How to make lye for washing. Alkali at home or soap on the ashes. Ash soap - natural detergent
Kirill Sysoev
Calloused hands do not know boredom!
Content
It is hard to imagine modern life without chemicals to maintain cleanliness and disinfection. In addition to harmful detergent solutions and washing powders, there is a cleaner substance that is environmentally friendly, hypoallergenic and harmless when used correctly. This is natural lye. In urban conditions, rarely anyone will use this substance, but on a hike or in the country, you can try the technique - at the same time it will be easier to understand how our ancestors maintained hygiene.
What is lye
The name of such a class of chemical compounds as alkalis comes from this word. Lye is a natural substance obtained as a result of a decoction or infusion of wood ash. For commercial use, it must be diluted with water. This substance consists of sodium carbonates (soda, soda lye) and potassium (potash), has a strong alkaline reaction. To make it, you need to use the ashes of deciduous trees: aspen, oak, birch. A lot of resins will remain in the ashes of coniferous plants, which can interfere with washing or cleaning anything.
How concentrated the lye will be depends on the type of wood from which the coals are left. More substances are obtained from herbaceous plants than from woody ones. Potassium predominates in the ashes of young plants, while in older plants there is more calcium. Climate, soil and nutrients affect the composition of combustion products. Most potassium, about 30%, can actually be obtained by burning buckwheat straw, sunflower stalks. Up to 15% potassium contains birch ash.
Application
Ash lye was a readily available detergent with no alternatives previously available. It was used in household needs as a broad-spectrum cleaning agent. The lye solution is suitable for bathing, washing hair, washing, bleaching clothes, soaking leather before tanning, washing dishes, disinfecting floors, and some medical applications.
For example, our ancestors used this substance internally to reduce acidity, for poisoning, bloating, disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, used as an antiseptic. Ash soap instantly cleanses the skin, gives a feeling of natural freshness. Tooth powder was also made from it - crushed birch ash powder, which strengthened enamel, whitened teeth, and kept them healthy until old age. Nowadays, liquid soap is produced from soda lye, and solid soap is made from potash lye.
Use instead of soap and shampoo
Natural fabrics, which were boiled in an alkaline solution (1:10), became stronger, linen was worn longer, wore out less. If you wash clothes made of linen, hemp or nettle with a high concentration of this substance, then it will lose its properties and will quickly deteriorate. Even with this solution, artists used to bleach canvases. Lye, diluted with a decoction of medicinal herbs, was used for bathing and washing the head as a liquid soap, shower gel or shampoo. Natural hygiene products contributed to the natural cleanliness of the body, healthy hair.
Our ancestors did not have allergic skin rashes caused by caustic chemicals, they did not know what dandruff was, and gray hair came at the right time. Application:
- Birch ash is best for washing and strengthening scalp hair, and a substance from burnt hazel can completely rid a person of hair.
- For bathing, moisten the body with a suitable lye (up to 2 liters of solution), and for rinsing, take 10 liters of water.
- Do not leave the substance on the surface of the skin for a long time.
- It is necessary to wash well, avoiding contact with the eyes and mucous membranes.
Washing greasy dishes
Our grandmothers dealt with it with soda, mustard powder or lye. The plates were really clean and safe for human health, although more time had to be devoted to this household task. You have to wash the dishes every day. Detergents are a product of the chemical industry and are not completely washed off the degreased surface.
Until now, in some families, the dishes are cleaned with soda or lye. Modern highly foaming detergents, although they eliminate fat even in cold water, contribute to the development of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and cancer cells. Our ancestors washed dishes with an alkaline solution (1:10) or undiluted lye. You can clean the plates of fat with the help of wood ash - mixing with fat, it forms unrefined soap. This process is very simple, let's look at it in more detail:
- If the dishes are almost not greasy, add a couple of drops of butter or a little bit of margarine.
- Pour the ashes into the pan, pour in the liquid to make a paste-like consistency.
- Warm up the container.
- Thanks to hot water, a chemical reaction will occur, after which potassium salt is formed from wood ash.
- When it mixes with fatty substances, it forms a kind of soap that will clean your dishes.
- After cooling the contents of the pan, you need to spread the resulting paste along the walls.
- Rinse the container with clean water.
What happens if you drink lye
It should be borne in mind that the substance is chemically aggressive. Undiluted lye, if it gets into the eyes and mucous membranes, causes burns, especially since its ingestion can burn internal organs, the concentrate is dangerous for the human body. A solution of lye in the correct concentration is not only safe, but also useful both in everyday life and as traditional medicine. The benefit of this substance is provided by ash - a valuable starting product.
As a healing agent, it was often used in combination with salt. For example, for diseases of the throat, a pinch of salt and a pinch of ash were mixed, thoroughly ground to a homogeneous mixture. Then they wetted the finger in water, touched the powder with it and applied these particles to the diseased tonsils. The procedure was repeated several times, and the inflammation was removed.
An important role is played by what kind of wood ash is used for treatment, since each type of wood has its own properties:
Do not drink ashes with water as they can burn your mouth due to their alkaline properties. When you take it, it is forbidden to eat everything sweet, honey and fruits. Alkaline water can quickly quench your thirst. To do this, pour half a glass of ash into a linen bag and rinse it well with water. The remaining amount of ash, for example, a quarter cup, dilute with 2 liters of water. Then let it brew for a day, dilute with boiled water 1: 3 and drink.
Cold lye preparation
Pour wood ash without synthetic impurities into the prepared container two-thirds of the volume. Prepare warm water, add it to the dishes almost to the top. Next you need:
- Stir the resulting solution, wait until large wood particles emerge, and throw them into the trash;
- Set the container in the sun or closer to the fire, stir the contents by the fire at least once an hour.
- Approximately 2 hours before the ready time, it is necessary to stop stirring the solution so that the precipitate has time to settle.
- Infuse the liquid for up to three days. According to the experience of travelers, to obtain the required concentration of lye, you need to mix the solution in the evening and leave it by the fire. In the morning, place the container in the sun, and by lunchtime, the ash detergent will be ready.
- When the solids settle to the bottom, a yellowish, soapy to the touch transparent detergent from the ash, called lye, will remain in the upper part of the dish (if there is no yellowness and the liquid is not soapy, the infusion process must be continued).
A few years ago, I asked my grandmother to tell me about how they used to wash their hair and how they washed clothes. She replied that it was lye. Then I had no idea that I would choose this particular shampoo for my naughty, wavy and slightly dry hair. Lye not only perfectly and very quickly washes hair and scalp from dirt and grease - it treats them from dandruff, strengthens and gives an amazing feeling of lightness and cleanliness.
Judging by the paintings, chronicles and literary works of the classics, our Russian girls have always been famous for their beautiful, healthy, thick and long braids. According to the condition of the hair, they judged not only the health of the woman, but also the level of her energy and ability to protect her family. Even 100 years ago, our grandparents did not have any problems with hair until old age, but with the advent of chemical shampoos, conditioners, rinses, gels and soaps, everyone learned about premature graying, dandruff and hair loss.
Lye is traditionally called an aqueous solution of wood ash. Lye is considered not only an all-purpose cleaner for hair, body and teeth, it has been successfully used for washing dishes, floors, washing and disinfecting linen, it is sprayed on plants to repel pests and used as a fertilizer. It is convenient to wash hands with lye, keeping it in a separate container for liquid soap, and if you prepare lye on fragrant and healing herbs, for example, chamomile, oregano, wormwood, nettle, you can heal many skin diseases.
It is best to cook lye on wood birch ash. It could always be taken from a rustic Russian stove in winter, or prepared after a fire burned out in summer. The main condition is that before that, paper, newspapers, plastic and other chemicals should not be thrown into the fire. In ancient times, lye was made in voluminous wooden barrels, which were called buchal or beech. The ash was first sifted from very large pieces and placed in a barrel, and then filled with water and hot stones were thrown into it. At the same time, the water was heated, and the main component of the lye, potash (K2CO3), began to dissolve.
At present, lye can be prepared as follows: throw 2-3 kg of ash into a bucket of hot (but cold) water. It is not necessary to boil, it will be enough just to mix the solution and let it brew well until clarified. Then, the water is drained and the sediment is thrown out. If the solution is cloudy and dark, it should be filtered through a cloth. That's the whole recipe for making lye!
For washing clothes, lye must be diluted with water in a ratio of 1: 2. You can also prepare a more concentrated solution of lye by filling the bucket two-thirds with ash and adding water. In this case, 1 part solution and 10 parts water are sufficient for washing. To wash linen, villagers advise taking a rag bundle with ash (approximately 15-17 cm in diameter) and throwing it into a bucket of water. In this infusion, linen items are washed.
There is another great recipe for making ash soap. Fill the floor of the pot with ashes from the stove, add water almost to the top and boil over moderate heat for about 30 minutes. You can add aromatic herbs to the broth. After that, filter the lye, and throw the ashes into the garden. Everything is very eco-friendly and fast!
This soap can be kept warm in the shade, but it's best to keep it in a cool place, such as a refrigerator or cellar.
I wish you all healthy, thick and beautiful hair! ;)
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The most affordable way to obtain alkali for washing is the ashes of herbaceous plants and trees. The ashes of some plants contain significant amounts of potash. There are plants that contain a significant amount of soda, such as SAXAUL.
Most alkali is found in the ash of sunflower, potato tops, saxaul, especially black, growing on saline soil. When burning saxaul, white ash is obtained, without coal. This ash is used in Central Asia for washing clothes.
A significant amount of potash is also found in the ashes of buckwheat, castor beans, soybeans, corn, nettles, in the ashes of birch, fir, beech, etc. The amount of potash in wood ash depends not only on the type of wood, but also on the composition of the soil on which it grows, harvesting time, method of burning, etc.
When harvesting ash, it must be sifted through a sieve to remove particles of coal and other impurities. To get cleaner ash, you need to burn plants so that there is less coal.
Potash from plant ash can be isolated in its pure form by purifying it and evaporating the water. Potash is required one and a half times more than soda. Pure potash, which has the appearance of a white powder, is rarely used for washing clothes and is replaced by cheaper soda. But if you get potash from the ashes without evaporating the water, then it becomes quite affordable.
For washing, it is sufficient to have a pure solution of potash, which is easily obtained from the ashes. Such a solution of potash with a small amount of ash impurities is called ASH LYE.
The most accessible raw material for the production of ash liquor is the ash of potato tops, wormwood, nettle, sunflower, birch. You can also use the ashes of any plants.
The use of peat ash is impractical, since it contains a large number of unburned particles that color the water during the preparation of the solution. In addition, there is little potash in it.
Washing ash should not be stored outdoors so that it is not exposed to rainwater.
There are several ways to prepare fly ash, the fastest of which is using hot water. Ash. sifted through a sieve, moistened with a small amount of water, preferably hot, in a box, basin or barrel, mixed and left for 10-12 hours. For 2 kg. ashes take about 1 liter of water. The soaked ash is then placed in some kind of tank, barrel, bucket and filled with hot water. For 1 bucket of water take 2-3 kg. ash. If the ash is rich in potash, then it can be taken less and vice versa. After pouring water, the ash is stirred for 15 minutes, and then the liquor is allowed to settle for 5-6 hours. In this case, ash leaching occurs, i.e. dissolving potash in water. To prevent the solution from cooling down, the dishes must be covered with something.
The settled solution is clean, transparent. It is poured into another bowl. To remove particles of coal floating in it, etc., it is better to strain it through some kind of cloth.
ANOTHER METHOD for obtaining ash liquor is that the ash is placed in a tank of water, stirred for 15-20 minutes, then heated to a boil and left to cool for several hours.
The FOLLOWING METHOD for obtaining ash liquor is also used: ash at the rate of 2-3 kg per bucket of water is placed in a bag of dense fabric and lowered into a tank of hot water. Then the water is boiled for 1-2 hours and left to cool for 5-6 hours, after which the ash bag is taken out. If the lye is not completely pure, it is filtered through a cloth.
Ash liquor obtained in one way or another can be used to soften water when locking, washing, washing clothes, as well as for washing hands, dishes, floors, etc.
For washing, the resulting ash liquor is diluted with water. For the lock, a weaker lye is taken (for 1 part of lye, 2 parts of water).
Fly ash is a good disinfectant. To disinfect contaminated linen, it is boiled with lye ash.
At the same time, the skills of preparing lye will be very useful and in demand in a multi-day trip. Without much effort, you can independently make for yourself any amount of a detergent that is quite appropriate in the field, effective and affordable, which will help a lot, for example, when organizing laundry during rest days (days) on the route.
Plus, you don’t have to take with you, in such a case, additional supplies of ordinary soap, washing powder or other detergents, which, although not by much, will still reduce the overall weight of your wearable equipment.
Getting lye from wood ash.
To prepare the lye, you will need ordinary clean wood ash from a fire, without impurities of plastic and other debris, and water. Ashes are preferred from hardwoods rather than softwoods due to the resins they contain. The ash of oak, birch, pine, and aspen has the highest alkalinity.
It is better to take narrow and high dishes for preparing lye; it will be much more convenient to drain it at the end of the process than from flat and wide ones. The material of the dishes does not really matter, but it is better to give preference to something metal, which then it will not be a pity to throw away.
It is not necessary to strive for very large volumes; for household use, the resulting concentrated lye is usually diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10, or even more, so 0.5-0.7 liters of pure liquor per person will be enough.
Obtaining lye from ash in a cold way.
In the prepared dishes, 2/3 of its volume, pour wood ash and pour warm water almost to the top. How to pre-clean or filter the ash does not make sense, only an extra waste of time and effort. We mix the solution well, wait until large wood debris floats to the surface and remove it.
Then we put the container with the solution in the sun or put it closer to the burning fire. It is desirable to mix the solution periodically, at least once an hour. 1.5-2 hours before the readiness time you have determined, all mixing must be stopped so that the ash has time to settle to the bottom of the dish.
Various sources recommend infusing the solution in this way for up to three days, but according to experience, to obtain a suitable concentration, it is enough to mix the solution in the evening, put it closer to the fire, and put it in the sun in the morning, then it will be ready closer to dinner.
After the ash has completely settled to the bottom of the container, a transparent, yellowish, slightly soapy liquid to the touch will remain in its upper half - this is lye. If the color of the liquid is simply transparent, without obvious yellowness, and it does not feel soapy to the touch, then the lye is not yet ready and the infusion process must be continued. The resulting concentrated lye is carefully poured into another container and used for domestic needs.
Obtaining lye from ash in a hot way.
It differs from cold preparation in that the diluted solution is not infused for a long time, but put on fire, brought to a boil and simmered for at least two hours, stirring occasionally. This method is undoubtedly faster, but at the same time more tedious and costly in terms of effort.
At the same time, this method is excellent for obtaining lye of very high concentration. To do this, you need to take two containers that are twice as large as the planned output of lye, and boil them together over low heat.
As the liquid in the first container evaporates, replenish it not with clean water, but with a hot solution from the second container, until it completely decreases. At the output, we get a strong concentrate in the first container and an empty second, where we drain the pure alkali.
Use of prepared lye.
Washing and washing clothes with concentrated, undiluted lye is not recommended, this can at least lead to dryness and irritation of the skin, and clothing fabric and threads can lose their original strength from exposure to caustic active substances that are part of the lye. For washing the head and body, the lye is diluted with water in a ratio of 1:15, for washing clothes - 1:10.
In addition, in urban conditions, any concentration of lye is not recommended for washing in modern automatic washing machines, since the particles of organic matter and salts that are insoluble in water are more likely to settle on the heating elements of the washing machine, which can lead to to damage or breakage.
Storage of finished lye.
It is better not to store ready-made concentrated lye, but to use it immediately. If such a need nevertheless arose, then a metal or glass container is preferable for its storage. Any plastic, with a high degree of probability, concentrated alkali will corrode over time.
Washing greasy dishes with wood ash.
In order to wash dirty and greasy dishes in the field, it is not at all necessary to waste time and extract lye from wood ash. In this case, it itself is a good detergent, since when mixed with fat it forms the same thing, only unrefined soap, which will remove dirt and grease from the walls of the dishes.
The only condition is that the dishes must really be greasy. If there is very little fat in it, then you need to add a little, just a few drops. Any fat will do, including edible oil or margarine.
Two or three handfuls of ash are added to a greasy dish, then a little boiling water is poured into it and the resulting mass is mixed to a paste-like state. Then the mixture is rubbed on the walls of the dishes from the inside and out, allowed to stand and cool for a while, and then washed as usual, rinsing with clean water at the end.
From the lye obtained from wood ash, ordinary soap can also be made if desired. However, this process is time-consuming and it does not make much sense to carry it out in cramped field conditions.
To make soap, in addition to lye, you will also need any animal fat, such as lard, or fish oil, or vegetable oil. The fat is mixed with lye in a ratio of 1:2 and boiled over low heat, with constant stirring, until all the liquid boils away, but not less than 4-6 hours.
As it evaporates, the lye will need to be added. Then let the mixture cool down. The resulting liquid, potash, soap will cleanse the skin, but will not be an antiseptic. You can give antiseptic properties to soap if you add pine resin to the solution during cooking.
I would like to note that such a soap may not work the first time and you will have to experiment to find the most appropriate ratio of the available ingredients.
You should start with a small increase in the amount of fat or oil, not lye, as a large concentration of it will dry and irritate the skin, which will only do more harm.
To obtain solid soap, salt must be added to the resulting liquid soap, the approximate amount is three tablespoons per initial liter of solution. As a result of the reaction, the potash soap will decompose into a liquid and a soap core.
It then must be separated from the solution and poured into a suitable form. After complete hardening and drying, we get almost ordinary laundry soap, well, as far as it is generally possible in the field.
11.11.2016
Synthetic detergents have so densely filled our living space that for many residents of megacities, accustomed to the swiftness and simplification of everyday affairs, it is even difficult to imagine how people used to do without this chemistry and were much healthier and more beautiful. Meanwhile, wood ash was a universal, environmentally friendly detergent in the recent past.
Lye was made from the ashes and with its help softened water, bleached fabrics, disinfected linen, washed whiteboard floors, used it as a liquid shampoo-rinse that gave softness and splendor to hair. The value of using lye is not only in the ease of its manufacture and use, but also in its harmlessness to the environment. For plants, lye is useful as a good fertilizer and soil deoxidizer.
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