Saturday, June 20, 2009

Homemade: All purpose orange oil cleaner

I have switched most of my household cleaners to homemade ones.This one is fantastic(no cleaning pun intended).Orange oil cuts through grease amazingly and almost everyone I know uses a cleaning product that has orange oil in it.It has been over a year since I started making this and I LOVE how well it cleans and I also love the scent.It makes me want to drink it, and I could since there are no chemicals in it.My daughter has (had) terrible asthma but since I have taken most chemicals out of my house it has cut down dramatically. She was on a rescue inhaler and a preventive one.Both of which she used everyday.She no longer is on the preventive one and hardly uses the rescue one.Changing over is one of the best choices I have made.Not to mention the fact that this stuff is super cheap to make....which Im all for. It does take time, but it isnt time consuming.The worst part of the process is waiting since this isnt something you can whip up and use on the spot.(I have another cleaner like that if anyone wants me to post it, let me know)This is made with items you probably have on hand and if not you will find in the grocery store.The vinegar used in this is a great disinfectant and deodorizer.And the oranges cut through grease better than anything else I have tried and they are yummy too!

Heres what you will need:
  • Orange peels ~ I use organic so it's not coated with chemicals
  • Vinegar
  • Spray bottle

That's all it takes. Seriously. Well that and time.Save all of your orange peels when you eat them, it can be one at a time.You dont have to eat them all at once lol Then add them to your bottle of vinegar.Store the vinegar in a cool dark place.Mine is under the kitchen sink.Every day or so take the bottle out and give it a few hard shakes.I let mine sit for about 4 weeks before I use it to clean with.Fill up your spray bottle anywhere from 1/4 to 1/2 full of the orange/vinegar mix and the rest with water.Then clean away.When the bottle gets low get a new bottle ready to go.I save some of the orange/vinegar mix and add it to my new batch to get things started.When I start a new batch I take the peels from the old bottle and wring them out to get all their goodness and that helps the start of the new batch also.I have other uses for the cleaner also but I will save that for another post.If you have any questions about this please click on the contact button and I will get back to you as soon as I can.Merry mixing!

7 comments:

elle said...

How long do you keep this mixture? I mixed some up about 6 months ago and was just wondering how long you go before throwing out the rinds? I would think the vinegar is kind of pickling the rinds so it should keep indefinitely.

elle said...

Ps. What do you use this on? So far I only use it on counter/table tops, not on wood. What kind of materials is this ok for? Thanks a mil, e

TJ said...

I can't wait to use this recipe. I too have severe asthma, I switched to organic chemical free cleaners, but they are so expensive and I am on a tight budget. Thanks for posting this

David m said...

Great idea with the orange peels. Does the Cleaning solution still have a vinegar smell?

I was thinking of adding an orange-based cleaner concentrate, such as Orange Plus, to vinegar to make a cleaning solution; do you think this would work as well?

Thanks!

Unknown said...

Love this stuff. I don't use anything else to clean my house. Saves me a fortune too. It is also interesting to note that several studies have been done that prove that vinegar is a better cleaner than bleach. So many strains of bacteria,fungi, and viruses are now becoming resistant to bleach and other common cleaning agents but not to vinegar. It really is a fantastic way to clean and keep your family healthy.

Kristy K said...

Do you think this would work with grapefruit peels? I have an abundance! Thanks!

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