Cleaning with vinegar without leaving an acrid smell

I love to clean with vinegar. It sanitises, de-moulds and removes dirt from any surface, from benchtops to wood, without scrubbing or damaging them.  But it is one of those cleaning products where the smell overbears, and leaves behind an odour that smells more like a fish and chip shop than a freshly cleaned home.    

So there’s a clever way that I’ve learned to manage the smell.  Use orange peels or other citrus peels to infuse your vinegar with, then use it as the base for making a natural household cleaning liquid.  

Citrus infused vinegar

To make it you’ll need: 

A glass jar (a large bolognese jar or mason jar works a treat)

White vinegar

As many peels of a citrus fruit (combine oranges, lemons and limes)

Cut the citrus peel and put into a glass jar.  Cover the peel in white vinegar (the cheap stuff).  Let it stand for two weeks.  It will develop a lovely citrus scent, and go a little orange.  You can use any of a range of other citrus fruits – mandarines, lemons, limes.  

Let the infusion stand for two weeks, and then strain the vinegar and mix with a selection of oher ingredients to make a household cleaning products, like these recipes for natural cleaning.