Surprising Ways to Use Orange Peel in the Kitchen

In addition to being a delicious and portable snack, oranges – or rather their peels – have a second life, just like everything from candy to pest control in your garden to an egg cooker . They also come in handy for keeping your kitchen clean and fresh.

Whether you’re looking to reduce the amount of food waste you generate, cut costs and/or use of cleaning chemicals, or simply love the scent of citrus, here are a few ways to use orange peels for cleaning your kitchen.

Make your own cleaning spray

Every kitchen needs an all-in-one cleaning spray that will tackle everything from greasy countertops to dirty sinks, and this one, made with orange peel, does the job and more. Here’s how to do it, according to a previous Lifehacker article :

All you need to make your own cleaner is a few leftover citrus peels from oranges (or clementines), distilled white vinegar, and some water. Simply fill an airtight container with the skins, cover with white vinegar, and wait two weeks. After that, you can strain the peel, dilute the mixture with water and pour into a spray bottle.

Clean and deodorize the garbage chute

Considering what they do, it’s no surprise that garbage chutes can sometimes give off a bad smell. To get rid of bad smells , pour a large bowl of ice cubes and one cup of orange (or other citrus) peels down the waste chute, then turn on cold water and grinder and turn them on for 30 to 45 seconds. . Then turn them off and turn on hot water for 15 seconds.

Make your own scrub

Remove stubborn spills and grease stains on your countertop, tile or sink with this DIY cleaner . It uses orange zest, not the whole peel, which means you must remember to remove the zest from the orange before you eat it.

When you have the zest of several citrus fruits (feel free to combine oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruits, etc.), spread it on a baking sheet and place it in the oven (or toaster) at 170°F for 45 minutes, breaking up clumps of zest every 15 minutes. Then pulverize the dehydrated zest using a blender, food processor, coffee or spice grinder, or mortar and pestle.

Then place the following in a clean glass jar:

• 1-2 tablespoons ground dried citrus zest
• ½ cup baking soda
• ¼ cup salt
• ¼ cup laundry soda

Shake everything in the jar to mix the ingredients. To use the cleanser, sprinkle it on the dirty surface, then scrub with a damp sponge or cloth, or an old toothbrush for stubborn dirt. Rinse the area when finished.