Homemade Orange Cleaner, with a bonus superpower!

Every frugal homemaker has come across the idea to use vinegar as a cleaner. But I don't like the smell of vinegar on its own, I'm also not sure I trust its supposed disinfectant qualities. So instead, I make an orange infused vinegar cleaner. 

Orange peels have lots of great qualities that make them perfect for cleaning. These qualities include being anti-microbial and anti-fungal source 

To make the cleaner, you will need

2-4 Large Oranges

White Vinegar

A Large, Clear Jar (Approximately Quart Size)

Start by eating a couple oranges. Feed them to your kids, your husband, or some random person on the street. SAVE THE PEELS. 

I let her play with her food when I need cute pictures.

I'm told that orange peels will stay good in the fridge for several days, but I've never needed to try that because we can easily eat 3 or 4 oranges in one sitting.

Stuff the peels into a large, clear jar. I use a quart size mason jar. My oranges were big, so I only used 2. Loosely filled the jar about 2/3 full.

Fill the jar with white vinegar and cover with a plastic lid or plastic wrap. 

Vinegar can corrode metal, so avoid metal lids. 

Place your jar in a bright, warm place to aid the infusion process. Also, so you don't forget its there.

Mine goes on the cookbook shelf in my kitchen. Nice and high where the Minion can't reach it, but out in the open where I can keep an eye on it.

Let the infusion work for about 2 weeks. I check it every couple of days to make sure that none of the orange peel is sticking out of the vinegar. It has the potential to turn moldy if it sits above the vinegar for too long. Just push it back down and stir it in every so often. 

Another tip is to write the strain date on your calendar. I never remember when I started it, so if I don't write dates down somewhere, it ends up sitting for a month. Not a big deal with this infusion, but it turns out a nasty apple cider vinegar. 

It's also a good idea to label your jar. I sometimes have a couple different infusions or fermentations going, so its nice to know exactly which is which.

After straining the vinegar, put it back into the glass jar.

To use: for everyday cleaning, dilute it about 50/50 with water. For more intense cleaning, you can dilute it less. It won't hurt anything to use it straight.

I promised to share the bonus superpower of Orange Vinegar. 

It Repels Ants!!!!

I don't know if that is as exciting for you as it is for me. We have an ant colony living  under our driveway, so they are bad. I haven't had a single ant on my counter since I started cleaning with this orange vinegar. I scrubbed the playroom with it, and no more ants. I will have to do that room again I'm sure, but that's only because I don't already use the cleaner in there on a daily basis like I do in the kitchen and dining room.

That's about it! Super easy. I'm going to try an infusion with Thyme and Lavender soon too. I heard that it smells amazing.

Chime in!! Do you use a homemade cleaner in your home? What else do you make yourself?

To-Do List Derailed

Yesterday I had every intention of tackling the 5 loads of laundry waiting to be finished and folded.

Instead, while I was filling the dishwasher, I walked into the playroom to see if any cups had been left in there. I discovered something so awful, so gross, so cause for skin-crawling, that I had to ignore the laundry for another day.

'What was it' you ask?

ANTS. Completely covering a single veggie straw that had been forgotten in the middle of the floor. I was so grossed out that I didn't think of taking a picture before I scooped it up with a fork and threw it to the chickens.

That picture was taken when I came back in. There were at least three times that many just on the veggie straw. So gross.

Anyways, I took the rest of the day cleaning and scrubbing the playroom. I also took the opportunity to remove the random toys that somehow end up in there, some that should be in storage, some that belong to friends, and a there few mystery toys, no clue where they came from or how they got here.

It's insane how often I have to re-purge since I only have an 18 month old. But it's good to do every few months.

I also changed up the storage for a few things, that's a story for another day.

Sometimes things don't go as planned, and that's ok. Make the best of it, your to-do list can wait.