It's high citrus season and oranges, grapefruits, lemons, and tangerines are brightening our homes as well as our diets. We've shared edible uses for leftover peels and dried peels, but the uses don't stop there! Before you toss those peels into the compost, check out these household ideas and share your own…
• Freshen the air. Fill a small pan with water and citrus peels and simmer over low heat. Add a cinnamon stick or a few cloves for a richer fragrance.
• Freshen your clothes. Place dried orange and lemon peels in a cheesecloth bag and hang in the closet or tuck into a drawer.
• Exfoliate your skin. Dried citrus peels are ground with lentils and semolina in this sounds-good-enough-to-eat Homemade Orange Peel Scrub from Padma's Kitchen.
• Protect your plants. Orange peels can deter cats from chewing on your plants or using them as a litter box. Rub peels over the leaves or scatter them around the soil.
• Make household cleaner. We found this easy recipe for Homemade Citrus Vinegar Cleaner on Tipnut and instantly mixed up a jar. It takes a few weeks to brew, so we'll report back when it's ready!
Do you have any more ideas to add?
Related: 27 Household Uses For Citrus Fruit
(Image: Flickr member nickboos licensed under Creative Commons)
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I'm quite excited by that homemade scrub! I've tried sugar/honey before but that sounds more fragrant and luxurious!
view Sian's profile
Freshen the disposal. I grind them in my disposal, makes the kitchen smell wonderful.
view delphblu's profile
Tea: When making a pitcher of sweet tea, I toss the rinds in the water as it heats up & leave them in to steep with the tea bags once the water boils. Sometimes I add thin slices of fresh ginger while steeping as well.
Zest: I zest orange or lemons before cutting or peeling them & freeze the zest in a freezer bag. Zest is great for poultry, fish, soups, pasta, sweet breads, etc.
view lifeabundant's profile
Air: Sometimes I simmer a pot filled with water, a few drops of tea tree oil & whatever citrus peels I have on hand. This is great to clean, freshen & humidify the air ... especially when someone is sick. This weekend, orange & pink grapefruit peels did the trick ... standing over that pot & just being in the kitchen was so soothing to my ailing sinuses, cold symptoms & the dry air due to electric heat ... my sinus headache disappeared!
view lifeabundant's profile
My mom used to put orange peels on the heater in the winter. Nice smell filled the room almost instantly. Don't let it burn, though!
view Yasmine's profile
My grandma in Japan used to put them in a cloth bag, tie it closed and drop in the bath water.
She also dried them in the sun, grind them up and added to the spice mix (blend of chilli powder, sesame seeds & so on sprinkled on various dishes). It's lovely in noodle soups...
view papoocha's profile