Saturday, June 14, 2014

My All Time Favorite DIY Spray Cleaner

A while back I used up this bottle of spray cleaner, (the bottle on the right) It was a nice cleaner that worked well and smelled nice and fresh.  It was citrus and sage and  the label said it was made with natural ingredients, biodegradable and it had the ecologo  . 
When it was done I wondered if I could just make some more so I started reading the ingredients. I wasn't overjoyed to find this "natural" cleaner had ingredients that I couldn't even begin to pronounce and that if swallowed I needed to call a poison control center.  Ewww.   How can that be good for the environment.


So this is what I decided to make instead.   
First I emptied about half the vinegar from a gallon jug into another container. Then I added the peels from  about 12 lemons, oranges and limes.  I save my peels in a  bag in my freezer until I have enough when I need them. 
 I added a handful of sage leaves and  some thyme from my garden.  Then I topped the jug back  up with the rest of the vinegar and put it under my sink and forgot about it for a few weeks. When it was ready I strained out a cup of the cleaner for my spray bottle, added 3 cups of water and used it to clean everything in sight. I just strain out what I need to use, and let the rest sit in the jug and it keeps getting stronger.
 I use this all purpose spray in my kitchen and my bathroom.  I even add a half cup to a pail of hot water to wash my tile floors.
I love how fresh everything smells when I'm done.

The citrus oils clean so well ,and  vinegar is a natural disinfectant.  This would probably be good enough on its own. 
But adding Thyme for it's antifungal and disinfectant qualities,  and Sage for it antiseptic qualities gives this spray another punch to fight those nasty germs. This is a great spray to use during cold and flu season too.  And I know it's safe around the kids and pets.  I won't have to call poison control for any reason.  All in all I think this is my favorite all purpose spray cleaner. 

Bye for now and have a great day.