Cheap, Easy, Non-toxic Cleaning Goodness!

DIY Multi-Purpose Cleaner

It's tough on germs and grime, but gentle on your surfaces, pets, wallet and loved ones!

 

I came up with this mixture after looking through tons of Pinterest ideas, and not having all the ingredients needed for any of the recipes I found. So, I took what I did have and threw it together. Turns out, it works GREAT!

What you'll need:

1. Orange peels (You can add more peels to the mixture as you eat them, if needed)
2. Cloves, Allspice, or Cinnamon Sticks (Any of these or a combination will work)
3. White Vinegar
4. A jar or container with a well-fitting lid (Mason jars, peanut butter jars, jam jars, ect all work great)

What you'll do:

Combine your vinegar, peels, and spices into your jar and ....... Wait. Yes, you'll need to wait. This baby needs to sit and simmer so all of the cleaning goodness can get nice and potent. Give the jar a good shake every few days if you feel obligated to mess with it. I usually forget to shake mine. I let my first batch seep for a month. Now I just keep a batch or two seeping at all times so they are ready and waiting.

The peels will begin to turn brown when the solution is ready! See above picture for a batch that is ready and waiting for me to use.

At this point all you have to do is strain out the peels and spices and pour the liquid into a spray bottle. Fill the rest of the bottle up with water. The amount of concentrate verses water will affect the strength of your solution. I use a standard sized spray bottle and a small pickle jar, and it works nicely.

The Finished Product

Do not forget to label your new cleaner! It is a safety hazard to have unlabeled solutions anywhere in your home, plus we all  forget what things are occasionally. You could even add the recipe or label its uses. Here is my finished product:

I have used this cleaner on everything from my kitchen counters to our hen boxes in the chicken coop. It even did a nice job on a very crusty oven after a slight mishap with a roasted chicken. The vinegar is antibacterial, the citrus has excellent cleaning powers and a fresh scent, and the spices add additional cleaning strength as well as a natural insect deterrent. This solution is completely non-toxic and it has a nice smell! What more could you ask for from a cleaning solution? If you are one who winces at the scent of vinegar, you'll want to add more orange peels and spices to your solution, but I personally think this smells great. Much better than bleach or chemical cleaners.

I hope ya'll enjoy!!! Let me know if you try it!