Vinegar cleanser with less stink!

[Zoebird]

I don't know why I never figured this before, btu here goes.

Take your white vinegar and put it in a big jar.

stuff in your orange peels (or lemon, or grapefruit/lime/all/whatever). let soak for a fair bit. then strain, and now it's orange-scented.

I made an orange-lavender for the yoga mats. it's 1/3 water to 2/3 vinegar with lavender and orange peel put in. I even put a little bit (one nice ribbon of peel and a couple of lavender sprigs) in the container that holds the spray so it looks pretty.

And, it smells so much nicer.

I figure you could also use: rosemary (has disinfectant properties), all manner of citrus fruit, and then any other scent you might like such as geranium or even rose petals. . . ooh, gardenia. anything nice, really. Peppermint would be good.

Yeah.

Have fun with it. use the cast-off orange peels first, though. it's nice. :D

[catherine]

Great idea! I'm always trying to push simple cleaners like vinegar and baking soda on DH, but he's of the mindset that 1) if it's not chemically-explosive industrial-strength, expensive product out of Home Depot, it won't clean and 2) vinegar stinks.

Maybe if I sweeten it up a little, he'll change his mind. Thanks for the tip!

[redfox]

Wow, very cool ideas! Thanks, will try this for sure.

When I worked in a theatre, the costume department used über cheap vodka to disinfect the inside of heavy costumes in between performances! It killed the bacteria from sweat, and evaporated with nary an odor. I've often wonded about using it to clean & disinfect at home... Catherine, what would your DH's reaction be if he saw you using vodka... ? :)

[catherine]

Wow, very cool ideas! Thanks, will try this for sure.

Catherine, what would your DH's reaction be if he saw you using vodka... ? :)

haha! He'd probably want to keep tons of it in the house "for cleaning purposes"-- he loves Grey Goose!

[Sad Eyed Lady]

I have put a few drops of essential oils into my vinegar water when cleaning -does make the house smell nice.

[fidgiegirl]

Plus, doesn't the orange itself have some cleaning properties?

Love this. Will also share with my MiL. She loves natural cleaners and is more into the smelly element of things than we are. She will like this.

[Zoebird]

vodka is easier to use, but not as cheap. it certainly is great as a clothing disinfectant. And, you can stuff it with orange peels, etc as well, to give it a slightly different smell.

I think a big big jug of vinegar here is $5 (like, 5 liters?), whereas a big jug of vodka (of the same size) would probably cost considerably more.