DIY alkaline cleaner (recipe)

Little or nothing to do with distillation.

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Demy
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DIY alkaline cleaner (recipe)

Post by Demy »

Hi members, I have been using a very good and ecological homemade alkaline cleaner for a long time now and I thought I'd share the recipe. It is excellent for removing odors from fermenters, for cleaning boilers and columns and even for the floor (especially if an unrefined environment!). ATTENTION the product is very alkaline therefore aggressive on the hands, it will not burn you but it will dry your skin a lot, always use gloves for safety both in preparation and in use.
What you need: wood ash, water, a stainless steel pot, a sieve.
How to proceed: Sift the ash, put in a pot 1 part of ash and 5 parts of water. Bring to a boil, stirring often, when it boils the mixture will mix by itself. Boil for 1 to 2 hours, then let it cool (even until the next day). Cooling the ash will fall to the bottom while the liquid will stay on the surface. Collect this liquid, it will be our concentrated detergent, to be diluted according to use. If you want the ash left in the pot, you can use it as a cleaning paste. It keeps very long. I measured the PH = 13.
malt_lover
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Re: DIY alkaline cleaner (recipe)

Post by malt_lover »

Thanks for sharing. Brings back memories of grand mother who used to wash utensils directly with ash - always, never used any detergent. She used to say desert sand and ash are best cleaners.
NineInchNails

Re: DIY alkaline cleaner (recipe)

Post by NineInchNails »

So you're essentially making lye. I've never done it, but I've read & watched YouTube videos about making it. Yes, very caustic.
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Demy
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Re: DIY alkaline cleaner (recipe)

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NineInchNails wrote: Tue Oct 06, 2020 8:17 am So you're essentially making lye. I've never done it, but I've read & watched YouTube videos about making it. Yes, very caustic.
Yes, the beauty is that it is an excellent detergent and costs almost zero.
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Demy
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Re: DIY alkaline cleaner (recipe)

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malt_lover wrote: Tue Oct 06, 2020 5:15 am Thanks for sharing. Brings back memories of grand mother who used to wash utensils directly with ash - always, never used any detergent. She used to say desert sand and ash are best cleaners.
This is a beautiful thing.
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Corsaire
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Re: DIY alkaline cleaner (recipe)

Post by Corsaire »

Also used to make soap.
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Demy
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Re: DIY alkaline cleaner (recipe)

Post by Demy »

Corsaire wrote: Wed Oct 07, 2020 4:20 am Also used to make soap.
Yes, even if I tried and the saponification is not complete, I didn't like it so much. Some guides say the resulting product is potassium and sodium hydroxide, but in my opinion it's more potassium and sodium carbonate than anything else.
v-child
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Re: DIY alkaline cleaner (recipe)

Post by v-child »

Most oven cleaners are lye based. I'll clean scorched pots and boilers in a heartbeat with oven cleaner. Rinse well and do a cleaning run or two.
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Demy
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Re: DIY alkaline cleaner (recipe)

Post by Demy »

v-child wrote: Wed Oct 07, 2020 5:26 am Most oven cleaners are lye based. I'll clean scorched pots and boilers in a heartbeat with oven cleaner. Rinse well and do a cleaning run or two.
They are typically formulated to form a kind of foam. I shared the recipe because it is easy to make and very cheap, you can prepare several liters and keep for a long time. I put them in a spray bottle and used as a commercial product.
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