This Kitchen Cabinet Cleaning Tip Using An Orange Works 'Like Magic'

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As reducing the amount of chemicals we use on a daily basis becomes common practice, the DIY world continues to open doors for saving citrus peels. For example, you can put orange peels to work by making a cleaner that will degrease even your dirtiest cabinets after months of debris and oil buildup. The best part is that this homebrew cleaning solution, concocted by the House Digest team, only requires three things: a jar or lidded container, a few orange peels, and distilled white vinegar. 

To make your new favorite magic cleaning solution for the kitchen, tear the orange peels into thin pieces so they'll fit through the mouth of the jar — a glass mason jar works great. Add the peels to the jar, and fill the container with distilled white vinegar until the peels are submerged. Place the lid on and let it sit for two weeks, giving it a little shake or tilt every now and again. Once the two weeks are up, you'll find the orange peels to be a bit dingy, but this is normal. Drain the mixture into a spray bottle like this one from Amazon and dispose of the peels. 

This cleaning solution extracts the d-limonene from the orange peels, which is a chemical compound used in many cleaning products and works wonderfully as a degreaser. Distilled white vinegar also makes for a good multi-purpose cleaning solution in the kitchen, thanks to its acidity. 

While the citrus and vinegar mixture shouldn't stain any surfaces, it's best to do a spot test on the inside of your kitchen cabinet door or on a similar surface, just to be sure, before going all-in on more visible areas. Once you've spot tested and used the solution on your kitchen cabinets, you'll see why d-limonene is used around the home. Any grease you have built up, especially on the cabinet doors above your stove, will scrub right off without using harsh chemicals in your kitchen. 

The cleaning solution can even be used throughout your kitchen and beyond. This mixture can be used as a multi-surface cleaner for countertops, microwaves, and even backsplash. If you have a pest problem or simply want to be preventative, you can use the spray near windows, doorways, or baseboards to keep ants out of your home. Just make sure that you start prepping a new bottle before your current one runs out because this natural cleaning solution is bound to become a part of your simple nightly kitchen shutdown routine.

Static Media owns and operates The Takeout and House Digest.