For anyone who is attempting to make a citrus cleaner for the first time, I would suggest that they do it small measures first, ideally just one litre. If you get it right this way, you will gain the confidence to scale it up. It will also make it easy for you to identify what went wrong.
Ingredients
* 200 gm citrus peels (from any citrus fruit; peels can be sun-dried or frozen)
* 200 gm jaggery
* 700-900 ml water
* Have a plastic jar ot bottle with one-litre capacity. (Metal and glass jars should not be used, as metal can react with the acids in the solution and glass can crack as a result of CO2 build-up).
The peels, jaggery and water should be in the ratio of 3:2:10 to make up one litre. The ratio of the water can be anywhere from '8' to '10', depending on whether the peels are frozen or sun-dried.
Steps
1. After putting the citrus peels, jaggery, and water in the bottle (fix the bottle to half), close the lid and the mix has be shaken to ensure the the jaggery is dissolved. With the jaggery having dissolved, the rest of the bottle can be filled with water.
2. The tightly-closed bottle should stored in a way that avoids direct sunlight.
3. Over the course of the first week, the bottle has to be opened on a daily basis to free it of carbon dioxide (CO2) built-up.
4. After 8 to 10 weeks, the solution is ready to be filtered are used.
The uses
There is more use for the peels; it can be homogenised into a paste, which can be used to clean dirty sinks and bathrooms.
Mixed with soapnut solution, the citrus-cleaner liquid can wash wash clothes and greasy utensils.
The citrus cleaner and water can be mixed in a 2:10 ratio to mop floors.
Caution: The citrus cleaner is not meant for consumption. Also, make sure it does not get into your eyes.
( Niraj Bhatt is a researcher at Citizen consumer and civic Action Group )
