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Ashley English Recipes

Citrus Concentrate Degreaser

When you need to cut through grease and grime, this cleaner is what’s in order. The d-Limonene compound in the volatile oils of the citrus is a powerful degreaser. 

You Will Need: 

  • One glass jar with lid 
  • Orange, lemon, lime, grapefruit, clementine, tangerine, or mandarin peels, or a combination (use up the fruits’ insides for another purpose)
  • Distilled white vinegar
  • Fresh herbs such as rosemary, mint, lemon verbena, sage, thyme, oregano, or marjoram (optional)

To Make: 

  1. Pack a glass jar as full as you can with either one or a combination of citrus peels. 
  2. Pour vinegar over the peels and herbs, if using, until the jar is full. 
  3. Use a chopstick to poke around between the peels, removing any trapped air bubbles. Top off the vinegar in the jar as needed, until it is again full. 
  4. Cover with a lid, and place in a dark, cool area for a minimum of two weeks and up to 3 months. Wait until the color turns golden, and the mixture smells more strongly of citrus than vinegar. 
  5. Using either a fine-mesh sieve or a coffee filter, strain the mixture. Compost the solids, and store the remaining vinegar in a glass bottle fitted with a spray nozzle.