infused orange vinegar cleaner.

awhile back andrew and i started our journey toward healthy eating. we've learned so much that sometimes our heads hurt, but we feel great because of the hardcore changes we're making, even if other people think we're crazy! {it's unavoidable. everyone thinks someone's crazy, why not us?} one of the things i'm learning is that YOU AREN'T JUST WHAT YOU EAT. you are also what you put on your body, what you inhale, what your food touches and absorbs, etc. it should be no surprise to people when they are diagnosed with a disease - almost everything modern is chock full of horrible, man-made things God didn't design our bodies to process. people's bodies eventually can't take it anymore and something goes awry. do i think that radically changing the things we eat, use to store our food, put on our bodies, etc will save us from any illness ever? no. but i do believe many illnesses are unintentionally self-inflicted by the things we consume. 

i know that God is sovereign and that He has complete control over what does or doesn't happen to me and my family. However, i also know that i have a responsibly to take care of my family to the best of my abilities. if i know something i'm exposing them to isn't safe and it's in my power to fix it, i need to. if our quality of life and ability to serve God can improve, i need to make it happen. i've seen first hand how changing these things helps us to feel better, have better mental clarity, less headaches, and more energy, just to name a few. yes it's a lot of work, but to make it happen, i'm prioritizing and cutting out less important things from my day. 

i've decided to throw in our healthy lifestyle changes in the mix of the blog. i can't stop learning new things and i'd love to share bits and pieces with you! 

{oh - and PS: 9 times out of 10, the homemade, healthier version of anything ends up being cheaper. big perk.}

creative idea #16: Orange Vinegar Cleaner.
idea sparked by: fountainavenuekitchen.com

i've gone back and forth in the past with vinegar and baking soda to clean, but andrew loves the smell of store bought cleaners. finally we can both agree on a cleaning method! after soaking, this hardly smells like vinegar! the orange smell is marvelous! i was worried this was going to be sticky, but because it's just the peel soaking and none of the fruit, my surfaces have no residue! love this stuff!

{day 1}

{day 14}

ingredients/tools:

• large glass jar (we're working on eliminating plastic from our lives. obviously not done yet...only had a plastic spray bottle.)
• white vinegar
• citrus peels (i chose tangelos - super easy to peel. clementines would be great too)
• strainer
• bowl
• cheese cloth
• funnel
• spray bottle

directions:

• place peels in glass jar, cover with vinegar. close and leave to sit for 2 weeks.
• remove lid, strain vinegar into bowl. toss peels.

• i was expecting this to remove all the floaties, but it didn't. i poured the liquid back into the jar, pulled out a cheese cloth, and strained it into the bowl again. much better.

• use the funnel to pour vinegar into spray bottle.

• check out this  page for things you can clean with vinegar.

love and happy cleaning,
amber.

PS - after some hunting, look what fun fact i found online:

method sprayer 
+ bragg's apple cider vinegar bottle 
= glass spray bottle!