Bioenzyme is an alcohol/vinegar based multi-purpose cleaner that you can make at home by using just your kitchen waste like fruit and vegetable peels. This is an extremely efficient cleaner, pest-repellant and stain remover that has a whole host of uses.
How to make Bioenzyme:
Making bioenzyme or fruit enzyme, as its more commonly known, is a very simple, straight-forward process. All we need for this are the following:
- Fruit Peels
- Jaggery/ Brown Sugar
- Water
The above three need to be taken in the following proportion: 1: 3 :10 i.e. 1 portion of jaggery, 3 portions of fruit peels and 10 portions of Water.
So for example, if we're using 300g of fruit peel, we'll be using 100g of jaggery and 1000g/ml of water. These just need to be mixed together and placed in a container such that its filled to about 80% of its capacity, leaving the top 20% free for any gas release etc. The container needs to stored in a dry, dark place that is neither cold nor warm. It's not recommended to move the container often too.
You can also find the video tutorial for making bioenzyme here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7yllr7OO5w&t=2s
Time taken to make the bioenzyme:
The process takes about 3 months to complete. You know your bioenzyme is ready when there is hardly any gas activity and the fruit peels have sunk to the bottom of the container. This are 2 indicators to show that the bioenzyme is ready. At the end of 3 months, you simply have to strain the solution from the container and you have the bioenzyme, all ready to use.
Steps to be taken once the process starts:
Once we've mixed in all the ingredients, the fermentation process starts. What we need to do is open the lid of the container every day at least once for the first 3 weeks or so. After that we can open it every two days and by the last month, open it every 1-2 times in a week. This is to release the gas that is formed as a by product of the fermentation that happens. This prevents the lid from popping open on its own.
What really happens inside the container:
When the 3 ingredients above are mixed and stored in the container, the good bacteria that is found naturally, starts the process of breaking down the fruit peels. The jaggery gives it the required energy to break down the peels and through the process of fermentation, the peels are slowly broken down, accompanied by the release of gases(which are completely non-toxic). When the complete mixture is broken down, that is when the process completes.
Straining out the ready bioenzyme:
Keep the bioenzyme undisturbed overnight. The next day morning, you can use a ladle or a beaker to skim out the top transparent layer of the bioenzyme. This is the layer that can be used for all your cleaning purposes like floor cleaning, as detergent for your clothes, as a cleaner for your kitchen surfaces etc. This layer will be the greatest in quantity, if the solution is left undisturbed, and you can store it in bottles for your various cleaning needs. Bioenzyme has no shelf life and will not spoil. So you can store it for as long as you want.
The next would be the layer where you have the bioenzyme+ fruit pulp mixed. This will not look transparent and will be the layer floating just on top of the fruit peels that have sunk to the bottom. This layer can be used for cleaning your toilets, bathrooms etc as any pulp that remains after cleaning can be washed off with water.
The final layer is the pulp that contains all the broken down fruit peels. This can simply be squeezed out to extract as much bio enzyme as possible and then be added to you compost to speed it up.
Container to be used to make bioenzyme:
Plastic containers are preferred over glass or steel container as a viable option for making the bioenzyme. This is to prevent any breakage or reaction during the fermentation process as there would be gas formation, and plastic is the only one that can expand as needed.
Fruit peels to be used:
I generally use citrus(lemons,oranges and sweet lime) or pineapple as the peels for my bioenzyme. This is because there are no issues like staining, since you'll be using this in different parts of your home. Also, they smell great. But feel free to experiment with different kinds of fruit peels of your choice.
Points to note while making bioenzyme:
Making bioenzyme is a very straight-forward, simple process. However, there are a few things we need to keep in mind -
Keeping the lid closed at all times - The lid of the container must be closed at all times other than when it's opened to release gases. This ensures that no flies enter your bioenzyme and lay eggs in it, as this can lead to other complications.
Opening the lid once a day everyday for the first 3-4 weeks - This is again important as if not done, the lid may pop open hurting someone or exposing your bioenzyme to any stray flies.
You may see a white layer form on the top of the bioenzyme. This is nothing but the dead bacteria that float to the top once the process completes. This is completely harmless but if you want to get rid of this, simply mixing the liquid does the job.
Speeding up the bioenzyme creation process:
3 months does seem like a long time and yes, it can be speeded up. Using a tsp of baker's yeast(normal ordinary yeast used for baking) for every 5 litres of water used, can speed up the process considerably(adjust the quantity accordingly if using lesser water).
In fact bioenzyme prepared like this is ready to use in just 20 days! The final product is just the same as the other process, so any of the techniques can be used. In this case however, you will have to stir the bioenezyme everyday as the activity is high because of the addition of the yeast.
Uses of bioenzyme:
Bioenzyme has numerous uses like floor cleaning, as a bathroom and toilet cleaner, natural pest repellant, as a detergent to wash clothes, as a vegetable wash, for you gardens and so on. We'll discuss all the uses one by one in the future blogs.
Try making this amazing bioenzyme and feel free to reach out to us for any queries!
