Natural Citrus Cleaner

Try this citrus vinegar cleaner for a sparkling home, safe from unhealthy chemicals! This amazing homemade vinegar cleaner is perfect for cleaning mirrors, sinks, counter tops, moping floors and much more!

Citrus Vinegar Cleaner

Citrus cleaner

I love citrus! We eat a lot of lemons and oranges around here; Ellie loves her daily fresh orange juice and hubby likes grapefruit as it helps cleanse the liver. But I hate wasting the peel, especially since it smells so divine. So I thought I would put them to a good use and make a super duper citrus vinegar cleaner!


Keep on track with a cleaning schedule! I made this easy peasy handy dandy printable cleaning schedule to help you make cleaning a lot more manageable! 


Need more cleaning ideas?

There are so many other great uses for citrus peel, not only for making a natural citrus cleaner! I like to spread some citrus peel around the house so it smells so fresh and nice for a couple of days and at winter time I keep them on the stove. The peel warms up and spreads such an amazing smell around the house. I also use the orange peel halves to make super easy and quick bird feeders!

Homemade vinegar cleaner

I lately started to use them in my homemade compost, together with egg shells, mowed grass and other fruit and veggie residue, so the peel is not completely wasted. But my favorite by far is this citrus vinegar cleaner that can double up as a hair rinse too. What a brilliant idea, right? I, know, I’m such a genius! (scoffs)

This DIY citrus cleaner is perfect for cleaning mirrors, glass, counter tops, kitchen and bathroom sinks, oven or for moping floors when diluted with water. For super dirty surfaces, don’t dilute, use your citrus cleaner concentrated.

Ready to learn how to make citrus vinegar cleaner? My cleaner is very easy to make and although it has to sit for 10 to 14 days until the peel works its magic into the vinegar, it’s totally worth the wait!

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Citrus Cleaner

Natural citrus cleaner

Ingredients:

  • citrus peel (I used orange, lemon, grapefruit)
  • white wine vinegar
  • water

You will also need:

  • sharp knife
  • cutting board
  • mason jars or milk bottles
  • spray bottle

Directions:

  • To make this citrus vinegar cleaner, start by saving all your lemon, orange and grapefruit peel.
  • Remove white pith as much as possible. This will help with preventing molding while you’re working on collecting as many citrus peels as possible to fill a bottle or jar.
  • Cut the peels into small pieces that would fit a mason jar or a milk bottle (I used a glass milk bottle because it’s so pretty).
  • Fill the entire jar/bottle with peel.
  • Cover in vinegar
  • Allow to sit for 10 to 14 days, in a cool, dry area, or until the vinegar has turned dark orange. It should also smell citrusy.
  • And there you go, your citrus vinegar cleaner is ready! To use it, you’ll have to remove peel, strain liquid through a sieve and dilute the citrus vinegar recipe 1:1 with water, for most times. Pour the final orange citrus cleaner into spray bottles. For super dirty areas, you will need to use the solution undiluted.

Notes:

  • Bear in mind this will never entirely remove the vinegar smell but it will cover it up pretty nicely. I personally love the smell, fresh and citrusy!
  • Always test the cleaner in an inconspicuous area when using for the first time, especially on wood
  • For extra cleaning power, mix with baking soda and clean with the paste.
  • For soap scum and grease use undiluted cleaner. You may need to add baking soda for resistant spots.

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Citrus vinegar cleaner

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about petro

ABOUT PETRO

Hi, I’m Petro, author and founder of Easy Peasy Creative Ideas. Sewist, crafter, avid DIY-er, foodie, photographer, homemaker and mommy to one. I’m an expert at coming up with quick, clever sewing tips, recycling crafts and simple, easy recipes! You can find my ideas featured in reputable publications such as Country Living, Good House Keeping, Yahoo News, WikiHow, Shutterfly, Parade, Brit & Co and more. Thanks for stopping by and hope you’ll stay for a while, get to know me better and come back another time. Stick around for real fun projects! Read more…

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39 Comments

  1. Jame'Lee Barker says:

    Can I substitute the peelings for just essential oils? Its just me in my home and I can’t eat that must citrus.

    1. I wouldn’t substitute. The cleaning power comes from the peelings mixed with vinegar, not the essential oils; all they’ll do is add up to the nice smell.

  2. 4waystoyummy says:

    Why not use it on a salad? I made it and it smells great and tastes great! Love the idea of adding a rosemary sprig next time!

    1. That’s an interesting idea, indeed! Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to leave a comment!

  3. Lovely homemade cleaner, thanks for sharing with Hearth and soul blog hop. pinning, tweeting. and sharing in google plus.

    1. Thanks Swathi. Have a wonderful week!

  4. Amberjane says:

    Must try this out I love citrus smells – Thanks for linking up to Pin Worthy Wednesday, I have pinned your post to the Pin Worthy Wednesday Pinterest Board

    1. Hi there and thanks so much for stopping by and pinning.

  5. We are so glad you shared with us at Merry Monday. We look forward to seeing your creativity again.

    1. Thanks so much for stopping by. Enjoy your weekend!

  6. Great idea, thanks for the recipe!
    Thanks so much for sharing at AMAZE ME MONDAY!
    Blessings,
    Cindy

    1. Hi Cindy. Thanks so much for stopping by. Have a wonderful weekend!

    1. Thanks so much Jennifer, I appreciate it.

  7. Caroline (Becoming a SAHM) says:

    Interesting! So simple and what a great way to avoid wasting the fruit peels! Thanks for linking with #allaboutyou

    1. Thanks Caroline. Have a great day!

  8. Stephanie says:

    Oh, I absolutely LOVE this idea! Most cleaners give me a terrible headache so this is something I would love to use while cleaning my home :) Thank you so much for sharing with Roses of Inspiration – I hope you’re able to join us again sometime soon. Hugs!

    1. Thanks so much Stephanie. Have a wonderful day!

  9. I love this recipe! It’s exactly how I make my all purpose cleaner. Thanks for sharing!

  10. Cheap, easy, and effective? My favorite combo – can’t wait to give it a try!

    1. Thanks Steph. Great to see you around here. Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful week!

  11. displacedyinzer says:

    I love this! I clean with vinegar all the time, and love that you added the citrus scent. Thank you for stopping by Pin Worthy Wednesday!

    1. How lovely! Thanks for stopping by and the comment. Have a wonderful weekend!

  12. Hazel Moon says:

    This is a great idea. You are my neighbor at Friendship Friday.

    1. Thanks for stopping by. Have a wonderful weekend.

  13. cdtrimmer says:

    I love this idea and thanks for the helpful step by step instructions. I bet this smells great!

    1. Thanks so much for stopping by and your lovely comment. The cleaner does smell really nice indeed.

  14. Lovely idea and it would smell wonderful!

  15. this is such an awesome idea! thanks for sharing! pinned!

    1. Thanks so much Tianna!

  16. Sandra L. Garth says:

    I’m moving towards natural cleaners also, thanks for this idea.

    1. Hi Sandra. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment :)

  17. sign4baby says:

    Not only do I want to make this clean cleaner, I am going to borrow your tip of leaving citrus peels around the house – especially in my boys’ bedroom!

    1. Aww, thanks so much. You just made my day :)

  18. Adventures of a Cavemom says:

    I love this idea!

  19. Dan from Platter Talk says:

    Thanks for yet another simple and practical solution to every day needs. We will be making and using this citrus and vinegar cleanser!