What is lye

Lye is an alkaline solution that can be obtained by boiling wood ash and used as a multipurpose detergent for household cleaning : we discover together what lye is, how it is prepared and how it is used.

What is lye

Lye is a basic solution of sodium or potassium hydroxide that can also be obtained by boiling wood ash and used before washing machines to wash laundry by hand.

Lye was also used to produce soaps at home : being a basic substance, it was made to react with waste oil used in the kitchen or with animal fats, resulting in soap, that is the salt obtained from basic hydrolysis of fatty acids.

Even today, those dedicated to the self-production of soaps and detergents for the home and are fortunate enough to have a fireplace, engage in the production of lye from ash.

Lye is then used as a multi-purpose ecological detergent and is effective for this purpose due to its alkaline nature.

How to make lye at home

To prepare the lye from the ashes of the fireplace, it is first necessary to filter the ash, which must be ash obtained from natural wood.

Gloves and a mask are then worn to avoid breathing fine dust dispersed in the environment, the ash is taken and sieved with a very fine mesh sieve to remove unwanted residues.

The ash will then be weighed to calculate the amount of water, taking into account that for each part of ash it takes five of water.

Then the water is heated in a steel pot of adequate size and, upon reaching the boiling point, the ash is poured in rain, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon.

The ash should be left on low heat for at least two hours and then cooled.

To use the obtained lye, the water can be taken with a ladle paying attention not to move the ash on the bottom of the pot; alternatively, the lye can be filtered using a cotton cloth with a very dense weave.

Lye can be transferred to glass bottles and stored for a long time; used for cleaning washable surfaces and floors, avoiding particularly delicate materials.

It is recommended to always wear gloves during the preparation and use of the lye since it is a basic solution, it is irritating to the skin.