Monday, August 13, 2012

Natural citrus cleaner


After making all the lovely lime sports drinks, what do you do with all those lime peels?  Toss them in the compost or trash?  Not yet!  There is a bit more goodness to be extracted from them!

 Squeezed lime rinds.

First, chop 'em up as small as you can.  If using a knife, make the pieces as tiny as you can manage without risking cutting yourself.  If you have a food processor or a sturdy blender such as a VitaMix, you can chop them until they are the texture of damp sawdust.

Chop in a blender or food processor if you have one.

Add the chopped peels to a jar.  Then simply pour cheap white vinegar over them, add a date, and let them sit for at least 2 weeks.  You can gently shake the jar on occasion.  I never remember to and it does just fine.

Fill a jar, any size.

After two weeks, strain out the peels, pressing as much vinegar out as you can.  The resulting liquid can then be mixed with water and used to clean your house.  It smells great.  Use it in the same way as you would plain white vinegar....add a half cup to a 2 gallon bucket of water, or make a stronger solution in a spray bottle.  Add some to your laundry or dishwasher.  Heat some in your microwave and let it sit there and it will loosen up cooked on splatters.  The possibilities are endless.

Don't forget the date....time flies!

You can also use other citrus peels, or a combination, for different "flavors."  Don't drink it, though!  Nasty!

This formula is a great non-toxic cleaner.  Use a bit of it straight, undiluted, with some baking soda to make a scrub for bath tub rings, stove tops, stainless steel sinks.  Be sure to test it in a hidden spot though, just in case.

Got any other good cleaning formulas?

3 comments:

  1. What a GREAT idea! I'm going to have to try that with orange rinds... think it would be ok to use with orange rinds?

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  2. I'd think you could use any citrus peels. A mix would be nice. You can store them up in the freezer, too, until you get enough. I just used limes because I had them in quantity.

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