Florida oranges are delicious and healthy, but they can also help you keep your home sparkling clean and smelling sweet.  Making your own household cleaners is becoming very trendy as people try to save money and stop using soaps and chemicals that damage the environment.  Millions of households around the country are now using homemade citrus cleaners everyday because of the great smell and natural antibacterial properties of Florida oranges and grapefruits.  Make sure that you keep plenty of fresh Florida citrus fruits on hand to eat and to make some of these easy and cheap household cleaners:

Basic citrus cleaner – You don’t have to pay so much for citrusy, sweet smelling cleaners. You can easily make your own. First, get a bucket or a jar, the type you use for canning. Fill it with about one quarter full of orange peels, grapefruit peels, and a little fresh squeezed Florida orange or grapefruit juice. Then pour in a cup of household vinegar (this is the type that usually costs under a dollar at your grocery store). Household vinegar is a very effective natural cleaner. After you add the vinegar, cover the jar or bucket and let it sit for a few days. Lastly, strain the mixture into a spray bottle and you are ready to use your homemade household cleaner. You can also make convenient household cleaning wipes by cutting a roll of paper towels in half and placing a half roll into a plastic container full of the homemade cleaner.

Extra strength citrus cleaner – If you don’t think that plain vinegar is going to be strong enough to clean up the messes in your home you can still use Florida oranges to make a fresh smelling, all natural cleaner for your home.  Buy some handmade, all natural soap and shave off pieces of it into a pan.  Melt the soap to a liquid, then add fresh Florida orange juice or grapefruit juice. Let the mixture cool, and then mix it with some household vinegar and pour into a spray bottle.  Add more fresh fruit juice or the grated peel of Florida oranges and grapefruits to cover up the smell of the vinegar if you find that the vinegar smell is too strong.  This type of household cleaner can be used anywhere in the house, even the bathroom, to cleanse and sanitize.

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Article contributed by Hale Groves, providing fresh fruit baskets, gift baskets and Florida oranges and citrus, including delicious navel oranges, honeybells, ruby red grapefruit, valencia oranges, tangerines and more! Visit HaleGroves.com for more information.