Easy Citrus and Vinegar Everyday House Cleaner

This idea was sparked by my partner’s love of the commercial hand cleaner Fast Orange.

As a mechanic and confirmed petrol head, he has a gallon of this under our kitchen sink and absolutely swears by it for removing all the oils, dirt and grime he accumulates from working on vehicles.

In fact, he uses it all the time regardless of the reason. With a grainy texture (an automatic hand scrub) and no water need to remove all the offending stains, it is perfect to have as a cleaner in the glove compartment of the car for those unexpected wheel changes.

With that in mind coupled with the fact I love homemade solutions for beauty products, hygiene products and anything that saves on chemical usage and cost, I knew a homemade house cleaner must be doable with orange.

I have often used lemon juice in the bathroom on the shower door, another citrus fruit with natural fruit acids that powers through grease and residue build up.

It has natural bleaching properties without the bleach smell of commercial bleach but rather a fresh tangy scent of lemon.

With so many of us eating fresh fruits and using them in smoothies, drinks, culinary dishes and homemade skin care products, we often throw out all these wonderful citrus skins which contain natural oils. Hang on to them for this recipe from now on!

This easy recipe costs a fraction of all the cleaning products it will replace in the home.

Having taken inspiration from the article by my friend Carol Stanley on Vinegar uses in the home, I knew the benefits of this wonder product, a perfect partner for citrus peel. Check out Carol's article on 11 great ways to use vinegar around the home.

Distilled White Vinegar

Citrus Fruit Peel (any or all orange, lemon, lime or grapefruit skins, hang on to for this, the more the merrier)

You Need:

Spray Bottle (recycle old ones)

Large gallon container (to fill up your bottle from) is optional but you will fly through the everyday size.

Method:

• Add all the peels into a gallon size container. Cover them with vinegar and close with an airtight lid.
• Another method for smaller quantities is to cut your citrus peels small and place into a large jar and pour the vinegar over to the top. Screw on an airtight lid.
• Leave sit for 6 weeks to 2 months, giving a good vigorous shake daily to release the oils from the citrus peel which makes it a stronger and more potent house cleaner.
• When fermented enough, strain the peels out of your vinegar through a sieve into your spray bottle and fill up to the top.
• If you have made a large quantity, strain and keep your excess supply for whenever your bottle needs replenishing.
• You may find you will be making a new batch every month or two, bearing in mind it takes 6 wks to 2 months to “cook”. The longer you leave it the better.
• Your citrus cleaner is now ready to use.
• The few things it will not work on are glass, windows and any taps.

Add some to your washing up pile in the sink. Hard to remove caked on food on dishes disappears like magic when left to soak in this.

This spray is magic for cleaning the oven, stove top, kitchen counters and the sink. You can even add it to your bucket of water for cleaning the floor.

It works as a bathroom cleaner and even as a furniture polish.

"Creating health awareness through homemade beauty solutions"

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