I've started studying, I had a little bit of trouble with my (stupid) computer - very stressful indeed. Can't predict these kind of things, they always happen when you need everything to be working perfectly!
But all is going well now! The Fiance went back to work for his week on this morning so it was another 3:30am start (yes, you read that right) for me dropping him to Brissy airport. I really hate every second Wednesday morning.
Today I'm posting one of my favourite kitchen cleaners. Super simple, uses what would otherwise be wasted with other ingredients you would have on hand. What's not to love?
(( I don't remember exactly where I found this recipe, there's actually a million when you search for them - I've changed it a little to suit our needs. ))
We juice a lot in my house. My favourite combination is beetroot, fennel, celery, orange, carrot and ginger. Yum yummmm.
But I hate the waste. My gorgeous munchkins can have the pulp for breakfast, but for the orange peels, well there was nothing I could really do with them. So in the bin they went :(
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| "It IS a hard life you know" - up all night causing mischief. Don't they just kill you with CUTENESS! |
Until I discovered that I could use the peels for making an easy as, all-purpose kitchen cleaner. Frickin chicken amazeballs.
I'm sure you've noticed that most supermarket kitchen cleaners generally have lemon or orange extract (or flavouring/essence). This is because citrus fruits contain d-limonene, which is a natural solvent that chemically reacts with dirt and grease to break it down. Perfect for your benchtops, oven, sink and even your floors*.
I was already a big fan of cleaning with vinegar and/or hydrogen peroxide, but I mean, the smell from vinegar is a bit too... vinegar-y. Right.
Sooo presto.
Homemade all-purpose kitchen cleaner!
What you need:
- orange peels
- salt
- vinegar
- jar with a tight fitting lid (I got a bit lazy on one batch and put it in a pitcher, and just wrapped it with gladwrap. Big no-no. Cue: mold)
- spray bottle
Method:
- Make yourself a delicious glass of juice. Keep your citrus peels. Alternatively, everytime you use a lemon/lime/orange for cooking, zesting etc, keep the peels in a ziplock bag or container in the fridge for later use.
- Pile up your peels in a layer in your jar, scattering salt over the peels every 2nd layer or so. The salt helps to draw out the oils from the citrus. I like to sprinkle some salt on the top at the end as well.
- Fill your jar with vinegar and water, 50/50 ratio**
- Pop on your lid and give it a bit of a gentle shake around to get the salt in and around everywhere, then put it out of the way for about a week.
Extras:
>> *I always use my citrus peels twice. Follow the same method, and it's a great floor cleaner. Using it for a floor cleaner the second time you do this ensures that it won't be sticky at all. I've never had this problem with the first round, but I figure it's much more economical to do it twice :)
>>**I usually fill my jar initally 50/50 water to vinegar. If you'd prefer it stronger use all vinegar, and fill it 50/50 when you top up your spray bottle. Entirely up to you.
>> I don't use plastic where I can avoid it, so I store my citrus cleaner in an old Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar bottle with a spray nozzle from another bottle.
So there you are, a super easy, chemical free and ridiculously cheap way to clean your kitchen!
Do you think you'll give this a go? :)
Hey Jess, thanks for this recipe. I was just researching diy cleaners today :) I don't usually eat oranges so I'll have to start buying them. How do you use this as a floor cleaner? Do you add it to the water in the bucket?
ReplyDeletex Kiki
No worries Kiki! You can use any citrus fruit, so if you go through a lot of lemons or limes, you can use those. I usually just save them in a little container in the fridge until I have enough to fill a jar :)
DeleteYep, after I've waited the week or so, I tip the solution into a jar with water/vinegar, and then re-use those same peels - refill jar with salt and vinegar, wait a week or two then use that concentrate in my laundry bucket. Still works extremely well but no chance of it being sticky by using the peels a second time around :)
Hope this helps! :) x