How to Make Infused Vinegar for Cleaning

If you want to clean using natural, green cleaning products, but miss the fragrant smells of conventional, store-bought cleaners, then this is a great idea for you.

Scent-infused vinegar is a really great, and cheap way, to make your own fragrant cleaners that actually work. We’re definitely fans of essential oils here, but we understand a lot of people aren’t ready to make the dive into buying them, or aren’t sure how to use them properly.

This recipe is cheap, easy, involves no essential oils, and cleans amazingly well. You even can most likely make your own custom cleaner with a scent that you love using leftover scraps from your kitchen! Let’s begin.

How to Make Scent-Infused Cleaners

The basic formula for these cleaners involves soaking your fruit, herbs, or flowers in in vinegar for a few weeks, then using that vinegar as the base for a simple homemade cleaner. Here are some ideas for infusions you can use:

  • pine needles
  • citrus peels
  • fresh lavender sprigs
  • fresh rosemary sprigs
  • cinnamon sticks
  • eucalyptus leaves
  • rose petals
  • gardenia blossoms

What you need to get started is one of the above, some other fragrant plant of fruit, (or any creative combo you can come up with!), a jar with a lid, and some regular white distilled vinegar. Keep in mind, the vinegar should be able to fill roughly 1/3 of a spray bottle when you’re done, but it doesn’t have to be perfect.

For the following cleaner, you will need that spray bottle, some distilled water, and if you want a little extra cleaning oomph, a dash of dish soap. 

 

Directions: 

  1. Take the scent of your choice, and, if they’re large like sprigs, roughly chop them. You don’t have to worry too much though, you just need to be able to stuff them in a jar.
  2. Put your herbs, leaves, peels, etc. in the jar, and cover with vinegar.
  3. Put the lid on the jar securely.
  4. Place in a cool, dark place, for 2-3 weeks. You can even do 1 if you’re in a hurry, it will still be lightly infused.
  5. When you’re ready to make your cleaner, strain whatever you have been infusing out of the vinegar, and pour your vinegar into your spray bottle.
  6. Fill the rest of the spray bottle with the distilled water (really, you can use tap, but distilled is just more sanitary) and a dash of dish soap if you like.

And that’s it! Use this as you would your regular cleaner, and you’ll be amazed at how good it cleans and how delightful it smells.

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