HOW TO MAKE DISHWASHER DETERGENT WITH LEMONS
Method 1:
Ingredients
2 cups lemon (Use both the rind and fruit with seeds removed, about 4 medium lemons)
3 1/2 cups water (Divided into 1 ½ cups and 2 cups)
4 oz white vinegar
4 Table spoon salt
4 shikakai/Ritha/Soap Nut
Pinch of turmeric for colour
Instructions
Pressure cook lemon, water, salt and soap nut. 3-4 whistles. Let it cool, filter out the solid parts. Add vinegar and pinch of turmeric for colour.
Method 2:
Ingredients
2 cups diced lemon (Use both the rind and fruit with seeds removed, about 4 medium lemons)
3 1/2 cups water (Divided into 1 ½ cups and 2 cups)
4 oz white vinegar
1 cup kosher salt
Instructions
Cut lemons into small ¼ inch thick chunks, making sure all seeds are removed. Place the lemons into a small sauce pan with 1 ½ cup of water.
Heat the lemons and water to a slow boil. Simmer for 20 minutes until water is reduced and syrupy and lemons are very tender. Make sure to stir frequently, add water if needed. Add the cooked lemon and syrup mixture to blender with 2 cups of water, blend on high until very smooth.
Strain lemon mixture back into your saucepan using a small colander. Add vinegar and salt to saucepan and stir until well combined.
Bring mixture to a slow boil and cook for 10-15 allowing it to thicken slightly. It will be the consistency of runny applesauce when done.
Cool completely in sauce pan, stirring occasionally to incorporate salty crust that may form on the top.
To wash dishes: Fill your dishwasher detergent dispenser with the fresh lemon gel. I use about 3 tablespoons of detergent.
HOW TO MAKE FLOOR CLEANER WITH LEMONS
Ingredients
Jaggery - 1 part
Lemon/Orange peels - 3 part
Water - 10 part
Instructions
The trick is to remember the ratio, 1:3:10- jaggery to citrus peels and water. Since the bio-enzymes are natural cleaning agents, you need not be completely accurate in the measurements but make sure you don’t stray away from them too much either.
Make sure the jaggery cubes are cut into small pieces to ensure they dissolve quickly. Keep stirring till all the jaggery is dissolved. Meanwhile, fill a plastic bottle with the peels. (Make sure you use a plastic bottle because unlike metal or glass, the plastic will allow the gases that form during chemical reactions to expand. This is also a great way to reuse disposable plastic bottles at your home). Fill jaggery solution in the bottle along with the peels. Now we just have to wait patiently.
The cap needs to be air-tight to allow uninterrupted chemical reaction. However, if the bottle you are using has a small opening, make sure you open the cap twice a day to release the gases formed.
The first batch of bio-enzymes takes about 90 days to prepare. The next batch, however, can be quickened if you use a part of the old batch with the fresh one.
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE MOSQUITO REPELLENT
Method 1
Ingredients
Garlic
Mineral oil
Water
Fresh lemon juice
Instructions
Mince a few cloves of garlic, cover it with mineral oil and let it sit for a day. Take a teaspoon of that oil and mix 2 cups of water along with a teaspoon of fresh lemon juice. Pour it into a spray bottle and keep the mosquitoes away.
Method 2
Ingredients
Lavender/oil - 15 drops
Vanilla - 3 Tablespoon
Lemon juice -1/4th cup
Distilled water
Instructions
Mix 15 drops of lavender essential oil, 3 tablespoons of vanilla extract, and a 1/4 cup of lemon juice into a spray bottle and fill the bottle with 2 to 3 cups of distilled water. Give it a good shake and spray this effective repellent (that also happens to smell good) onto skin and clothes.
Method 3
Neem oil when mixed with coconut oil acts as a very effective mosquito repellent. This mixture is especially effective against the mosquitoes that cause malaria. Simply apply the solution on your skin and keep mosquitoes far away.
Method 4
Camphor is also an effective way to keep mosquitoes away. Take a small bowl, fill it with water and put a camphor tablet in it. Keep it in a corner of your room. If you have a bigger room, use two of these bowls.
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE SHAMPOO
Method 1
Ingredients
Tender leaves of a hibiscus plant,
Tender vine and
Leaves of a pepper plant.
Instructions
Soak them overnight in water. The next morning, before you go for a head bath, crush the leaves in the water and use the liquid as shampoo. It may not form the foam that you’re used to.
Method 2
Ingredients
. Shikakai- 500 gms
· Soap Nut- 100 gms
· Fenugreek seed (Methi)- 250 gms
· Holy Basil (Tulsi) leaves- 1 twig full
· Green gram (Moong bean)- 250 gms
· Fresh curry leaves- 1 bunch.
Instructions
You need to clean all the ingredients underwater and put them out to dry in sun. They might take up to two days to dry off completely. Then, grind them to a fine powder. This is basically your hair powder.
Each time you want to wash your hair with this, mix a small portion of this powder with water and soak for about two hours. Even soaking overnight will work. Apply it on your scalp, gently massaging it for about five minutes and wash it away, as you do with your regular shampoo.
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE TOOTH PASTE AND TOOTH BRUSH
Ingredients
A tablespoon of refined camphor,
one tablespoon of sugar,
one teaspoon of alum (Paṭikāram, फिटकिरी/phitakiree)
two tablespoons of sunflower oil and
five drops of clove oil for this.
Instructions
Just mix these ingredients for the Ayurvedic toothpaste! That’s it! Camphor and alum will make your teeth strong and white, while clove oil will strengthen your gums. The sugar will add sweetness to the paste, so you don’t cringe while you brush.
Match this Ayurvedic toothpaste with a Neem twig toothbrush. Simply soak a twig in water for about 24 hours, so that it softens. Crush a tip to use it as bristles. Cut the part after use, and discard. Repeat the process the next day.
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE TOOTH POWDER
Ingredients
100 gms charcoal from rice husk,
pepper,
two cloves,
2 cardamoms,
sweet fennel,
salt and refined camphor.
Instructions
Grind them together to make a fine powder. Store it in an air-tight bottle or box. Each time you use the powder, make sure you massage thoroughly or leave the powder on your gums and teeth for about five minutes.
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE BATH POWDER
Ingredients
200 gms of wild turmeric,
200 gms vetiver (kas kas),
200 gms sandalwood,
200 gms holy basil and
500 gms powder of the fruit of soap nut acacia tree.
Instructions
Grind them into a fine powder. Store the powder in an air-tight container. When you use it, mix it with some water to make a paste and use it as you would use a body wash.
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE SOAP
Ingredients
· Powdered fruit of soap nut acacia tree- 200 gms
· Holy basil, Neem leaves and raw turmeric- 250 gms each
· Coconut oil- one kg
· Refined camphor- 15 gms, dissolved in 100 gms of coconut oil
· Glycerin- 100 ml
· Caustic potash- 250 gms
Instructions
The first step is to crush the holy basil, neem leaves and raw turmeric in 1.5 litres of water, and sift the residue. Add to the mixture, the powdered acacia fruit and bring to boil. Once the mixture is boiled, close the vessel with a lid and keep it so for a day. The next day, sift the mixture and bring to boil once again. While heating, keep adding little portions of caustic soda, making sure you stir it well. Once the mixture is homogenous, allow it to cool.
Add the coconut oil when the mixture comes down to room temperature, stirring thoroughly.
The mixture will start solidifying soon. This is when you add the glycerin and the refined camphor-coconut oil mixture. Keep stirring.
Take a flat vessel that is at least three inches tall and pour the mixture in a way that it stands two inches thick. Let it dry for about 2-3 days. Cut it into a shape and size you want. Your Ayurvedic soap is ready!
These will not only make your homes better, but will help us leave the planet better than we found it.
HOW TO MAKE SINDOOR
Ingredients
1 kg whole turmeric crushed into powder. You could buy turmeric powder if you find it too tedious to crush turmeric at home
40 grams alum or phitkari
120 grams borax or suhaaga
Enough lemon juice to make a paste (the juice of about 20- 25 lemons should be enough)
2 table spoons sesame oil
Instructions
Mix the alum powder and borax powder with the lemon juice to make a solution.
Pour this on the turmeric powder and mix, to make a paste.
Dry this mixture in the shade for two to three days — you will see the turmeric turn red.
Once it is completely dry, take a few drops of till oil on your palms and rub the powder in between your palms. Take a little at a time such that the powder is just moistened with the oil. Be careful not to make it into a paste.
Now store this kumkum or sindoor in a porcelain, glass or wooden container.
Use this as and when required.
Tip: If you buy sindoor or kumkum commercially, a good way to test for its authenticity is to take a little bit of it on a white piece of paper. Now fold the paper and rub the two halves together. You should see only a yellowish stain of haldi and no other colouring.
HOW TO MAKE KAJAL
Here are the different methods of making kohl at home.
Method One
Things required:
Two bowls of equal size
A small lamp (diya) with oil and a wick in it
A steel plate
A handful of almonds
Almond oil
Place the diya on the floor and light it. On either side of it, place the bowls. Place the steel plate on top of them, using the bowls as a stand. Make sure that the flame touches the bottom of the steel plate. Now place an almond on the centre of the plate. Each almond should burn for around three minutes (one and a half minute on each side). Discard the almond after three minutes and repeat the process with the rest of the almonds. When the almond burns, it releases oils that then form the soot. Once you’re done burning all the almonds, scrape out the soot using a knife and store it in a clean container. Add a drop of almond oil to it and mix well to form your kajal.
Method Two
Things required:
Two bowls of equal size
A small lamp (diya) with oil and a wick in it
A steel plate
Castor oil
Light the diya and place it on the floor. Place the bowls on either side of it. Apply some castor oil on the steel plate and place it on top of the bowls. Let the plate heat up for half an hour. The castor oil will burn and the soot can then be scrapped off and stored. Add a drop or two of oil to bring the kajal to the desired texture.
Method Three
You can follow the exact method described above but substitute castor oil with ghee. Ghee is very helpful in cooling the eye and getting rid of dark circles. So if that is your concern, then use ghee in place of castor oil and follow the instructions given in the above method.
Method Four
Things required:
Two bowls of equal size
A silver or copper lamp
Castor oil
Pure cotton wick
A copper plate
Fill the lamp with castor oil and dip the cotton wick in the oil and light the lamp. Place the bowls as stand and place the plate on the bowls. Make sure the plate is turned upside down as it needs to collect the soot from the lamp. This method requires a lot of time so it is best if you do it at night. Do this before you go to bed, making sure the lamp is in a secluded place and will not be put out by wind. Let the lamp burn for around ten hours. Carefully upturn the plate (use towel as the plate will be super hot) and scrape out the soot using a knife. Store it in a clean container, adding a drop or two of oil to it.
Method Five
This method follows the exact steps of the above method with the only difference being that the cotton wick is dipped in sandalwood paste and let to dry. This is done repeatedly till the cotton has absorbed as much of the sandalwood paste as possible. This wick is then used to make the kajal. The soot obtained thus is particularly helpful in cooling the eyes.
Method Six
Things required:
Ten camphor pellets
Two bowls to act as a stand
Two copper plates
Place a plate with the camphor in its centre and place the bowls on either side of it. Place the other plate (inverted) over the bowls. Light the camphor and let it burn out completely. The soot gets collected on the inverted plate and can be scraped out and used as kohl. The camphor has amazing cooling properties and will keep your eyes clean as well. This is probably the quickest method of making kajal. The camphor burns really quickly and the entire process will take you less than ten minutes.
Method Seven
Things required:
Muslin cloth (four by four inches)
3 to 4 Ajwain seeds
Sandalwood paste
Copper lamp
Copper plate
Two bowls of equal size
Castor oil
Dip the muslin cloth in the sandalwood paste and let it dry in shade. Place the bowls on either side of the lamp and fill the lamp with castor oil. Keep the Ajwain seeds in the muslin cloth and roll it to form a wick. Tie the ends with a thread to keep it from coming apart. Light the wick and place the plate on top, using the bowls as a stand. Let the lamp burn till all the oil is exhausted. The soot collected on the plate can then be scraped and stored in a clean container.
Method Eight
Follow the steps given in the above method with a slight variation. Smear some Aloe Vera onto the plate before placing it over the lamp. This way, the cooling and healing properties of the Aloe Vera also gets encompassed in the final product.
Note: Make sure that all the things that you use, right from the knife to scrape off the soot to the container to collect it in are clean. Also, try to use a silver container to store your Kajal if possible. Use an eyeliner brush or a Q-tip ear bud to apply the Kajal.
QUICK BITS
1) Heat ghee and let it cool in a glass container. This will work as a natural lip balm, but even better!
2) Greasy kitchen top, Gap stove - wipe with vinegar
3) Oily floor/vessels - use wheat/rice powder
4) Have plants around, even inside the house.
5) Avoid plastic bottles and canned foods. ...
6) Filter your tap water. ...
7) Keep shoes out of the house
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