On October 16, 2015, I came across a newspaper photo that left me aghast — women performing Chhath Puja in the frothing Yamuna River. Chhath Puja is an important festival for Hindus in Uttar Pradesh, beginning and ending with a dip in a water body. This festival is known to be one of the most eco-friendly celebrations among Hindus, involving rituals performed in natural settings, using natural materials, and respecting the environment.

However, the sight of the river submerged in toxicity starkly contrasted with the nurtured love and respect for divinity in its natural form. The river languished in a state of neglect and contamination, with pollution levels far beyond safe limits.

This situation did not arise overnight. Industrialisation and the growth of communities living close to the rivers, with effluent and grey water dumped directly into water bodies, have contributed to the flowing filth. The lack of administrative checks has allowed pollutants to spiral out of control over the past decades.

It starts from our home

Looking closer to home, the chemicals discharged into our sewage and effluent drains highlight our contribution to this environmental issue. Widely used laundry detergents contain approximately 35 to 75% phosphate salts. Phosphorus in synthetic detergents promotes the growth of water weeds, leading to the death of lakes through a process known as eutrophication.

Read more: What would it take to make eco-friendly packaging pocket-friendly too?

This results in significant cleanup costs for cities and taxpayers. A  study by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) shows the dangers posed by detergents to our rivers and water systems. Around 80% of wastewater from human activities, including spent detergent and personal hygiene products, is discharged into water bodies without treatment (Génevaux, 2017). 

As citizens, can we do something to stop this incremental damage, if not completely reverse it? Recognising that our fast-paced city lives, gadget-driven homes, and loss of native wisdom in nuclear families have changed our consumption patterns and lifestyles, there is a clear and rising demand for home cleaning fluids and detergents. Despite being a recurring burden on household income, many consider them as ‘must-haves’ for a clean and healthy home. But are they?

What can we do?

Changing a deep-rooted habit is one of the most difficult things to do. However, with climate change looming large, high levels of pollution, unliveable cities, and unresponsive administrations, our times compel us to reflect on our current situation. Our choices could change the course of our rivers, allowing them to flow with greater purity. This would not only impact the soils they flow through but also the communities and ecosystems they nourish, as well as the thirst they quench. It’s a win-win situation for our health, our pockets, and the environment.

“I have always preferred natural products but my own experience reinforced my trust in bio solutions. I had skin problems and moved to enzyme-based cleaners. The skin problem disappeared magically. Since then, I strongly advocate the use of natural products for our homes,” says Sameera Satija, Haryana State President, WICCI Bio Enzyme Council.

Here are a few tried and tested solutions from over the years.

DIY natural detergents and pesticides for homes and offices

The ingredients for all recipes mentioned here are natural, easily available in India and compostable. Try to source locally to make the process eco-friendly.

Soap nuts (soapberries, wash nuts)

These round-shaped seeds with frothy fruit come from the Sapindus mukorossi tree, which mostly grows in northern India and Nepal. This tree is commonly known as the “soap nut tree of North India” or “big soap nut.” In contrast, the Sapindus trifoliatus, known as the “small soap nut,” is widespread in South India, where the climate is warmer and milder.

I have been using them in the kitchen and for washing clothes for over eight years and they are easy on the hands, dishes, clothes, and of course our rivers.

Cleaning clothes safely

Soap nuts are a gentle wash and may not remove harsh stains or grime. If clothes are stained, soak them in warm water with a few tablespoons of bio-enzyme (recipe shared below) for an hour before loading them into the washing machine. 

They work best for babies, and people with sensitive skin and reduce our exposure to chemicals through our skin. The skin is the largest organ in our body, speedily absorbing any chemical it is exposed to. Conventional detergents and softeners expose us to toxic chemicals and increase health risks.

Using soap nut shells for washing clothes

You will need: 

• One small muslin bag if using the shells in a washing machine
• 6-8 shells (good enough for 4 or 5 washes) for a 3 kg delicate setting.

To use directly, add the 4-6 shells (or 6-8 for soiled loads) into the muslin bag. Add the clothes and the bag to your washing machine, following fabric care instructions for washing. Save the shells for multiple uses until they turn soft and grey, indicating they are ready to be composted. 

If you use the liquid concentrate (recipe below), pour three tablespoons directly into the detergent slot for a 3-kg load run. 

Recipe: Soap nut liquid for clothes and dishes

About 15 soap nuts last me at least five days (two rounds of dishes being washed per day) for a family of three.

Soak the nuts overnight. They will soften a bit by morning. Bring to a boil in 3 cups of water and set aside to cool. Heating activates the saponin, a natural cleanser. Rub the nuts in your palm and release the saponin in the water after the water has cooled. Sieve the water and use it to wash the dishes. For added shine, boil lemon peels in water and dilute the soap-nut concentrate with lemon water or add a few drops of lemon juice. Pour in more water, boil and keep for the next few uses (the liquid can be refrigerated for a longer shelf life).

Soap nut concentrate

Boil 15 pre-soaked soap-nuts in 4 cups of water for 20 minutes. Once cool, rub the soap nuts and squeeze. Refrigerate in a plastic or glass bottle.

Vegetable soak and cleanse

Add a teaspoon of ground soap nut powder or one tablespoon of concentrate to a big bowl of water, and soak your fruits and vegetables for half an hour. Chemical spray and pesticide residue will be washed away, leaving clean, wholesome food. Rinse the food well in water before eating. 

Read more: Living and learning with Nature: Experiences from home

Making citrus bio-enzyme cleansers 

Easy to make, waste peels make superb cleansers. You could use any citrus (orange, sweet lime, lemon or pineapple) fruits. Pineapple and lemons are by far my favourite. Easily available, lemon peels may be used after you are done with juicing them. They are aromatic, make great cleansers and lend freshness and shine. Boil peels of 3–4 lemons and add bio enzyme and soap nut concentrate to make dishwashing liquid. 

Natural citrus cleanser (bio enzyme)

Ingredients (to make one litre of cleanser):

• 100 gm jaggery (gud)
• 300 gm citrus peels (washed and blended with some water)
• 1 litre water

Proportion: 1:3:10

Time Required: 3 months

Instructions:

1. Combine the jaggery, blended citrus peels, and water in a 2-litre PET bottle or any plastic container with a lid. The lid helps to keep insects and mosquitoes away. Label the bottle with the start date to remember when you began the batch.
2. Keep the bottle or jar in a cool, dark place. Stir the mixture daily with a plastic or wooden spoon for the first month to allow gas to escape.
3. After the first month, stir the mixture three times a week. A white coating may form on top, which looks like fungus, but this is a good sign. Just keep the liquid moving until the 3 months are complete.
4. Final product: Once ready, the mixture will have a strong citrusy fragrance and a fermented smell. The peels will have turned to pulp or disappeared completely if blended at the start.
5. Strain the clear liquid (if not blended) and store it in a plastic or glass bottle for use.
6. The remaining pulp can be added to the next batch of peels to act as an accelerator or used with your dishwashing detergent. It can also be added to your compost pile.

Tip: Start your second batch at the end of the first month so you have enzymes available year-round, or make larger batches by multiplying the quantities.

Uses of Bio enzyme

• Works as an accelerator for composting. Spray it once a week on your compost pile until you add food waste to your composter (by diluting 1:5 with water).  
• Ceramic, steel surface grease and grime remover (bathroom or chimney cleaning).
• Can be used as a toilet cleaner, and tile cleaner, removing stains on clothes and washing very dirty clothes by diluting 1:10 with water.
• I have found it to be a very effective mosquito and insect repellent in the garden (Diluted 1:10 with water). Spray on plants and areas prone to mosquito breeding, including leaf and food composters.
• Line the wall and floor joints with bio enzyme and scrub with an old toothbrush after an hour or so. Wipe off with a mop… and voila, you will have shiny edges. 
• Great for bringing a shine to marble flooring. 

Vinegar: for clothes, utensils, drains and mould

Here is how vinegar can be used as a natural cleanser:

• For clogged drains: Pour half a cup of baking soda into the drain, and add half a cup of white vinegar. It will fizz for a while, let the solution rest for 20 minutes. Add 250 ml of boiling water down the drain. Do this before going to bed at night so the drain is left unused for a few hours.
• As a clothes softener: Add 1/4 cup white vinegar to the rinse cycle. Vinegar and bleach should not be used together.
• For mould: Wipe an area infested with mould with a clean cloth soaked in white vinegar, if the surface area is porous and absorbent. Repeat every alternate day till 5 applications have been completed for best results. Might be a good idea to expose the mould-infested areas to sunlight and fresh air additionally. It has a persistent way of coming back, please be mindful and observant as it can cause respiratory problems.

Using salt as a disinfectant

I have never used cleaning agents or harsh chemicals for mopping the floor in our home. The water goes to the plants after the floor has been mopped if not used for washing the yards. Both my sons have had near 100% attendance in school year after year and we have never had to take leave from work due to ill-health from infections caused by poor sanitary conditions in our home. And none of us have contracted any allergic asthma/bronchitis due to the use of these pungent and strong cleansing chemicals.

On days, when the floor is very dirty, 2 tablespoons of salt or 100ml of bioenzyme are added to the mopping bucket. Maybe once a year, a cup of white vinegar is added, while lemon also makes an excellent cleanser. This water is used to wash the front or back yards but not fed to the plants. 

Hack for cockroaches

Ingredients:

• Wheat flour
• Sugar
• Boric powder

Instructions:

1. Mix Ingredients: Take equal amounts of wheat flour, sugar, and boric powder. Mix them well with water to form a dough-like consistency.
2. Form Balls: Make small balls from the dough.
3. Placement: Paste the balls inside cupboards or line them around drains. If you have pets at home, ensure the dough balls are placed deep inside the cupboards in the corners or lined inside the drain covers to keep them out of reach.

All that shines is not gold

Powerful advertising brainwashes us into believing that if we don’t add these detergents to our water, we aren’t equipped to lead a healthy life. This is curated consumption at its best. Your conscience, shopping basket, and wallet will all feel lighter if you escape this marketing manipulation.

We need to be mindful of the products we consume—do we really need them, or are we being influenced by peer pressure, advertising, and mindless convenience? By putting our natural resources at risk, we are slowly but surely digging our graves, creating an unhealthy world with families burdened by medical bills and the trauma of chronic diseases.

If the popular choice of the people becomes the ‘safe choice’, it could influence the industry and prompt an alert government to intervene and make changes. This could start with a mandatory listing of ingredients used in all detergents and cleaners on their packaging, along with issuing hazardous warnings, if necessary.

People need to be more aware of the disadvantages of using chemicals in their homes. This would lead to pristine rivers, with potable water and no signs of human waste, truly restored to their former glory

Also read:

• Jakkur lake: The story of an urban ecosystem
• Treated water from one-third of BWSSB sewage treatment plants is unsafe