DIY Natural Citrus Cleaner Spray (Easy All Purpose Green Cleaning!)

To celebrate this beautiful citrus season, I want to share with you a super easy and effective DIY citrus cleaner spray recipe, why it works, dos and do-nots, and my favorite ways of using it in our home.

There is so much to love about citrus: the beautiful colors, tasty juice, and the refreshing fragrance. And there is more: citrus peels have magical cleaning powers!

Easy & effective DIY citrus cleaner: great all purpose green cleaning spray for kitchen & bathroom sinks, windows, tub, tiles, floor, fridge, oven & more!

This really easy and effective DIY citrus cleaner is a citrus infused vinegar. If you are wondering how and why it cleans, let’s start with a little green cleaning basics. Feel free to skip to the recipe if you are already familiar with green cleaning! ( Some of the helpful resources are affiliate links. Full disclosure here. )

Why green cleaning?

I love green cleaning. Lots of conventional cleaners have harmful chemicals and unhealthy ingredients in them. Personally I am very sensitive to many of them.

*Some resources in article are affiliate links. Full disclosure here.

In contrary, I feel refreshed and uplifted after using all natural cleaners like Dr. Bronners liquid soaps, and our own easy and effective DIY green cleaners, recipes here!

How to make all natural, super effective & low cost green cleaning products easily. Download free printable recipe labels to easily make your own in future! - A Piece Of Rainbow

Easy and effective DIY green cleaners to make for your home!

In summary, green cleaning products are easy to make, cost much less, and are good for people and for our planet!

How does vinegar cleaner work?

Vinegar is one of the most effective natural cleaners and disinfectants. The acidity in vinegar kills many germs, molds, and bacteria by destroying their cell structures. Distilled White vinegar is a favorite ingredient in green cleaning because it is colorless.

homemade vinegar cleaner

Vinegar also absorbs odor effectively which makes it a great natural deodorizer for trash cans, toilets, etc.

Vinegar is great for cleaning and deodorizing, the vinegar smell will disappear in less than 30 minutes. However, we can improve on that by adding essential oils, or infuse the vinegar with something great smelling like citrus peels!

This DIY citrus cleaner is a citrus infused vinegar

What is citrus cleaner?

This DIY citrus cleaner is a citrus infused vinegar that smells amazing, with extra cleaning powers from citrus oils.

Limonene is the major component in the oil of citrus fruit peels (orange, lemon, mandarin, lime, and grapefruit). In addition to its numerous health benefits, limonene is also a natural solvent and a great de-greaser and deodorizer.

infuse  vinegar cleaner with citrus oil from the peels

When we infuse our vinegar cleaner with citrus oil from the peels, we get an extra powerful citrus cleaner that smells amazing too!

How to make DIY Citrus Cleaner

Save some citrus peels from your oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruits, etc. You can keep the peels in the fridge for a few days until you get enough to make a batch. You can also dry them for future use when citrus season is over.

How to make DIY Citrus Cleaner

Fill a clean glass jar with citrus peels, pour distilled white vinegar into the jar until all the peels are submerged.

Close the lid and keep the jar in room temperature out of direct sun for 1-2 weeks.

Fill a clean glass jar with citrus peels, pour distilled white vinegar into the jar until all the peels are submerged.

By the end of the first week the citrus infused vinegar already smells great, and the peels are actually enough to infuse one more batch of vinegar.

What I like to do is pour the liquid out into a spray bottle, keep the peels in the the glass jar, and fill it with white vinegar one more time. This gives us 2 batches of great smelling citrus vinegar!

Easy & effective DIY citrus cleaner: great all purpose green cleaning spray

How to clean with citrus cleaner

Dilute the citrus infused vinegar with equal amount of water as a cleaning spray, or add 1/2 cup of citrus vinegar to 1 gallon of water to wash floor or tub.

We love using this citrus vinegar as a cleaning spray on windows, mirrors, tiled backsplash, sinks, tubs, laminate or tiled floors, fridge, microwave, oven and cook-tops, trash cans, and even carpets!

Things that you should not clean with citrus infused vinegar (or any vinegar)

Vinegar can remove finishes on waxed furniture, certain hardwood floors, the acid can also damage stone countertops and floors. To be safe, use diluted Sal Suds, which is a coconut based natural cleaning concentrate.

Learn more about how to make other types of easy and effective DIY green cleaners, recipes here!

How to make all natural, super effective & low cost green cleaning products easily. Download free printable recipe labels to easily make your own in future! - A Piece Of Rainbow

Easy and effective DIY green cleaners to make for your home!Here’s another amazing green cleaning recipe for upholstery, mattresses, yoga mats, and more 

How to clean mattress stains naturally in 10 minutes! Magic DIY green cleaner that completely cleans and refreshes the mattress without bleach! Detailed tutorial with helpful tips on what NOT to do when cleaning a mattress! Also great for cleaning carpet stains, yoga mat, etc. - A Piece Of Rainbow

Happy cleaning! See you next week!

11 Comments

  1. Wondering what to do if I put it in the refrigerator 1 week ago accidentally? Should I take it out to the temperature now?

  2. Yes! I totally use vinegar as a home cleaning option to chemical products and recently discovered the idea of putting some inside the dish-washing soap to reduce the chemicals. Thanks for the gentle reminder that the acid can damage stone countertops and floors. Sometimes I get carried away lol!

  3. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this idea! I’ve tried using vinegar as a cleaning spray before, but my husband of the sensitive nose is not keen on it (or on most scents), This, though, I bet he wouldn’t mind! 🙂

  4. I think it’s a wonderful idea to make our own cleaners when feasible. I will have to try this one with all the citrus available!

  5. I love citrus cleaners, it helps to leave your house smelling fresh and clean. I especially love using stuff like this right after everyone o has gotten over being sick.

  6. That does look like a healthier and fresher way to do the cleaning. And I am sure those orange peels would give it a fresh scent as well as protect from termites and other hazards with the orange oils involved.

  7. I’ve made the citrus cleaner and I gotta say, it smelled like what I imagine death would smell like. Truly horrible. I had to dump it. I let it set for 13 days. I’m not sure how anyone gets this to smell as great as it’s claimed to smell. I’m was so bummed ☹️

    • hi karen, mine smells really nice! i wonder if all the peels were completely submerged when you made it? because if some peels stick above the vinegar they could rot in a few days.

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