Homemade Natural All-Purpose Cleaner: alternative to toxic cleaners

We can all agree that cleaning products are essential to maintain a clean home, but toxic cleaning products aren’t.

After learning that commercial cleaning products can contribute to indoor pollution, I decided to give a homemade, natural all-purpose cleaner a try.

There are a variety of recipes for natural cleaners you can search up on Pinterest, but for this particular post, I tried the orange all-purpose cleaner I spotted circulating in the zero-waste community. 

To make this natural cleaner, I used orange peels, white vinegar, and water. Essential oils are optional. 

I placed the peels in a jar and filled the jar with vinegar until peels were covered. I then sealed the solution and tucked it away for 3 to 4 weeks in a cabinet. I read that the longer you let the orange peels soak, the better the solution. 

After the soaking period, I strained the solution in a glass spray bottle and added water to dilute the solution. I didn’t use any particular measurements, I personally just filled the bottle the rest of the way with water. 

When using the natural cleaner, I expected to get an overwhelming vinegar smell, but I didn’t. The orange smell made itself known alongside the vinegar. For some reason, I actually liked the smell of the vinegar and orange scent while I cleaned. So far, I used the cleaner on countertops, floorboards, and sinks. 

I did feel a sense of relief knowing that every ingredient in the cleaner was not harmful to my health or environment. Not only am I reducing food-waste when it comes to the orange peels, I am also inhaling non-toxic ingredients when cleaning now. 

I would definitely recommend giving this natural all-purpose cleaner a try. It saves you money, saves you resources, and saves you from being exposed to toxic chemicals.