Did you always think that making zero waste products from scratch would be time-consuming and require a whole bunch of ingredients the name of which you can’t pronounce? Me too! That’s why I was absolutely blown away when I found out, that most of the key household items are actually super easy to make! This DIY zero waste cleaning spray is a great example of how you can easily create waste and toxic-free cleaning products from scratch – in just 5 minutes!

Benefits of DIY cleaning spray

Why should I spend time and effort on homemade cleaning products when I could simply buy them from a supermarket – or even a zero waste store? What are the benefits of DIY cleaning spray in comparison to the supermarket alternatives? Let’s take a look!

The most obvious, and maybe also the most important, feature of this zero waste cleaning spray is that it is toxic-free. There are no chemicals in this spray, only natural products. This means less toxins at your home, giving you a more healthy living environment. It also means that less toxins end up in the environment through sewage systems and poor recycling systems (this obviously depends on where you live).

Other pros of this DIY cleaning product is that it is super cheap to make and it helps you to utilize waste that you’ve already produced! Vinegar costs next to nothing and if you consume citrus fruit, citrus peels are going to be their natural by-product. As they cannot be put into compost, this is a great way to give them a meaningful afterlife!

Cleaning spray with citrus

The easiest way to create zero waste cleaning spray would be to mix vinegar with water, but the smell is quite strong and can be off-putting for people who’re not used to it. This is why I prefer to enhance the smell of citrus into mine by soaking the vinegar with citrus peels! Despite the immediate smell of vinegar, this citrus cleaning spray leaves nice citrus smell.

You can use any kind of citrus peels, but the final product will be slightly different depending on the fruit. I prefer to use lemons over other types of citrus fruit as the color of the cleaning spray remains light and transparent in comparison to for example oranges, that dye the liquid more brownish. But this is simply a question of preference – and even more importantly what kind of fruit you consume in your household as you obviously want to make most out of the waste that you’ve already produced!  

This is an all-purpose cleaning spray so it can be used for pretty much everything! However, avoid using it on granite and marble countertops, as it may cause pitting!

Zero waste cleaning spray recipe

Ingredients:

Method:

1. Fill ¾ of a jar with citrus peels and cover them with white vinegar. You can also add rosemary for extra scent.

2. Leave the jar in sunlight for 2-3 weeks to give the vinegar time to soak the citrus scent.

3. Remove the peels (and rosemary) when the time has passed or the peels have started to turn gray in color.

4. Mix the final product with water in a 50-50 ratio and place it in a spray bottle. You can add few drops of lemon essential oil if the smell is too strong. Your zero waste cleaning spray is now ready!

I know what you might be thinking in there. Two or three weeks to make a cleaning spray might seem like a lot but I promise, it really doesn’t seem like it. It only takes a couple of minutes to prep the ingredients and make the mix, the rest is just waiting game!

Have you tried this recipe or do you have an alternative zero waste cleaner recipe that you like to use? Let me know in the comments!