How to Make Homemade Citrus Vinegar Cleaner

We’ve all heard that vinegar makes a great home cleaner. It works wonders on counters, bathroom surfaces, walls, windows and mirrors. But golly gee, it’s stinky!

If you’re not using vinegar as a cleaner because it smells like – um well, vinegar, try this. Make your own citrus vinegar cleaner.

Homemade Citrus Vinegar Cleaner

All you need to do is take a bunch of lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, pomelo or whatever other citrus peels you might have on hand and stick them in a jar with vinegar for a couple of weeks.  The result?  An eco-friendly, low cost, powerful, homemade super cleaner that smells like sunshine!  Okay, there’s still a hint of vinegar, but the citrus smell is pretty awesome.  It may just be the thing that has me saying goodbye to Windex forever.

Check  out my new and exciting You Tube channel for a demonstration and other cool citrus videos.  And while you’re there, please hit the Like button (thumbs UP) to show me a little love.  Riveting television – I know!

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Print Recipe
3.90 from 10 votes

Homemade Citrus Vinegar Cleaner

This cleaner is great on windows, mirrors and kitchen and bathroom surfaces.
Prep : 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 cups Peel of Orange Lemon, Lime, Grapefruit or Pomelo (more or less)
  • 2 cups Plain White Vinegar

Instructions

  • Fill a mason jar with the peels. Your jar should be at least half full.
  • Add vinegar to cover the peels.
  • Seal tightly with a non-metal lid (the vinegar will corrode the metal).
  • Allow to infuse for 2 to 3 weeks.
  • Strain contents through a fine mesh sieve or a fine mesh sieve lined with a coffee filter if there is too much pulp in your mix.
  • Use as an all-purpose cleaner.

Notes

You can stretch out this cleaner by adding 50% water.
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A Few More Tips

  • The essential oils and acids in the peel of citrus don’t just smell good – they’re also natural cleaners with antiseptic and antibacterial properties.
  • Yes, there will still be a bit of vinegar smell, but after the cleaner dries on your newly cleaned surface – the citrus scent will linger while the vinegar scent will disappear.
  • If you eat one orange at a time, you can save your peels in the freezer or start a vinegar jar on the counter and keep adding the peel of one orange at a time.  Once the jar is full, let it steep for another week or so.
  • If you want to stretch out your homemade citrus vinegar cleaner, you add 50% water before you pour it into the spritzer bottle. 
  • Avoid using metal lids if you can.  If you don’t have plastic lids, recycle a commercial pickle jar.
  • Get really crazy and add a few herbs to your infusion – citrus and rosemary.  Come on, how great would that smell!  I’m definitely trying that for my next batch!

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