September, 10th 2019 · Stephanie Mary

Homemade Citrus and Vinegar Cleaner

Name: Homemade Citrus and Vinegar Cleaner
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 2-3 Grapefruit or Any Citrus Peel Scraps; 10-15 Thyme Sprigs; 2 Cups of White Vinegar

In the spirit of re-usability, zero waste, and making use of every piece of material I use here in My Tiny Laguna Kitchen, I decided to make a simple cleaner. I just made the Late Summer Ruby Red Grapefruit & Thyme Spritzer and like most recipes, I had some scraps leftover that I prefer not to go to waste. With those scraps, you can make a homemade citrus and vinegar cleaner that will make any surface shine again!

Homemade Citrus and Vineagar cleaner right after preparing the container

All Natural, Super Useful, Zero Waste

Sometimes you hear something and are like, wait for a second, this is too good to be true. And most of the time it is. However, that’s not the case with this cleaner. This homemade citrus and vinegar cleaner is zero-waste, plastic-free, non-toxic and ridiculously affordable. It’s literally made from any citrus scraps that you were going to throw away.

Not only is this cleaner affordable, smells amazing and is zero waste, it’s also ridiculously effective and super cheap to make. It gets the deepest of deep grime and dirt out of all nooks and crannies. We have been making this for years now, and we gift it to all of our friends. Everyone always asks us for the simple recipe, so I thought I would finally post it here!

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Side angle shot of the homemade citrus and vinegar cleaner. Shows how to store the final product in a mason jar.

From Scraps to Magic

Since I just made a spritzer with ruby red grapefruit, I had a bunch of grapefruit scraps left over. Alternatively, if you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen me make this before or use it. In those stories, I tend to use lemons since we use them on a daily basis. You can literally use any citrus scraps for the base of this cleaner.

Citrus fruits have many cleaning benefits. They are all anti-viral and anti-bacterial naturally as well as providing a fresh clean smell to the surface that they clean. I also had a little leftover Thyme from the spritzer, I decided to add that to the mix as well. Thyme has a variety of cleaning benefits such as being naturally anti-septic. This specific mixture would be perfect for disinfecting bathrooms and kitchens without the chemicals.

The best part about DIY recipes is how you can tailor them to your needs. Or add a little bit of custom magic wherever needed. Sometimes I add a few drops of essential oils, just to mix things up a little bit. One of my favorites is Thieves oil for an extra cleaning benefit.

Overhead shot showing the ingredients used in the cleaner.

So.. Where can I use this Citrus and Vinegar Cleaner?

Pretty much anywhere you use a surface cleaner! For small to heavy tasks, I’ve found that this cleaner can be a replacement for most store-bought brands. You can use this cleaner on any surface that’s not subject to any bad effects from the citrus. We use the cleaner regularly on the kitchen counter and stovetop, also in the bathroom on most surfaces.

I’ve been really enjoying the ideas I’ve come up with from the zero-waste movement. I believe that limitations breed creativity and I look forward to sharing some of the ideas that I come up with. Do you lovelies enjoy the DIY projects? Are there any products that you wish were easily created and zero waste? Let me know in the comments below!