more if you prefer a stronger concentration.)

Some uses recommended for this non-toxic, environmentally friendly enzyme:

• For dishes and laundry (use 1/4 cup of enzyme)
• For washing bathrooms and toilets. grime comes off easily (1 part enzyme to 10 parts water)
• For removing stubborn stains and odors (colored fabrics and floors) (use undiluted)
• To clean vegetables and fruits (1 part enzyme to 10 parts water)
• Clear blockages in kitchen sinks and drains (use concentrated or blended pulp/sludge of enzyme)
• As a natural insect repellent (use undiluted) for ants, cockroaches.
• For mopping floors (1 part enzyme to 20 parts water)
• As fertilizer for plants (use 1 part enzyme to 20 parts water, or use the leftover mop water)
• As a skincare product, e.g. facial cleanser or toner (1 part enzyme to 2 parts water)
• Wash cars – cars will look as if they have just been polished! (1 part enzyme to 20 parts water)
• I have EVEN read about people using this on their faces! I’m not quite brave enough….yet. Maybe someday.

I will definitely be trying out this “wonder cleaner” on more areas around my home and will continue to report my “findings” to you.

Meanwhile, if you have some leftover citrus laying around …why not make up a batch and see what you think?

Lead image source: Flickr

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