It's so easy to make and it's so effective! Step 1: Gather Your Materials
An Insanely Easy Eco Oven Cleaner
5 Materials
$7
5 Days
Easy
I have this amazing eco cleaner, I use it on every surface in my kitchen. I don't use anything in my kitchen that would be poisonous to eat, so this cleaner is a great fit for my family's lifestyle. When looking for easy green cleaning vinegar is always the way to go. I'm going to show you how well this homemade cleaner works by using it on the worse mess to clean ever - that yucky burnt mess in my oven!
For this project you need orange peels, white vinegar, a jar, and a spray bottle (not pictured).
Step 2: Peel Your Oranges
I started by peeling two oranges completely. You don't need to worry about your peels turning out in any specific shape or size - as long as you have a nice little pile of peels, this will work great! Step 3: Put the Peels in a Jar
Got an old sauce jar lying around? Any jar (as long as it fits your peels) will do. But of course, the bigger the jar, the more cleaning solution you'll end up with. I used a plain ole' mason jar. Step 4: Add Vinegar
I poured in the vinegar until it covered the orange peels. If any orange peels are not under the vinegar, they will rot, instead of releasing their oils into the vinegar, so make sure the vinegar covers everything. Step 5: Let It Sit for 5 Days
I left the jar to sit in the fridge for 5 days so the vinegar could soak up the orange peel oil. You can let it sit for as long as two weeks if you want it really strong. Step 6: Pour into a Spray Bottle
You could use it right from the jar, but, for easier cleaning, I decided to pour it into a spray bottle. Only the vinegar goes into the bottle - the peels should stay behind in the jar. I keep the spray bottle on my counter and use it for everything. Now, you can clean your oven! (Optional) Step 1: Sprinkle on Baking Soda
I use this on really tough stains, like burnt cake goop on the bottom of my oven. Because the cleaner is mostly made of vinegar, it reacts with baking soda, so I sprinkle some over the burnt area first. Step 2: Spray on Your Mix and Let Sit
I let the cleaner and baking soda do all the scrubbing for me. I came back to wipe it off after about 20 minutes and it all slipped away! If the spot doesn't come off with just a wipe, I add some more baking soda and spray and let it sit again. (I really don't believe in scrubbing things, ha!)
I've also discovered over the years that ants won't walk on places I've cleaned with this spray, so if you have a minor ant problem this cleaner will be your new best friend!
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2 of 480 comments
![Ronald Ferreira]()
Ronald Ferreiraon Jan 7, 2021nice job beautiful polish
![Kathryn Sanderson]()
Kathryn SandersonJust nowI've never cleaned my oven this way, but I've made the orange peel-vinegar solution specifically to kill ants.
A couple years ago, ants invaded my kitchen counter after a massive plumbing backup was fixed. Naturally, I didn't want to use Raid or the like on the counter where I prepare food. I read that the citrus vinegar was a good ant repellent, so I went to work. I strained the citrus-infused vinegar into a spray bottle and added a few drops of clove essential oil. (Ants hate cloves, too.) When I saw ants, I sprayed. Holy cow! That stuff kills ants on contact!
More ants kept coming, so I kept spraying for a few weeks until one day...they were gone. I guess they finally got the idea that coming up to my counter was a really bad idea. I haven't seen any ants in my kitchen since then. Not one.
The advantages of this mixture are that it's not toxic to humans, it's very inexpensive, and it smells nice, more like orange and clove than vinegar. I highly recommend it.
That said, there are a few disadvantages. It did take a few weeks (maybe 3?) before the ants were completely gone, and I had to spray nearly every day. It leaves a sticky orange residue...which is better than ants crawling on your counter, but not ideal. It does wipe off easily with water, but I left it on the counter as a deterrent. My countertops are laminate, so it was OK to use vinegar on them, but please check whether vinegar is OK for your counter surface. Citrus is bad for cats, so don't use this mixture in places where your cat eats or spends any time. I did have a cat during the ant invasion, but she never jumped on the counter (really!), so I felt confident about using the mixture there. I would never use it near her food bowl, for example.
Now I can't wait to try this on my oven!
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Can this be used on quartz countertops?
Great idea. I read about it in here something like this post that orange peel in tub water help with get rid of weeds?
Can you use orange essential oil instead of the orange peels?