As the holiday season winds down, consider repurposing your Christmas tree needles and other holiday items to create an all-purpose cleaning spray. This DIY spray not only provides an eco-friendly alternative to toxic cleaning spray, but will also leave your house smelling of Christmas.
By creating your own cleaning product with natural ingredients like vinegar, baking soda, and essential oils, you'll reduce the release of harmful chemicals into the environment. Additionally, producing your cleaning solution allows you to reuse existing spray bottles.
Ingredients:
- Pine Needles: Collect any fallen pine needles from your Christmas tree. These are antibacterial and will also give the spray a festive smell.
- Citrus Peels: Save your citrus peels to add a zesty kick to the cleaning solution, the citrus peels are also a natural degreaser.
- White Vinegar: This is a disinfectant, so will help the spray actually clean.
- Optional: essential oils, add a few drops of essential oils like pine, lemon, or eucalyptus to boost the fragrance of your spray.
Instructions:
- In a large glass jar or bowl, combine a handful of pine needles and citrus peels. Pour in 2 cups of white vinegar and let the mixture sit for at least 24 hours to allow the ingredients to infuse.
- Strain the mixture so you are left with just the liquid part then transfer into a spray bottle and add an equal amount of water. This ensures that the cleaning spray is safe for most surfaces and minimises the vinegar scent.
- Optional: Add essential oils, if you want a more intense fragrance, add a few drops of your preferred essential oils.
Before each use, shake the spray bottle well to distribute the ingredients evenly.
