Lemon Vinegar Cleaner

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!

We appreciate your support

It all started with a lemon tree

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!

Don’t mix vinegar with bleach or hydrogen peroxide

Combining vinegar with chlorine bleach or hydrogen peroxide can produce toxic fumes. So, don’t mix them together and don’t use them alternatively on surfaces.

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.

How to use

my favorite laundry hack

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!

gel

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.

hard water deposits

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!

coffee maker descaling

Give your coffee maker and even a tea kettle some love. Heating water in these appliances will leave calcium and hard water deposits.

Pour equal parts vinegar and water into the machine and run the regular cycle. Afterward, run two or three cycles of plain water through the machine to rinse it out before brewing your next cup of coffee.

I like to put a clean paper filter in the machine to catch any larger chunks that come out.

And once the hot vinegar and water is in the coffee pot, use that to help scrub the glass pot itself as well.

remove grease

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

I love this little drain cleaner trick. It leaves a nice fresh smell 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.

Baking sheets

Do you have stained dark baking sheets that you’d like to refresh? Try this method.

Cover the pan generously with baking soda then pour in vinegar over. Spread the mixture evenly over the surface of the pan and let it sit overnight. Then scrape away and discard any leftover bits. Scrub with a scrubber pad, and wash with soap & warm water.

microwave

To clean the inside of the microwave, fill a microwave-safe bowl with equal parts water and vinegar. Heat it in the microwave for a couple of minutes to get it all steamy in there. Then wipe the inside clean.

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.

Let’s keep in touch

If you like seeing my recipes subscribe via email in the upper right.
Or, connect with me on your favorite social media channel for recipes, photos, & much more:
Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter!
And find my shop on Amazon for recommendations on cool tools

Lemon Vinegar Cleaner Recipe