Organic products are in vogue, and so are chemical-free cleaning products, natural flavorings, and all-natural beauty products. What if we told you that you could have these cheaply and that you can make them with orange peels?
Oranges are nutritious fruits loaded with natural sugars, fiber, and lots of vitamin C, but we often discard their peels as trash. Well, not anymore because the brightly colored skins, filled with essential oils, have more uses than you think, and these are our favorites:
Keep bugs away
Insects don’t like citrus aromas; scientists think citrus fruits developed them to keep pests at bay. You can do so too by mixing orange peels and alcohol and placing the mixture in a spray bottle. This is a good, natural mosquito repellent, and it will keep ants and other creepy crawlers away from your kitchen, drawers, and flowering plants.
Clean wood surfaces
Oils in orange peels are just what you need to make a perfect cleaning spray that’s not abrasive at all. Mixed with white vinegar, the peels become a powerful all-natural, all-duty cleanser that you can use to clean your house. Let the peels macerate in vinegar for at least ten days before using.
For wood surfaces, use the peels on their own, just rub the surface with them and watch the wood come back to life.
Use as hair conditioner
Oils in orange peels will hydrate and lubricate your hair with the same results as professional beauty products. It comes as no surprise that many hair products contain orange oil in their ingredients.
Rub your hair with fresh orange peels and leave the oil for at least 15 minutes before taking a shower. Don’t forget to cover the roots too! DO this two times a month, and you’ll end up with shiny, smooth-as-silk hair.
Clean stainless steel
Now you know that orange peels can be handy to clean your furniture, but even sturdy materials like stainless steel can benefit from a rub. You can remove watermarks and natural stains in the steel instantly with orange peels (we know, stainless steel shouldn’t have any stains, right?)
The lovely orange aroma is a big plus, and the insect repellent properties in orange peel oil are handy too.
Eliminate bad smells
Fill a mason jar with orange peels and place it in your bathroom, closet, under the sink or inside your fridge. It’s not only the aromas from oils that will cover bad smells; orange peels absorb some of the foul aromas as well. Replace the peals every few weeks since they lose their aromatic properties as they dry out.
Flavor your drinks
Orange peels, especially when fresh, are perfect flavoring for tea, mineral water, and even hot cocoa. Just add them to your favorite drink and give it a stir. Black tea is particularly compatible with the heartwarming orange scents; that’s why the famous Earl Grey blend has orange peels in it.
Try adding orange peels to your sparkling wine, an orange twist will lift it to new levels of enjoyment instantly.
Give aromatics to your food
Orange zest will become your new secret ingredient. The enticing aromatics and the pleasant bitterness that peels bring can make any meal an extraordinary dining experience — use orange zest to top your salads, muffins, or chocolate cakes.
Cookies become delightful by adding this orange magic powder to the batter, and it’s chemical-free!
Make candied garnishes
Making candied orange peels is easier than you think, and they’re one of the most beautiful garnishes you can use for desserts, cocktails, and salads. Making candied orange peels can take up to two days, but the process is simple: boil the peels in water for 15 minutes to soften. Boil again in an equal mixture of water and sugar. Then let them dry and enjoy! They’re perfectly edible, by the way.
Boost your cocktails with a secret ingredient
Here’s a geeky use for your orange peels, a professional bartender’s secret. A paste that will not only liven any cocktail and concoction, but it will also add exciting aromatics to it: Oleo Saccharum.
Get yourself some powdered (icing) sugar, then macerate your peels with it. The sugar will absorb the orange oils, becoming an intensely aromatic paste. Add a tip of a spoon to your Old Fashioned or Manhattan for an explosion of flavor.
Oranges are more useful than you thought!
As you see, orange peels come in handy, so there’s no need to toss them in the trash. Oranges are very nutritious, too, so stock up on them as often as you can.
Make it a habit and have always a few oranges at home, they not only look beautiful — they’re nutritious and useful; they’ll fill the air with their lovely scent too.
