Homemade Orange Cleaner

Strained and diluted orange cleaner,
orange peels soaking in vinegar
Before I got pregnant with Lee, I was working as an assistant to a dentist in my area. I got to help him with all sorts of tasks, like cleaning up the after effects of oral surgery as well as assisting in root canals, building crowns and drilling implants. Dentistry is messy stuff, with lots of leftovers remaining in mouths after procedures. To remove all this gunk, we used something that my boss simply called "orange cleaner". Find out more about it on this blog.
After inquiries, I found out that it was made from the oils in the peel of an orange. Powerful stuff, that was, and completely chemical free and non toxic to boot. (I should hope so if it was being put in peoples' mouths.)
For a while I've wanted to purchase some of that uber powerful orange stuff, but never got around to it.
Then I discovered how to make my own.

Homemade Orange Cleaner


Ingredients:
Orange peels. A ton.
Vinegar. Synthetic stuff is fine to use.
Water

Instructions:
1. Fill a glass jar with orange peels. It needn't be done all at once. Just whenever you eat an orange, put the peels inside the jar.
2. Cover the peels with vinegar. You may want to pack down the peels so less vinegar is needed for this step, but it's not necessary.
3. Let the vinegar and orange peels sit for a few weeks. The vinegar will take on an orange/golden hue and smell powerfully of oranges.
4. Take the vinegar out of the jar and pour it into a spray bottle, diluting half/half with water.
5. Use with a rag to clean, well, anything! This works well to clean sinks, mirrors, windows, floors, wooden chairs, counters, etc... I haven't tried it yet on toilets and bathtubs, but I have no doubt it will work.
Feel happy knowing that you've got a really powerful

P.S. You can also make this with tangerine or clementine peels. I made mine with a mixture of orange and clementine peels.
P.S.S. Best of all- this is made with something that you'd otherwise be throwing out!

What homemade or green cleaners do you use in your house? Have you ever heard of orange cleaner before? Do you think you'd try making this?

Penniless Parenting

Mommy, wife, writer, baker, chef, crafter, sewer, teacher, babysitter, cleaning lady, penny pincher, frugal gal

11 Comments

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  1. I made your recipe to review on my blog, thegoodpins.blogspot.com . I just wanted to thank you for posting this refreshing recipe for an all natural cleaning product that I don't have to scared to use around my kids, but not leave a lingering vinegar odor in my house! It works and smells great!

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  2. I make my own enzyme cleaner that works like the uber-expensive "Nature's Miracle." It uses lemon peels and brown sugar, fermented for three months in water. The stuff is amazing. No nasty odors can escape the power of my homemade lemon enzyme cleaner. I love it!

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  3. I make my own enzyme cleaner that works like the uber-expensive "Nature's Miracle." It uses lemon peels and brown sugar, fermented for three months in water. The stuff is amazing. No nasty odors can escape the power of my homemade lemon enzyme cleaner. I love it!

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  4. I'm on my second batch of your homemade liquid cleaner. I've even shared the recipe with my friends. Thanks so much!

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  5. What exactly was the dentist cleaning with this mixture??? Please tell me he was not using this as a disinfectant in his practice????? Please tell me he was using Cavicide or something similar!!! As a RDH your post makes me nervous.

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    Replies
    1. He wasnt using this exactly- he was using some other product made from orange peels that he bought from a dental supply shop. He used it to clean excess stuff in the mouth (I want to say cement, but i know thats the wrong word) that he used to attach temporary crowns or something.

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  6. WOULD THIS WORK WITH LEMONS AS MY TREE IS OVERLOADED

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  7. Hi .can i use left over orange after making juice?(not just the peel)cant wait to try it sounds great

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  8. Just be careful what you clean with this. When I was researching orange vinegar, some articles said it could strip painted surfaces. I would just use it for cleaning the stove or toilet or other surfaces that can take some abuse.

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  9. Thank so so much you made my day. I love simple life and am glad I can do that now thanks to precious people like you

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  10. Could you use lemon and grapefruit peels?

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