ORANGES - Are not just for eating!

A natural non-toxic cleaner that works!

We have a small orange tree out the back of our property that I have just started picking. I love the fact that I can happily eat some spray free fruit and also get to use the unadulterated peels.

I like to dry most of my herbals and foraged plants for soap making - especially when I pack them into oils or other liquids to make infusions as this insurers you don’t get a jar full of mouldy goo.

This week after an accumulation of dry orange peels piling up in the top of my hot water cupboard, I decided to make a citrus infused vinegar spray for cleaning.

Over winter, enclosed spaces like your home can lead to poor air circulation, less fresh air and ultimately resulting in an unhealthy environment. Current reliance on chemicals and synthetic products add to this problem too. That is why airing your home on a regular basis is just one of the many things you can do to improve this. The other is by making informed decisions with the cleaning products you use.

A lot of cleaning products can off-gas and contain volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) - just think exit mould in your shower, oven sprays and glass cleaners. As we spray and use chemicals during cleaning, fine particles are released into the air. We then breathe the air, including the chemicals, exposing our lungs and bodies to a raft of various toxic substances.

Enter stage left - natural cleaning products that are non-toxic and work!

Vinegar is a convenient product to have on hand in your natural cleaning arsenal. Due to its mild acidic nature (pH 2.6) it has the ability to cut through grease and grime, fly poo and sticky messes and will deodorise and sanitise. It will kill most germs around the house (but not all).

Your normal off the grocery shelf Distilled White Vinegar has 4% acetic acid (info can be found on it’s label) and is a convenient candidate. It is colourless so won’t stain the surfaces you are cleaning. As vinegar is acidic, just remember to avoid using this spray on natural stone, hardwood flooring and unsealed or damaged grout.

I have found it great around the kitchen on hard surfaces including the stove top, fridge, windows (to prevent streaks, use crumpled newspaper or a lint free cloth and polish dry) and as an afterthought to see how good this preparation was, I used it on the wheels of the car. I was blown away with the cutting power this preparation had. More importantly this can replace several speciality cleaners. I didn’t wear gloves, it didn’t rip my skin to bits and was cheap as chips to make. Why wouldn’t you go there?

All Purpose Vinegar Spray

It is as simple as adding water together with White Distilled Vinegar in equal ratios to an empty spray bottle. The vinegar smell does dissipate but consider airing the house at the same time as part of your cleaning routine. If you don’t initially like your house to smell like a jar of pickles and want an additional grease cutting hit try the citrus vinegar version below.

Citrus Vinegar All Purpose Spray

Add 3 - 4 dried orange peels and a 750ml bottle of white distilled vinegar to a jar large enough to accommodate both. Seal and let infuse for approximately a week. Strain and use this vinegar as you would above in a 1:1 ratio mix with water. I save the vinegar bottle and add my reserve mix back into it. Make sure you relabel it before you forget what it is. Trust me on the label advise!