Tips For Recycling Used Cooking Oil

And at your home? Where is used oil usually poured  ? Some Housewives store it in a separate container, but most often they end up either in the garden, in a garbage can or in the sink. Used oil should never be poured down the sink. But you probably already knew that.

How does used oil affect the environment?

Sometimes we are not aware that what we do every day may have a negative impact on our surroundings. Throwing a piece of paper in the woods, a plastic bottle on the beach or used oil poured down the sink … Everything has its consequences.

Used oil can have the following effects:

• Clogs pipes and drain. It combines with other substances (washing agents, washing-up liquids, etc.) and forms a kind of jelly-like layer on which bacteria and waste can settle. Then an unpleasant smell appears, followed by cockroaches and rodents.
• Remember the high cost of repairing these clogged pipes!
• Do you know what happens when used oil ends up in a river or the sea? It is known not to mix with water. It remains on the surface, preventing it from oxidizing properly. It means slow death for the creatures that live there.
• In addition, some of this oil settles on the fish scales.

• If, in turn, we pour out used oil in the garden, the soil will lose its fertility over time.

Used oil ideas

1. Homemade “washing powder”

You will need the following products:

• 1 liter of used oil.
• 200 caustic soda.
• 10 liters of water.
• 100 g of lavender essential oil.

To prepare a homemade “powder”, proceed as follows:

• Look for a well-ventilated area, away from children and pets. Wear rubber gloves and goggles to protect your eyes.
• Then pour 5 liters of cold water into the bucket.
• Gradually add the caustic soda (be careful not to splash on you). Slowly start stirring with a wooden stick avoiding inhaling the vapors. Do it very carefully. The mixture will start to heat up and – if it sprays on you – you may burn yourself.
  

• Pour in the used oil now, stirring constantly. Once the ingredients are properly combined, add the lavender oil.
• Then everything needs to be mixed slowly and thoroughly. Patience. This is a fairly long process that will take over half an hour. You will see that – step by year – everything will turn into a homogeneous, dense mass.
• Now you have to wait 24 hours. After this time, add another 5 liters of water and mix well again. We set aside.
• For the next 5 days, every morning, you need to vigorously stir your mixture. You will see how it slowly takes on the right consistency. Then just wrap it up and it’s ready! Works really well !.

2. Homemade candles

You will need:

• Nice jar to keep the candle in.
• A piece of wire. The wick will be based on it.

• Cotton string (should be 4 cm longer than the height of the selected jar).
• Used oil (the amount that will fit in the selected jar).
• 2 drops of sandalwood essential oil.

How do we prepare it?

• It is very easy. First we have to wait 24 hours. Only then can the oil be used. With the help of a cotton fabric, strain it. Then we will be sure that it is completely clean.
• It’s time to prepare the wick. We make a base from the wire. The point is that our cotton string should always remain in the center of the candle (see the photo above).
• Next step? We put the wire base together with the string and pour the used oil. Remember not to fill the entire jar! Now we add a few drops of sandalwood essential oil.
• Ready! You can light your homemade candle!