Lemon-Vinegar Cleaner is an easy to make, nice smelling, economical, non-toxic, all-natural, environmentally friendly, way to clean the house! And, it uses something that grows freely around my house: LEMONS!
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Here’s the story on the Lemon-Vinegar Cleaner
One of my neighbors has a lemon tree. So, occasionally I’ll come home and find a bag of the tart little yellow orbs of goodness on my doorstep. It made me think that I really wanted to try something new with all those lemons.
I decided to challenge my friend Cheryl at Cheryl’s Delights with the task of telling me one of her lemon recipes so that I could make it. Kind of an active Pay it Forward idea. If you haven’t checked her blog, she rocks! She does all kinds of cool preserving, fermenting, natural, yummy, and just plain good stuff!
Well, she offered up her great Lemon Vinegar.
Fresh smell
I love using vinegar around the house for cleaning. The only problem is that my husband is not terribly fond of the smell. In fact, it cracks me up sometimes because I’ll pour some out, he’ll smell it, and he thinks that something has gone bad and he must find the horrible thing that is obviously past its expiration date.
Well, my friends, this is the answer to that “horrible” smell! Add in some lemons, wait a couple of weeks, and no complaints from the husband! Ha!
Notes on Vinegar:
Vinegar is economical, non-toxic, all-natural, environmentally friendly, and kills most mold, bacteria, and germs! Can it get any better!
And notes on Lemon Peels:
I also like to use the lemon peels after you’ve drained out the lemon vinegar. Making this even more economical. Use the peels to help clean the microwave by placing the peels and 1/2 cup water in a microwave safe bowl. Heat to a rolling boil inside the microwave. The steam will loosen baked-on food and odors will disappear. Wipe the inside of the microwave clean with a towel or sponge.
You can also use the lemon peels to scrub directly too. I’ll do this in the sink or on any hard water deposits. And, when you’re done with the peels, send them down the garbage disposal to help freshen it and eliminate odors.
Do your towels smell a little, er, funky? Vinegar can help that too! Wash your towels in hot water with a cup of vinegar or lemon vinegar, then run the towels in a load again in hot water with a half-cup of baking soda. Doing this will strip that residue & mildew smell out of the towels, and will leave them feeling fluffy & smelling fresh. This really works! I love it & do it all the time!
So, here are some ideas to do with your new Lemon Vinegar…
Loosen hard water (lime) deposits by making a vinegar “gel”. Thicken the lemon vinegar with some cornstarch until you get a paste. The thickened vinegar will cling to what ever you wipe it on, giving you more time to work.
And, the alternative version for removing hard water deposits: make a paste of 1 teaspoon lemon vinegar and 2 tablespoons salt. Apply to sink fixtures and rub with a cloth. Yes, I have hard water deposits. Lots of them! And, yes, this totally works! Now, I’m not saying there isn’t still a little elbow grease needed, but I’d totally rather have my elbows in lemon vinegar than in LimeAway!
Add a little Dawn to cut grease; this one’s perfect for the stove top. Heat 1 cup of vinegar and 1 tablespoon cornstarch in the microwave for 2 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons Dawn and put it in a spay bottle. Spray. Wait an hour. Wipe. Rinse. This also works wonders in the shower to get soap scum and lime deposits off the shower walls.
Drain Cleaner Trick:
And, I think most everyone knows this little trick to clear drains, but I’ll share it here too!
- Pour 3/4 cup of baking soda in the drain.
- Pour 1/2 cup vinegar or Lemon Vinegar in the drain and immediately cover the drain with a plug or set a plate over it.
- Let stand for 30 minutes.
- Remove the cover and run hot water down the drain for a couple of minutes.
Check out more vinegar ideas here. And, this post was kind of a follow-up to one of my most popular posts… “Cleaning… trying those homemade mixtures“, check it out for more cleaning ideas.
Bonus Tea Tree Oil tips:
And, your bonus cleaning tip to kill mold. I use this one all the time in the shower, and it totally works! I also love the smell after I’ve applied it! This will kill the mold spores without creating harsh chemical fumes.
- Mix 1 teaspoon of {affiliate link} tea tree oil to 1 cup of water. Pour into a spray bottle, and spray onto the shower walls and floors, allow to dry, do not rinse.
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Lemon-Vinegar Cleaner
Lemon Vinegar
Ingredients
- White Vinegar
- Citrus fruit peel Lemon, Lime, Orange, etc.
- Clear container with lid
- Spray bottle
Instructions
- Put the fruit in a container and cover with vinegar. Allow to sit for 2 weeks (I keep mine in a warm window sill). Strain into a spray bottle.
- That's it! And, it's awesome!
SInce the local water is so hard, we use vinegar all the time. We toss a cup into the dishwasher to help prevent water spots and build-up on the glassware.
It is also good to add to your last rinse of laundry for fresh clothes and they are soft.
I use it in my final rinse on all my clothes to remove all residue. My clothes don’t have that faded look.
great idea share Adrienne!
Debi!! You Rock hun! I just arrived home after visiting family and I find this super cool post! *happy dance* You Rock my friend. I LOVE that you added all the helpful hints! *Big hug*
Hi, Debi! I love, love this post! It solves so many of my problems! We have very hard water, too, but I don’t like using harsh chemicals if I can avoid it. And I, too, frequently clean with vinegar, but (like your husband), my family hates the smell! How have I missed these brilliant, simple solutions before! Thanks!!!
Vinegar has been used for 10,000 years. It just might be the world’s oldest ingredient! Vinegar has been used to fightinfections since Hippocrates, who lived between 460-377 BC. The acidity of vinegar helps stop colors from fading.
love all things natural so much better then chemicals have a great day
Oh, GREAT post! 🙂 Thanks for linking up at our Gluten Free Fridays party! I have tweeted and pinned your entry to our Gluten Free Fridays board on Pinterest! 🙂
Hope your week is great!
Cindy from vegetarianmamma.com
Hi Debi, great post! I didn’t know that you could clean the microwave that way! And I love the bonus tip about getting rid of the mould in the shower. Thanks for sharing x
Great post! I use vinegar as a deodorizer as well. When I fry bacon, fish, chicken, etc., I will add a cup of vinegar to a 1/2 cup of water in a pan, bring to a boil for 3-5 minutes, reduce heat to low, simmer for hours to deodorize the house. Although the smell of vinegar vaporizes very quickly, I am going to add lemon next time.
That’s a great tip, Betty! I just adore vinegar, so useful! Thanks for sharing your tip! 🙂
Lovely story 🙂 I remember my grandmother making her cleaning solution with apple cider vinegar (made by her own) and grapefruit peels (fruits were from the grapefruit tree in our garden). I use her method of infusing vinegar everyday now and I have a bunch of good tested combinations that work for different stains and in different situations. I sometimes add few drops essential oil to my citrus-vinegar cleaning solutions. Greets, Sue from cleaners-westhampstead. com 🙂
Vinegar and even baking soda is the best way to remove mold. Also there are some other natural ways through which we can easily prevent mold.
Vinegar is best for household cleaning. Though didn’t try with Lemon. It seems like an effective one. Thanks for sharing.