Citrus cleaner, part two: Household cleaning uses

If anything deserves the title “all-purpose cleaner”, it is citrus vinegar. You can use your citrus cleaner for any of the cleaning jobs that ordinary vinegar can be used for, and it will perform them even more efficiently. In other words means, it has many uses. Look through our household cleaning and personal care pages for several ideas and detailed instructions.

Here are my favourites for cleaning thoughout the home. Next time I’ll write about using your citrus vinegar for personal care.

• Use citrus vinegar (especially that made from lemon and / or lime peels) for washing your dishes. It works brilliantly in the dishwasher or the sink (together with a little bicarb) and leaves glassware and everything else sparkling and fresh-smelling.
• Use in your laundry, as a pre-wash and / or in the rinse cycle, to boost the cleaning power of bicarb and salt, whiten whites (especially lemon) and brighten colours (especially grapefruit).
• Use diluted with water (50:50) as a brilliant all-purpose cleaner to clean counter-tops, bathroom surfaces, toilet bowl, glass, fridges, stoves and ovens – pretty much everything. The citrus extract makes it a powerful solvent that will cut through grease, so use it undiluted on especially grimy spills if necessary. Add bicarb and / or salt to form a heavy duty cleaning paste for really tough jobs.
• Use diluted (a cup in a bucket of water) to mop floors, including wooden floors.
• Mix it 50:50 with olive, linseed or any vegetable oil 2 parts with one part grapeseed oil or olive oil to form a polish for any wooden surface. Orange peels are the best choice for wood, though all citrus is good.
• Use the same citrus vinegar and oil mixture to clean and polish leather shoes, belts, etc.
• Use diluted 50:50 with water as an air freshening spray.
• Use when washing dogs (not cats: citrus is toxic to cats), or sponge directly onto dogs to kill and repel fleas.
• Use as cat deterrent by spraying on surfaces you don’t want them to approach.
• Drizzle over salads for a citrus tang.

As if that’s not enough, I’ll tell you how to get your citrus vinegar working on your skin and hair next time. So keep soaking those peels.