I have made a sincere effort to go more natural over the last several years, both with what we eat and the products I use in my home. Ah-hmm… admittedly, to varying degrees of success. However! The keyword here is effort!
Back when I first started experimenting with natural cleaners, my kids and hubby would come in when I was cleaning and automatically wrinkle their noses and say, ‘Vinegar! Ew!’
So, I consider it a total mom victory that now I can clean with my homemade cleaners and have the kids not even slightly wrinkle their cute little noses! And I know I’m not using any harsh chemicals in our home!
One of my favorite ones to make is my Orange-Infused Vinegar All-Purpose Cleaner. Now. This cleaner is not a quick cleaner to make. The vinegar and orange peels have to sit in a warm, dark place for two to four weeks.
Yes, I know.
That is a really long time. But!! I have my system down now where I just date the jars and start a new one (or three) each week. That keeps us in a constant supply! And with five dogs, seven (or more) kids, plus myself and Tim, we use a LOT of cleaner!
So, without further ado…here is my cleaner recipe and a few ways I use it! I hope you enjoy!
DIY Orange-Infused Vinegar Cleaner
Supplies:
- Clean Quart Jars
- Orange Peels from Several Oranges
- White Vinegar
- Spray bottles
Directions:
Step 1: Fill the jar at least half full with fresh orange peels
Step 2: Pour enough vinegar over the top of the orange peels to fill the jar.
Step 3: Close lid and place in a warm dark place for two to four weeks. I put mine under my kitchen sink!
Step 4: After jars have sat for several weeks, strain the vinegar and throw away the orange peels.
Ways to Use Orange-Infused Vinegar
This cleaner is a great degreaser and cuts through all sorts of nastiness quickly and easily. These are some of my favorite ways to use it around the house.
- Cleaning Floors We use Swiffer WetJet on our floors daily. It’s quick and easy way to quickly clean the floor. Not to mention, there is no messy mop and water bucket! I love the fact that the mop pads can just be thrown in the washer and then reused. I use a mixture of 1/3 cup vinegar solution to 2/3 cup water to mop floors. I just pour it in to the reservoir and we are off! (Do not use on stone floors, marble or granite. The porous surfaces can be damaged by vinegar.)
- Fabric Softener/Odor Neutralizer With all the kids and animals I have, laundry odors can get pretty scary! Luckily, I can use this not only as a fabric softener, but also as an odor neutralizer! Simply, add ½ to 1 cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle. It helps to remove detergent build-up, soften fabrics, and deodorize laundry. It’s really amazing how well this works. I have thrown some scary smelling stuff into my washer!!
- Microwave Cleaning You can use a combination of 1/2 cup plain white vinegar mixed with a 1/2 cup water to help loosen microwave dirt and grim, but this orange-infused vinegar smells so much better! Just replace the regular vinegar with the infused vinegar, and add the 1/2 cup water. Be sure to use a microwave-safe bowl or cup, then heat the mixture for a few minutes. The steam will collect on the inside of the microwave and loosen all the grim. Remove the bowl carefully and wipe down your microwave. Done!
- Bathroom Odor Remover I’ll just be blunt with this one. For some of you moms out there with toddler boys potty training, I know you think, I can’t wait until their aim gets better!! Well, it doesn’t. I’m sorry. It just doesn’t. I have tried so many things to combat the smell of pee in my bathroom. So many just don’t work. This, however, really does help! I spray the vinegar mixture full strength on my bathroom floor, us. Liberally. After that, I sprinkle baking soda all over the vinegar. (It’s kinda of satisfying to watch it fizz. Just saying!) Then I let it sit. I try for an hour. It’s a mess to get up. I’m not going to lie. But, the smell is so much better!
- All-Purpose Cleaner Fill a spray bottle 1/3 of the way with vinegar and 2/3 with water. Use it to clean your household surfaces. I love the way it cuts through the grease on my stove top after cooking! (Do not use on stone floors, marble or granite. The porous surfaces can be damaged by vinegar.)
A Few Notes…
There are several ways to alter this recipe. I have had a lot of fun experimenting with it. A few combinations I have tried have been orange peels and cloves, lemon peels, and lime peels. I have even tossed in some rosemary with my lemon peels before! I love how versatile it is!
I hope you give this a try and love it as much as I do!
Be sure to leave me a comment and let me know what your favorite variation of this cleaner is and your favorite way to use it!
Christy
