Lemon & Vinegar Chemical-free Cleaning Spray

This homemade lemon & vinegar chemical-free cleaning spray is simple and cost-effective to make.

It makes me cringe to think about the list of harsh chemicals that we can find in most of our cleaning products. Recently, I have seen a rise in more natural cleaning products being released into the market and it makes my heart smile. But this lemon & vinegar chemical-free cleaning spray is not only excellent, but also easy and cost-effective to make in your own home!

However, we live in Zimbabwe and these kinds of products are hard to come by.  If they do appear in our shops, they’re very expensive because they have been imported and a lovely big mark-up has been slapped on top!  As you know, I am one for saving money, finding a deal and making what I can, from scratch.

A great money-saving seasoning is leek powder. You can find out how to make it in your own kitchen here.

This chemical-free cleaning spray recipe uses an easy-to-come-by fruit!

Delicious fruit is hard to come by in Masvingo, but you can always find lemons in my kitchen! When lemons are in season, I have a sweet friend who brings bags of them into town from their farm for me. And when they are out of season, I try to find them in our grocery stores.  This doesn’t necessarily mean that the out-of-season lemons are genetically modified or are imported. Some lemon trees, like Eureka lemon trees, produce perennially.

How we use lemons at home

We use lemons all the time! We put slices of lemon in our glasses of water (add some peppermint leaves too) and we give great big squeezes of lemon into our homemade hummus. Although I know I’m a rare kind, I also like eating lemon segments as you would an orange. Strange, I know.

But then you’re left with the lemon rinds and while I don’t mind putting them in my huge compost piles, I prefer using them to make my own household cleaning liquid! This recipe is so simple and uses far, far less ingredients than you’ll find on the back of the chemical-rich bottles lining the grocery store shelves!

How I make my own chemical-free cleaning spray

Supplies Needed:

Lemon rinds – or any citrus rinds

White vinegar

Large glass jar with a lid

Spray bottle

Steps for making your own lemon & vinegar cleaning spray

Step 1 – Gather Lemon Rinds

Gather the lemon (and any other citrus) rinds that you have stored. I freeze mine, since I usually make a large batch of lemon cordial and can’t bare to throw the rinds into the trash. If you know that you’ll gather a good bundle of rinds quickly then you can keep the rinds in your refrigerator. 

Step 2 – Fill Your Jar with Lemon Rinds & Vinegar

Put the rinds in your glass jar. I squish them in the jar but not so that they’re too compact—perhaps ¾ full. Then fill the jar to the top with white vinegar and seal it. Now you wait. Let the rinds soak for at least a week. Ideally, wait two weeks. I forgot about mine and this batch is over 3 weeks old (whoops)!

Step 3 – Strain and bottle

When the batch has been steeping for over a week, it is time to decant the liquid into a storage container. I love this part because when I unseal the jar, the aroma that permeates my kitchen is similar to lemon marmalade!

You can discard the leftover rinds.

Now, fill your spray bottle. Some people dilute the lemon vinegar liquid with water at a 1:1 ratio. However, we do not do this. We find that vinegar is most effective at cleaning and disinfecting when it is not diluted.

Tips for using your Chemical-free Lemon Vinegar Cleaning Spray

DO:

• To make sure that you remove all of the grime, let the spray sit for a few minutes, then wipe the surface.
• Use the spray on: Kitchen counters, sinks, showers, toilets, bathtubs, tiles, stainless steel appliances and inside your fridge.
• Use a ¼ cup in your dishwasher as a rinse aid.
• I recently used some to wipe off the sticky remains of a label on glass.

DON’T

• Don’t use on marble or granite.
• Don’t use on any natural wooden furniture or other household items.