Give your vinegar cleaning solution a whole new twist with a little citrus boost. Try your hand at making orange vinegar cleaner.
Cleaning with orange vinegar adds the power of orange oil to your cleanser. It also alters the smell so instead of getting a hearty whiff of vinegar when you clean, you get a citrus/vinegar combination. Some people love this. Others think it’s . . . well, a weird citrus/vinegar thing. But, weird is fun, so give this recipe for orange vinegar cleanser a try. As far as homemade cleaning products go, making orange vinegar cleaner is child’s play.
How to Make Orange Vinegar Cleanser
Step 1: Save your orange peels and pith (that white part most kids pick off) in a mason jar.
Step 2: Cover the peels with undiluted white vinegar. (Why do they call it white? It’s clear!)
Step 3: Cover and label with “Do not eat!” (That last part may only be necessary in my house.)
Step 4: After two-ish weeks, strain out the peels and store the now-orange vinegar in a mason jar or other container. Because we use a lot of vinegar and eat a lot of oranges, we store ours in a gallon jug.
Step 5: To clean with the vinegar, use it full strength or dilute it with water, either 50/50 or one part vinegar to three parts water in a spray bottle. The concentration depends on your intended use.
We make a supply during the winter months when oranges are generally on sale.
Relatively pointless orange facts with which to impress or annoy your family:
- Christopher Columbus is sometimes credited with introducing oranges to the New World on his second voyage in 1493.
- The larger the “belly button” on navel oranges, the sweeter the orange. (Too bad you can’t judge people this way. “I don’t think I trust you; show me the navel!”)
- People in Nepal eat the whole orange, skin and all. That means less peeling duty for Mom.
- There are over 600 varieties of oranges. (I think I’ve had, I don’t know, six.)
- Orange juice is very acidic, so try not to drink it on an empty stomach. When drinking, remember that acid and your teeth do not get along, so either sip it through a straw or rinse with water after drinking.
- Oranges will not become overly ripe if left on the tree. That’s great news for any of us procrastinators who happen to have a neglected orange tree out back.
Give this simple recipe for making orange vinegar cleaner a try and let us know how it worked! Trying out the orange trivia on your friends is optional.
Linked up to Frugal Friday at Life as Mom.
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I’m going to give this a try! I love citrus scents and have yet to find a spray on homemade cleaner I like. Thanks!
I hope it works for you. Some of oranges left a really nice scent, but others…not so much. Actually, it was the clementines that we didn’t like. And, of course, there’s still the vinegar scent mixed in. But it’s cheap and effective and gives the orange peels a second life.
Love this idea. I’m definately going to try it. I use vinegar to clean all the time. My husband isn’t particularly fond of the smell tho…so maybe this will help. I’ll be able to clean the bathroom anytime it needs to be cleaned rather than waiting until he’s gone for the day! ;D
Hello, I’m a little late to the party here but I have a question about the cleaner. I made my first batch of vinegar orange cleaner a month or so ago, and started using it yesterday. My question is: can I reuse the peels for another batch or are they trash? Thank you!
Hi! Good question. I would think that the oils from the citrus peels have already been extracted and that the next batch would be weaker. I have never tried it, however, so I could be wrong. Thanks for asking!
can you think of a reason/s why lemons would not be a suitable substitute?
Lemons, limes and grape friut would also work. It is the acidic citrus oil which is being extracted from the peels so any citrus freuit peel would work.
Thank you, Kendra!
Using lemons in the vinegar is an excellent idea! What a great smell that would be!
I used just enough of a jug of vinegar to make room and added a mix of orange and lemon peels. I like cleaning with vinegar, but am not a fan of the smell. What a great idea- with the citrus, the vinegar smell is much more tolerable. Thanks!
Great idea to make the orange vinegar right in the vinegar jug!
Is there such a thing as letting the peels sit to long in the vinegar??? I started a batch last year, forgot about it, and just now found it in the back of my linen closet.
~ Lol.
That’s funny! Mine’s been going quite a while, too, since we left town for several months. Ha ha!
From the research I did, anything soaked in vinegar will last indefinitely, although some say if your’re going to eat it, do so within a year. And it you read it online, it must be true!
Uh, just don’t eat it. 
I always use vinegar in my wash. I don’t think there should be any problems if I throw some of the orange vinegar in it, do you? It should just freshen my clothes I would think.
Yes, Tasha, that should be just fine. The vinegar extracts the oil from the orange peel, from my understanding, and people add essential oil to homemade laundry detergent and fabric softener. The citrus should boost the cleaning power. Great idea. I never thought of doing this. Somewhere in the back of my head I thought it would turn my clothes a dingy color, so I’ll be testing it on, say, towels first. Thanks for the great tip!
I started making this several months ago, and I love it. I would like to add a few more things about it.
This cleaner is great for any body with breathing problems, like COPD. MY friend has COPD, and can not tolerate chemical cleaners. This cleaner does not cause her any problems.
This will take the smell of onion and fish off your hands.
Use with baking soda to make your own “Scrubbing Bubbles”. This combination will also remove some stains from clothes.
Use the peels in your garbage disposal to disinfect and freshen it.
Roberta, thank you for all the great tips!
Why is white vinegar called white vinegar? Leave some sit out until all the liquid is gone and you will have the pure form of the acid that makes vinegar vinegar. Its white.
I use a LOT of vinegar, I am definitely going to give this a try.
I hope it works out for you! Super simple!