Photo by Hermes Rivera
The world has gotten a little crazy with some cleaning supplies. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a type A neat freak germa-phobe, but I’m not about to spray toxic chemicals on everything in my house either.
Every time I see someone spray their counter tops with some commercial cleaning agent, all I can think of is them setting their food on it to soak it up or my toddler licking it. Cause he does those things.
So what I do instead, is make my own all purpose, all natural cleaner. And since I run a pretty busy life of extra-ness, it’s a super simple DIY!
Prep:
This all natural cleaner is pretty much all prep. What you’ll need is:
- A spray bottle (glass is ideal for eco friendly sustainability)
- A large mason jar
- Vinegar
- Oranges
- Eat the oranges. Stuff the peels in the mason jar. It’s really up to you on how many. The more you do, the more orange-y it’ll smell.
- Pour vinegar over the peels until jar is full.
- Secure and let sit.
The longer you let it sit, the more the oils will be extracted from the orange peels, providing both a great smell and more cleaning power. However, the vinegar in and of itself has plenty of cleaning properties, meaning you can use it at any time. Ideally, letting it sit about a week or two is fine.
When you’re ready to use it, strain the peels and pour into your bottle. I usually make up another batch then so that I always have one prepping and one in my spray bottle.
Variations and Options
You can play around with this recipe and make it your own. I’ve tried using lemon peels instead, herbs and essential oils. Wild Orange and On Guard are my favorite oils to use in cleaning my home.
When using essential oils, it’s really best to use a dark colored glass bottle as they can interact with both sunlight and plastic.
Uses
This really is an all purpose cleaner. I use it to clean:
- Kitchen Counters
- Floors
- Sinks
- Bathroom Counters
- Windows
- Toilets
- Walls
- Doorknobs
- Legit. EVERYTHING
I’d be cautious on wood floors and cabinets as vinegar is NOT a gentle cleaner and will remove varnishes.
Best Vibes Always!