Making Your Own Citrus Vinegar Cleaner

I will be starting my spring cleaning soon and it's time to make more cleaner for my chores.

This gentle but effective vinegar cleaner is fresh smelling and a wonderful homemade alternative to harsh chemical cleaners. I use it on the floors and the surfaces in the kitchen and bathrooms and like using orange peel, but lemon, lime or grapefruit work great as well.

The cheaper distilled white vinegar, available at your local supermarket, is the best type to use for cleaning. The acetic acid in vinegar is an effective disinfectant, deodorizer, and cleaner which will cut grease and soap scum, dissolve mineral buildup, and inhibit mold and bacteria growth.

Fill a glass quart jar with the peelings (remove any of the white pulp) of any citrus fruit-grapefruit, orange, lemon, lime, etc. Cover the peelings with white vinegar, cover the container and allow it to sit for about 2 weeks, occasionally shaking the jar. Remove the peels, and you can strain it as well. Use this vinegar in any of the following ways:

Pour into a small dish, and set in a room to absorb odors.

Make an all-purpose floor cleaner by mixing 1/2 cup to 1 gallon of water.

Glass Cleaner: Combine a quart of water with 1/2 cup of the vinegar and add it to a spray bottle. Use as you would glass cleaner.

Linoleum floor cleaner: Add 1 cup citrus vinegar with two gallons water of water and mop as usual.

To clean ovens: Spray or pour the vinegar on burned or soiled areas. Close the oven door and allow it to sit for 2 hours. Wipe clean with a sponge or rag that has been moistened with warm water. You may need to repeat.