Homesteading is all about using everything that you have and not letting things go to waste if possible. If you have an abundance of citrus fruit peels, you can put them to good use by making a simple DIY citrus-scented vinegar in as little as one to two weeks! All you need is a glass mason jar, leftover peels from citrus fruits like lemons or oranges (though my favorite is hands-down grapefruit-scented!), and white vinegar. If you are looking for a way to become more low-waste on your homestead and make your own nontoxic household cleaners, this is the solution for you!
What Is Citrus-Scented Vinegar?
Citrus-scented (or infused) vinegar is just as the name implies. By placing citrus rinds in a glass jar, covering with vinegar, and letting set for two weeks before straining, you can create natural homemade cleaners that smell like store-bought cleaners without the harsh and toxic chemicals. It is also strong enough in the jar to be diluted with water to your preference while still maintaining cleaning power. This is a great way to make natural cleaners without the overpowering smell of vinegar. Talk about simple, healthy, and a great bang for your buck!
Why Make the Switch to All-Natural?
Before we changed our mindsets to align better with our new homesteading lifestyle, I struggled with adjusting my definition of “clean.” Living in the city, it isn’t clean unless it stinks to high heavens with all sorts of chemicals and is scrubbed down until it sparkles. Never mind that version of clean normally kills everything in sight, including the good stuff, and is really harmful to your body. Even knowing this, during the beginning of the pandemic I was pregnant our second child and cleaned like a mad woman with every disinfecting wipe within a five mile radius. I was even the crazy that was wiping down her groceries with wipes before bringing them into the house. Oh yes, that was me.
So how the heck did I end up here?
Well, as you can see, the city roots ran deep in this one. It would’ve taken something so drastic, so life-changing to snap me back to reality. Once our second baby started experiencing life-threatening respiratory issues and other health concerns at a year and a half, it was just the shock I needed to completely overhaul our home. We changed our diets, pouring over food labels and avoiding certain triggers, and I started making everything from scratch that I could. All types of natural cleaners, exchanging perfumes and candles with diluted essential oils and simmer pots, and simplifying our home dramatically. We still have a ways to go in terms of a completely natural home, but we are slowly working toward creating a healthier, more simple environment for ourselves and our children. The best time to start is today!
Maybe you don’t have any of the experiences that I listed above. Perhaps the only motivation you have or need to make the switch to DIY all-natural household cleaners is saving money. That is a great reason. The method I am going to share with you on how to make your own cleaning products with simply leftover citrus fruits and plain white vinegar is extremely budget-friendly. You likely already have a spare glass mason jar lying around the house (and if you don’t, then go buy a pack at your local grocery store. You can use them for so much, like storing leftover soups or extra milk in the freezer before they go bad and storing baking goods and other treats in an airtight container that won’t leech into your food). This DIY vinegar solution really shouldn’t require any additional investment, but even if it does, it will pay you back with a freshly scented, nontoxic clean.
Make Your Own DIY Cleaner Today!
Add leftover citrus peels into a glass mason jar and top with plain white vinegar. Put on lid and seal with ring.
Let sit for one to two weeks. I have seen it recommended to tip over and back once a day, but I have not found this step to be necessary.
Strain liquid with a fine mesh strainer and add to a glass bottle or jar. store in a cool, dark place. The natural oils will have turned the vinegar a different color depending on what type of citrus fruit you used. So cool!
Helpful tip: Those citrus scraps have an additional use! Place in garbage disposal for another cleaning purpose or freeze for the next time it needs a refresh!
Dilute with 1:1 ratio or to your preference when ready to use. I like to use plastic spray bottles from the dollar store with an adjustable spray nozzle for all of my cleaning needs. Glass spray bottles also work well and hold up better for long-term storage.
How Do You Use Citrus-Scented Vinegar?
I use this homemade citrus vinegar cleaner as a disinfectant, surface cleaner, window cleaner, mop solution, and much more. Anything I think needs a little “sprucing” gets a little spritz and rub down with a towel. This nontoxic cleaner is infused with natural citrus oils from the fruit peels and has a lighter, fresher scent than a plain vinegar cleaning solution.
This vinegar solution can be put into a spray bottle and diluted with water for easy spraying in a variety of places. The citrus smell provides a clean scent for any room at a very low cost.
In the bathroom, you can spray and clean the following areas:
- counters
- sinks
- toilets
- bathtubs
- floors
I honestly will take my spray bottle and just go to town spraying the entire bathroom. I turn on the fan, spray until all of my suppressed frustrations have been released through spritzing like a mad woman, and walk away for a bit. This homemade cleaner is pretty powerful so it doesn’t really have to sit for very long. But with small kids, I’m lucky to walk past the bathroom and remember due to the sound of the fan that I was in the middle of cleaning there an hour ago. If I am using it as a spot-cleaner though, it will easily cut through any sticky crud without much “soaking” due to the high acetic acid in the vinegar. Just spray and wipe that grime away!
In the kitchen, use this diluted DIY cleaner:
- On your kitchen counter and table. Just spray and let sit for a minute or two, then wipe up sticky messes quickly and easily! These are my absolute favorite cleaning cloths, but paper towel works great too!
- In your kitchen sink as a replacement for disinfectant spray
- To clean and shine your appliances (I love using this on my stainless steel set and watching the fingerprints disappear!)
You can also use the DIY citrus vinegar cleaner as a great mopping solution alternative. Just add to your mop and dilute with water as normal and give your floors a nice citrus-scented clean! This is one of the perfect green cleaning recipes to add to your list and I hope you give it a try.
Let me know in the comments below what ideas you come up with in your home for this all-purpose citrus vinegar cleaner! Tag me on Instagram @cityfolkhomestead with your best uses for this natural homemade cleaner!
How to Make DIY Citrus-Scented Vinegar
A DIY household cleaner that is simple, healthy, and easy! Start yours today and say goodbye to harsh and harmful chemicals in your home!
Materials
- Citrus peels - grapefruit, orange, lemon, or lime
- Glass mason jars with lids and rings
- Distilled white vinegar
- Spray bottle for household cleaning use
Tools
- Funnel (optional)
- Strainer
Instructions
1. Choose lemon, lime, orange, or grapefruit peels to place in glass mason jar. Grapefruit is my personal favorite (to eat and infuse)! We use whatever we are eating on and simply throw the peels into a bowl until I have time to put them in the jar.
2. Use pint mason jars for less than 3 fruits' peels worth. Quart-sized jars work well for larger quantities or simply split up the peels into multiple pints. Place as many peels as you would like into the glass jars.
3. Cover citrus peels with distilled white vinegar and seal the jar with lid and ring. Next, make sure to take a straw, knife, or spoon to get any air bubbles out of the solution. If this makes more room for more vinegar, then continue to fill until the peels are covered or there is about a half-inch headspace. This is a great project to repurpose your used canning lids!
4. Set aside jars for one to two weeks and then strain. You can flip them over once a day to ensure the peels are still covered to avoid molding. However, I have not personally experienced any molding as long as the peels are completely covered by the vinegar.
Optional: Put used peels in a freezer bag after straining. Freeze and use periodically in the garbage disposal! This is a great substitute for other garbage disposal cleaners. I use this once a month or whenever the garbage disposal starts to stink.
5. Store strained vinegar solution in a cool, dark place. I like to keep it under the sink or in our upstairs pantry, with any overflow stored in the basement. We use this cleaning solution for every vinegar-safe surface in our home, so I like to keep it close by to refill when needed.
6. When ready to use, pour vinegar solution into spray bottle or other container. Dilute with water. I generally use either 1:1 or 1:2 ratio vinegar to water.
7. Clean desired surfaces and say hello to simple, healthy living!
Notes
- Your jar will likely seal itself after being strained and stored in a cool, dark place. This is totally normal, though you may need to use the back side of a butter knife or a can opener to release the lid.
- Not all surfaces can be cleaned with vinegar (such as hardwood). Please research or test before using! We use this on our LVP floors, bathroom and kitchen counters and sinks, our bathtubs and toilets, wood table that has a coating on it (not raw wood), windows, and more!
Read More On City Folk Homestead Here:
How To Preserve Corn For The First Time
Our Homestead Story: From State Capital To Little-Known Town
This is a great idea, I am imagining my kitchen and floors smelling like grapefruit ( my favorite too). The best outcome is no chemicals!
I love this idea! Sounds like a one-for-all all kind of cleaner! I will try it on my stainless steel and my floors, thanks for the idea!
Thanks for stopping by and leaving encouraging words, Kimberlee! It truly is the wonder cleaner! Our floors are LVP but have ridges in them so they collect a lot of goop. My kiddos are constantly dropping things under our table that I don’t find until an undisclosed amount of time (haha) and if I let it sit for a minute or more and rub with a cloth, it comes right off! It truly is the magic cleaner for my stainless steel appliances and windows too! They absolutely shine with the cleaner and any old rag! I hope it works for you like it does me! 🙂