Creative Household Uses for Navel Oranges
You know that navel oranges are delicious and very good for you, but did you know that they can help you clean your home and your possessions in an environmentally safe way? They can. Making your own household cleaner can also save you a lot of money and prevent breathing problems in your family members and pets. It’s very trendy these days to make your own household cleaners instead of paying high prices for environmentally friendly cleaners. It’s very easy and cheap to make effective cleaners that won’t harm your family. Navel oranges and grapefruits both can be used to make sweet smelling antibacterial cleaning products right at home. Here are some basic cleaners for you to try:
Orange Air Freshener – As you dig into a juicy Florida orange the first thing you will typically toss in the garbage is the peels. You might want to hang onto those peels because they can be put to good use. Boiling some orange peels with cloves on top of the stove can fill your entire house with an amazing scent. If you do a lot of baking with brown sugar you know how quickly that sugar can dry out and get hard. Not anymore when you drop some orange peels into the brown sugar bag. And if you’re into creating your own potpourri as gifts dried orange peels make a perfect addition!
General Household Cleaner – You can use this cleaning solution to clean everything from bathroom counters to floors. Put in a large amount of citrus juice if you want to deter pests since many pests can’t stand the smell of grapefruits, oranges and other citrus fruits. Combine ordinary household vinegar with hot water and fresh juice from navel oranges or grapefruits. You can add Borax, an all natural laundry additive, if you want to give your cleaning a little solution a little more power. Pour it into spray bottles or gallon jugs and you have successfully made your own natural household cleaner.
Laundry Soap – You can easily make your own laundry soap and give it a fresh citrus scent. All you need is some washing soda, Borax, vegetable glycerin, and some chemical free soap. Melt down the soap in a double boiler, adding water to thin it. Add washing soda and Borax. Add the glycerin to keep the soap from hardening as it cools. Pour in a cup or so of fresh juice from navel oranges or grapefruits to give the soap a light citrus scent. You can use the soap that you made the same way that you would use commercial laundry soap. You can also make powdered laundry soap using powdered all natural, unscented soap that can be found in the laundry aisle.
As a Natural Insect Repellent – Florida oranges and other citrus fruits smell sweet to us, but not so sweet to insects. Many insects are repelled by the scent of orange juice and other citrus fruits. Next time you bathe your pet mix a little fresh orange juice into the rinse water. The orange scent will make your pet smell sweet while it repels fleas and other small insects that can annoy pets and make them sick. You can also mix the juice of a few Florida oranges into your mop water when you mop the floors to repel ants and other small insects that are common in houses. Pour some ground up orange peel into the vacuum bag before you vacuum to disperse insect repelling orange scent around the carpet.
As a Natural Pesticide – If you’re trying to grown your own food, or you want to grow your flowers and plants using only natural ingredients, you can use Florida oranges and grapefruits to help you do that. Florida orange juice is a natural pesticide, so spraying a mixture of fresh orange juice and water on your plants will help keep them healthy. It also will attract garden helpers like butterflies.
Dusting Spray – Protect your fine furniture and your family by using this homemade dusting spray instead of commercial aerosol sprays. All you need is vinegar, olive oil, navel oranges, and water. Mix the water and vinegar in equal parts in a spray bottle. Add a half of a cup of fresh squeezed orange juice and about a quarter cup of olive oil. Mix, and pour into the spray bottle.
Keeping the Cat Off Your Houseplants – There might be one member of your household that wants nothing to do with Florida orange peels and that could be your cat. For the most part, cats are turned away from any kind of citrus aroma. You can use that to save your houseplants from being nibbled on by kitty. Just put some Florida orange peel on the soil or rub the leaves with it and the cat will stay away.
And all this time you though Florida oranges where just for eating!
Taste the Sunshine with Hale Groves
At Hale Groves, we believe the best gifts come from the land, not a factory. For generations, our fruit has been grown slowly under the Florida sun, picked at its peak, and delivered fresh to your door. From sweet Navel Oranges to rare Honeybells, every gift shares the simple joy of real flavor—perfect for holidays, milestones, or everyday moments worth celebrating.
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