One Small Step: easy DIY All Purpose Citrus Cleanser
For challenge 4 in One Small Step, I wanted to choose something super simple and not-overwhelming that you can set in motion now, even as the holiday season approaches. And I landed on this old favorite: citrus peel infused vinegar.
Because if your family is anything like mine, there is no shortage of citrus peels heading for the compost pail between December and February.
All Purpose Citrus Cleanser is easy to make from discarded peels of oranges, grapefruits, lemons, clementines, limes, tangerines, pomelos–any citrus fruit skins will do! And all you need is a handful of peels, a mason jar, and some white vinegar. I first shared a recipe for this household cleanser (along with loads of other non-toxic DIY home cleansers) back in 2013. And truly, it's been in daily or weekly use in our home for so much longer. Currently, we clean with just this all-purpose citrus vinegar, a jar of baking soda, and the new LüSa Organics Zero-Waste Dish Soap Bar. Those three gems are all we need to keep our house sparkling clean from top to bottom. (Edited to add: when we clean, that is. I don't want to misrepresent the state of my house here. And, well, if you know me in real life, you know cleaning is not my top hobby or priority. But when we do clean, these babies work like magic!)DIY citrus peel vinegar is a non-toxic, zero-waste win for so many reasons. Including:
- reducing your the need to purchase pre-made cleansers (and the packaging that comes with them)
- reducing your family's exposure to toxic household chemicals and fragrances
- giving second life to a waste product from your kitchen
DIY All Purpose Citrus Cleanser
Ingredients & Supplies
- 1 quart white vinegar
- peels from 3 or more pieces of citrus fruit
- quart-sized mason jar with nonreactive lid
Step 1. Place citrus peels into the clean, dry mason jar.
Step 2: Cover with white vinegar or homemade cider vinegar, filling jar to the shoulders. If needed, nestle a very small glass jar inside the neck of your jar to hold the peels beneath the surface of the vinegar. Peels that stick up out of the vinegar can mold if not kept submerged beneath the liquid. Tightly lid and infuse in a cool, dark place for 2 to 6 weeks. Pro tip: If desired, leave a bit more headspace in your jar, and add additional peels as the come available throughout the month. Mixed fruit-types is fine! This is my usual method, as we normally only have one or two citrus peels at a time, rather than a quart-full at once. Don't save up your peels to infuse later, as they will quickly mold, rather get them infusing on the day you peel the fruit.
Step 3: After your peels have infused for 2 to 6 weeks, the vinegar will become a warm, citrusy hue, taking on the pigment from the peels, while the peels themselves become sad, pale, and lifeless-looking (like the jar above, at left). Give your jar a sniff, and it should be a lovely mix of bright acidic vinegar plus sweet citrus notes. Now it's time to strain! Pour your citrus vinegar through a mesh colander, squeezing to extract as much infused vinegar as you can from the fruit. Discard spent peels, and transfer your vinegar to a clean, dry jar. Lid with a nonreactive lid, label, and store with your cleaning supplies. Transfer to an upcycled spray bottle if desired, or use my preferred method and decant directly from the jar.
Do you make your own nontoxic household cleansers? What's your favorite recipe?You can find the entire One Small Step series here, or click through below for individual posts: One Small Step: a year of small actions with huge impact Swap Plastic Bottles of Soap for Bars (plus a DIY liquid recipe) Buy Less Stuff Switch to Loose Leaf Tea
