Ingredients

• 10 large overripe tomatoes (the stronger the smell, the better)
  
• 1 cup strong grain vinegar
  
• ½ cup lye-water (Made by filtering water through wood ash. This is the “active bleaching” component.)
  
• 1 handful crushed salt
  
• 1 cup clean water

METHOD

1. Crush the tomatoes completely

• Use a mortar, pestle, or a wooden press.
• You want thick pulp with skin and seeds included.

2. Heat the pulp gently

• Simmer over low heat for one hour.
• This breaks down the tomato and concentrates the acid.

3. Strain

• Run the pulp through cloth.
• Keep the liquid, discard the solids.

4. Stir in the vinegar

• This boosts the acidity and shelf life.

5. Slowly add lye-water

• Add it in small amounts while stirring.
• It will foam slightly—normal.
• This creates a primitive sodium-salt-and-acid cleaner.

6. Add salt

It stabilizes the mixture and improves its ability to lift stains.

7. Add one cup of clean water to thin the mixture to a useable consistency

8. Store in stoppered clay or glass jars

• Shelf life: 3–4 months before separation.
• Shake before use.

RESULT

Tomato Bleach becomes:

• a reddish-orange cleaning liquid
  
• highly acidic
  
• mildly caustic
  
• excellent at lifting blood, mildew, grime, soot, and plant dyes
  
• safe enough for cloth, wood, and stone when diluted 1:3 with water

Undiluted, it strips stains extremely well but may lighten dyed fabric—hence the name “bleach.”