This citrus all-purpose cleaner recipe is simple and made with natural ingredients so fresh you could eat it! It may make an interesting salad dressing ingredient, but I’m more inclined to use it to clean the kitchen.
Store-bought household cleaners are full of potentially harmful chemicals and ingredients that most of us can’t even pronounce, let alone know what they are. I feel much better cleaning my home with something that I know for a fact (because I made it!) is all natural and has no chance of causing harm to myself, my family, or the environment.
This recipe is part of our Citrus Celebration series here on Garden Therapy and is in great company with:
- Mango Citrus Whipped Body Butter
- Meyer Lemon Limoncello
- Vegan Lemon Pudding Cakes
- Blood Orange and Raspberry Jam
- Tropical Citrus Lip Gloss Recipe
- Rosemary Lemon Soap-on-a-Rope {Stars and Bars}
Orange Cinnamon All-Purpose Cleaner Recipe
To make this recipe, add orange peels to a Mason jar and top up with distilled white vinegar. Add a few cinnamon sticks to spice it up. Let sit covered in a cool, dark place for two weeks and then strain into a spray bottle. If you would like a stronger spice smell when strained, add a few drops of cinnamon essential oil. It’s the perfect cleaning recipe for the winter months as it warms things up just a bit more.
Your homemade cleaner is all purpose and perfect for bathrooms, kitchens, and floors. The more citrus and spice you use, the less vinegar-y it will smell. Use within about 6 weeks and make smaller batches so that you always have some fresh cleaner on hand.
I think that this is a great recipe and I will be trying it. Cleaners can cost way too much money even at times when you go to the Dollar Store. Hopefully my spray bottle won’t get clogged as one of you are saying. I will be using a new bottle anyway.
ok, I realize this recipe is not a technical, exact formula but vague directions and I just don’t get along, When you “add orange peels to a mason jar…..” Is the jar a pint or a quart? How much orange peel? One or two oranges worth? And what do you consider “a few” cinnamon sticks? I understand the more citrus and spice you use the less vinegar-y it will smell but a starting point would be appreciated, THEN I’ll go hog-wild!! :) Also, could I freeze orange peels so I’ll have them on hand when I make this?
I love natural cleaning supplies, especially one that has the added benefit of freshening the air so this is going to be great.
Hi Sue, so in this photos I used a 1L jar (which is a quart) the peels of 2 navel oranges and 2 x 3″ cinnamon sticks. I threw all that in the jar and topped up with vinegar. Add more orange rinds if you can fit them, add more cinnamon if you want it stronger, and dilute the whole thing 1/2 and 1/2 with water if you don’t want it too vinegary. Hope that helps!
I wonder if you kept it in the refrigerator would it keep better without getting the “mother” clogged in the sprayer?
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