Welcome to this months DIY recipe! I've seen this done by various people online, but I wanted to see for myself how effective this cleaner actually is and if it was worth the time to do.
So whilst the idea isn't new. This post is about my own experience and step by step method I used to make it.
Read on to see how it went!
A few weeks ago I bought a bag of easy peel oranges in my weekly shop. As I was eating them, it dawned on me that this would be the perfect time to try this out! So after consuming each orange, I put the orange peels into a mason jar with vinegar and topped up the mixture with vinegar as needed. I kept doing this until I couldn't fit anymore peels in the jar.
You could also do this process with other peels too like lemon, lime and grapefruit.
This was what it looked like after a couple of weeks.
Why the peels and not the fruit too?
The peel of the fruit is where all the power lingers my friends. For example, when you look at the label of an essential oil like lemon or grapefruit it will say in the ingredients that it is the peel. Whilst the fruit itself is tasty for us to consume, the peel is where a lot of it's nutritious attributes lie along with it's effective cleaning potential.
You will probably already know that citrus fruits are associated with degreasing. What you may not know is that this is due to the limonene naturally found in the peels. It breaks down oil, dirt and stains making it an effective but safe ingredient in household cleaning tasks. Leaving it to infuse in the vinegar will allow these properties to emerge.
Of course let's not leave out the wonderful fresh scent that citrus fruits bring along with their deodorising qualities!
Let's get on the method...
What you'll need
- Clean and sterilised jar
- Measuring jug or bowl
- Sieve
- White distilled vinegar
- Citrus peels (as many as you have or will fit in the jar)
- Empty spray bottle
- Distilled or filtered water
How to put it all together
Step 1: Add peels to your jar all at once or over time as I did.
Step 2: Pour in the vinegar to make sure the peels are covered. If you add more peels to the jar, then make sure you top up the vinegar as you go.
Step 3: Once the jar is filled, leave it to infuse for 10-14 days in a cupboard or another dark place away from sunlight.
Step 4: Once you've decided you've waited long enough, place the sieve over the measuring jug or bowl and empty the contents into the sieve. If you used a lot of peels it would be a good idea to do just half at a time.
Step 5: Allow 1 to 2 hours for all the liquid to drain away from the peels. I noticed that it had a slightly viscous consistency, but this may be different for you according to how many peels were used.
Step 6: After the draining has stopped. Slowly pour some water over the peels to make sure any of the remaining residue is collected. Do the same with the liquid left in the jar by gently swilling the jar and adding it to the rest of the mixture.
Step 7: Pour the mixture into the spray bottle, top up with more water if needed and gently shake to fully combine. Depending on how large a batch you made, you may be able to make more cleaner from it. But for me a standard sized jar made one 16 fl oz of cleaner.
Tip: This spray will be good to use on most surfaces. But because of the use of vinegar, don't use it on marble or granite as it will erode it over time. If you're unsure about it's use on a particular surface then it's always a good idea to test a small area first.
So was it worth it?
I would say yes. I was really pleased at how this turned out and it smelled so fruity and deliciously of oranges with only the slightest hint of vinegar. I tried the spray out on the kitchen counter tops and the stove top and it cleaned up the bits of food and spattered oil with no problems. An added bonus to this being that one of the main ingredients would only have been discarded anyway. So why not get some use out of the peels before you do!
If you try this recipe be sure to let me know how you get on. It would also be great to hear how this works with other citrus peels. Particularly the grapefruit! I may have to try that one myself at some point.
Until next time, let's get cleaning using more natural means to make our home more healthy for us and with less chemicals that impact the environment.
Bye for now,
Kathryn.