To make floor wax out of ipil-ipil leaves, you first of all need to gather a good dozen of the leaves from a healthy tree. You'll then need to juice the leaves to extract the waxy goodness from them for use in your natural alternative to commercial floor wax. Alternatively, you can use a pestle and mortar to crush the ipil-ipil leaves into a pulp ready to add to the rest of the wax mixture. See below for the other ingredients and equipment you'll need, as well as a complete method for producing your floor wax.
Ingredients:
12 Juiced Ipil-Ipil Leaves
50g Paraffin Wax
250ml Mineral Oil
Equipment/Other Required Materials:
Gas or Electrical Hob/Stove
Large Old Saucepan
Wooden Stirring Spoon or Hard Stirring Brush
Pouring Jug
Waxing Mop
Small Bucket (for dipping the mop into)
Clean Rags/Towels (preferably ones you don't mind getting spoiled)
Method:
1. Gather all the required ingredients together and set them out so that they are easily accessible and within your reach.
2. Turn on the hob or stove you are planning to use and gently heat the paraffin wax until melted. Stir occasionally to avoid the wax sticking to the base of the pan.
3. Carefully pour the mineral oil into your pan a bit at a time. Don't rush: Do this in stages to avoid any overspills.
4. Add in the juiced Ipil-Ipil leaves. Again, do this in stages to avoid missing the saucepan.
5. Stir the mixture together thoroughly and turn off the hob. Don't stop stirring, though, as this will cause the mixture to set.
6. Pour the floor wax gently into the small bucket. Dip the mop into the bucket and shake off excess liquid before gingerly applying to your floor. Leave for 30 minutes.
7. Buff the wax on your floor and then remove thoroughly, leaving it sparkling clean with the effect of the ipil-ipil leaves at a fraction of the price normally spent on commercial cleaners.
You will need at least 12 ipil-ipil leaves in order to make a floor wax that is an excellent alternative to the commercial products that you can buy.
The first thing that you need to do is to extract the wax from the leaves. There are a couple of ways that you can do this. The first is to put the leaves into a juicer, and the second is use a mortar and pestle and pulp the leaves.
You will then need to heat 50g of paraffin wax so that it melts. You will need to keep stirring this so that it does not stick to the pan. Once the paraffin wax has melted, pour 250ml of mineral oil into the pan, a little bit at a time. This stage should be taken slowly so that the mixture does not boil over and injure you.
Once this stage is complete you can add the juice of the ipil-ipil leaves. Once more, do this slowly and a little bit at a time. Once all the juice has been added, remove the pan from the heat but continue to stir the mixture so that it does not begin to set.
When the mixture has cooled down a little, you can transfer it to a bucket and, using either a clean rag or a floor mop, apply the mixture to your clean floor.
Leave this for about half an hour and then you can buff the floor. This should be done thoroughly to remove all traces of the wax (which could be slippery and cause an accident). Your floor will shiny and beautiful.
You can store any excess wax in a pot for future use, but it will need to be gently re-heated so that it is a liquid once more.
Ingredients:
12 Juiced Ipil-Ipil Leaves
50g Paraffin Wax
250ml Mineral Oil
Equipment/Other Required Materials:
Gas or Electrical Hob/Stove
Large Old Saucepan
Wooden Stirring Spoon or Hard Stirring Brush
Pouring Jug
Waxing Mop
Small Bucket (for dipping the mop into)
Clean Rags/Towels (preferably ones you don't mind getting spoiled)
Method:
1. Gather all the required ingredients together and set them out so that they are easily accessible and within your reach.
2. Turn on the hob or stove you are planning to use and gently heat the paraffin wax until melted. Stir occasionally to avoid the wax sticking to the base of the pan.
3. Carefully pour the mineral oil into your pan a bit at a time. Don't rush: Do this in stages to avoid any overspills.
4. Add in the juiced Ipil-Ipil leaves. Again, do this in stages to avoid missing the saucepan.
5. Stir the mixture together thoroughly and turn off the hob. Don't stop stirring, though, as this will cause the mixture to set.
6. Pour the floor wax gently into the small bucket. Dip the mop into the bucket and shake off excess liquid before gingerly applying to your floor. Leave for 30 minutes.
7. Buff the wax on your floor and then remove thoroughly, leaving it sparkling clean with the effect of the ipil-ipil leaves at a fraction of the price normally spent on commercial cleaners.
You will need at least 12 ipil-ipil leaves in order to make a floor wax that is an excellent alternative to the commercial products that you can buy.
- How to make floor wax from ipil-ipil leaves
The first thing that you need to do is to extract the wax from the leaves. There are a couple of ways that you can do this. The first is to put the leaves into a juicer, and the second is use a mortar and pestle and pulp the leaves.
You will then need to heat 50g of paraffin wax so that it melts. You will need to keep stirring this so that it does not stick to the pan. Once the paraffin wax has melted, pour 250ml of mineral oil into the pan, a little bit at a time. This stage should be taken slowly so that the mixture does not boil over and injure you.
Once this stage is complete you can add the juice of the ipil-ipil leaves. Once more, do this slowly and a little bit at a time. Once all the juice has been added, remove the pan from the heat but continue to stir the mixture so that it does not begin to set.
- Using the leaves to wax a floor
When the mixture has cooled down a little, you can transfer it to a bucket and, using either a clean rag or a floor mop, apply the mixture to your clean floor.
Leave this for about half an hour and then you can buff the floor. This should be done thoroughly to remove all traces of the wax (which could be slippery and cause an accident). Your floor will shiny and beautiful.
You can store any excess wax in a pot for future use, but it will need to be gently re-heated so that it is a liquid once more.
