Enzyme Cleaner Made from Garbage

Browsing the internet recently, I happened upon a page explaining how to make an all-purpose enzyme cleaner from garbage.  Because I love to recycle, and since I'm on a tight budget, this idea really caught my attention.  So I Googled "garbage enzyme cleaner" and found dozens more sites dedicated to this cleaner, and it seems to be a pretty big deal in Asia.

Around the same time, my daughter and I were spending the day making edible fruit bouquets, which results in a lot of fruit garbage and scraps, so I decided this would be the perfect opportunity to give the enzyme cleaner a try.

Garbage Enzyme Cleaner Recipe

10 parts water
3 parts food scraps
1 part brown sugar or molasses

Mix together in a plastic container with a lid.  A plastic container is important because the decomposing food produces natural gases which expand.  I used empty Hawaiian Punch gallon jugs.  Close the lid tightly and allow to ferment for 3 months, opening the lid once a day to allow fermentation gases to escape.  Keep the containers in a cool, well-ventilated area away from direct sunlight.

The liquid should remain a dark brown color.  If it starts to turn black, add some more sugar.  If any bugs get into it, ignore them as the fermentation process will kill them and they'll decompose naturally.

The cleaner will be ready to strain and use after 3 months' fermentation, but they say it's even better after 6 months.  Supposedly it never expires, does not require refrigeration, and the fruit residue can be reused to start your next batch of cleaner. 

My cleaner won't be ready to try until late October.  I've made 3 separate gallon containers.  Two contain mixed fruit scraps--oranges, lemons, cantaloupe, and pineapple--and one contains only citrus scraps--oranges, lemons, limes and grapefruit.  One of the mixed fruit jugs produces a tremendous amount of gas which I have to release 3-4 times a day.  I recommend placing your jug in the sink before opening the lid because they can foam up and spew out of the jug when you remove the lid.

From what I've read online, this is a highly concentrated cleaner that must be diluted for use to clean just about anything you can imagine.  Click here for recommended dilution ratios and suggested uses.

When my cleaner is ready to use, I'll give it a thorough testing and let you know the results.  If you've already tried this, I'd love to hear your thoughts!