How to Make Garbage Enzyme
Turn your kitchen scraps in to powerful cleansers! Garbage enzymes can be used for many purposes such as dish washing, general cleaning and washing of fruits and vegetables.
Garbage enzyme is the product of fermentation of vegetable/fruit wastes in a mixture of water and brown sugar after a period of 3 months. The brown sugar that is metabolized by bacteria turns into alcohol which is subsequently reduced to acetic acid or vinegar.
Garbage enzymes can be produced easily with the many waste from our kitchen.
To prepare your own garbage enzyme at home, you will need the following tools and ingredients:
- Vegetable and fruit skins (choose fruits that produce better scent)
- Knife
- Chopping board
- Plastic container with lid
- Brown sugar
- Water
- Ratio to use: 1 part brown sugar, 3 parts vegetable and fruit skins, 10 parts water
Preparations
- Mix the brown sugar and water in a plastic container. Stir well.
- Add in the vegetable and fruit skins. Citrus fruits like lemon, orange, lime etc will produce a nicer scent). Give it a good stir.
- Leave some space for fermentation at the top.
- Close the lid tightly and store in a dry, cool place.
- For the first few days, remove the lid to release the air in the container everyday.
- After several days, the gas built up in the container will be reduced.
- Gently shake the container every few days.
- During the fermentation process, white, black or brown residue will appear at the top. Just ignore them for now.
- The garbage enzyme is ready to be used after 3 months. You can also leave it to ferment longer for better results.
- Filter the vegetable and fruit skins and store enzyme in a plastic bottle. It will have a dark brown colour.
