homemade citrus cleaner

As promised here is a homemade citrus cleaner similar to the all-purpose vinegar cleaner that I shared yesterday. The only thing is that this one requires your family to eat citrus fruits and a little patience! :)


But first I want to offer a quick disclaimer/encouragement...
In case anyone is feeling the urge to start making all their own toiletries, cleaning products, etc, and might be feeling overwhelmed, let me encourage you to take your time! I may be posting all these quickly, but remember that this change for me has taken months! As I ran across new ideas, I incorporated them into our lives. So go slow with transitioning to homemade stuff- don't over whelm yourself by making too many changes too quickly!

Okay on to the Citrus Cleaner...

I love Citrus! It's one of my favorite smells. So when I saw how easy this was, I just had to try it!
This may not be new to some of you since I did see it floating around the Internet recently.

What you'll need:

~ A quart size Mason jar (or two!)
~ Citrus Peels
~Distilled White Vinegar
~A spray bottle
~Water

1. Eat Oranges :)  (or any other citrus fruits- mine consists of Oranges and Clementines)

2. Save the left over peels in a Mason jar

3. When the jar is filled with peels, pour in the vinegar to fill up the rest of the jar.

4. Now set it on the counter for about 2 weeks (It really makes a lovely temporary decoration). The longer it sets the more potent it will be. Also it might be a good idea to label your jars so you know when they're ready!

5. At the ending of the 2 or so weeks, use a fine mesh strainer to separate the orange peels from the liquid.

6. Pour the liquid into the Spray bottle and add the same amount of water
(Ex: my first batch yielded 10 oz of liquid, so I added 10 oz of water.)

7. Give it a shake and you have a Citrus cleaner that you can use on anything- counters, floor, tubs, sinks, etc!

This process of saving something that I used to throw away has made me rethink what we throw out, and wonder what other ways I can recycle our "food waste." I'm learning there are still ways we can benefit from foods we throw away and I'm looking forward to learning more about how.

Finally I want to comment on how satisfying it is to make something from scratch that is very useful to your family! Once you start, it's an addicting feeling! Just make one thing on the list from yesterday and see how it feels! :)  But really, we all know the satisfaction of creating something from our own two hands with success, so I know this isn't a shock to you! There's nothing like looking in your cabinets, on your shelves, in your freezer and seeing products made by your own hands, with your own effort! If anything make me feel like super mom (on those rare days), it's doing this! I feel like I'm truly providing my family a simpler life and a safer home! You aren't creating something for just the sake of it, but you're creating a product that will save you money, that will be more natural and safe for your home, and that you'll actually use!!! I also love that I've freed up a chunk of our grocery budget by freeing myself from having to buy cleaning products at the store! When something runs out, I go to my pantry and whip up another batch!

Okay, how have you discovered the satisfaction of made-from-scratch living? 
Have you tried something new recently?

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