Homemade Orange Enzyme Cleaner

I had a duh moment, and it involves this orange enzymatic cleaner that's been circulating on Pinterest.  Every once in a while I see an idea, but I drag my feet because the effort doesn't seem like it is worth it.  We finally had a whole bunch of oranges which, of course, generate orange peels, and I decided to give making my own homemade orange enzymatic cleaner a shot.  Reusing something and it's natural. Two bonus points! 

Most of the recipes I had seen were fairly complicated.  Most involved using white vinegar, and some went so far as to add yeast and sugar to this mixture.    I decided to take a different route, using clear ammonia instead, and I was thrilled with the results. 

This stuff cuts grease like nothing I have ever seen.  It's especially great for things like stove tops, vent hoods, and I have also been using as an additive it in my mop bucket to mop my floors.  I thought my floors were clean until I started using this!  You can literally see the dirt start to rise up and separate before you wipe or mop it away.  My mom is so in love with it, that I started her a batch, and she has shared the recipe and great results with others.  Here is my version of this awesome cleaning solution: 

Homemade Orange Enzyme Cleaner

Takes 2 weeks to make but worth it!

1 empty jar, the larger the better (I use a 1 quart canning jar)
Orange peels enough to fill the jar at least halfway
Clear ammonia

Place orange peels in jar and cover to rim of jar with clear ammonia.  Cap jar and allow to sit in a warm, dark area for 2 weeks.  Then, strain orange peels out and put remaining liquid back in jar.  (The orange peels will be a gelatinous consistency, and the liquid will be the consistency of syrup.  Throw orange peels away.)

To make cleaner:

Use ¼ to ½ cup orange liquid
1 generous squirt of dish soap
Water to fill squirt bottle

To mop floors, in mop bucket use:

Use ½ cup to ¾ cup orange liquid
Generous squirt of dish soap
Fill with water

Mop as usual.  No need to rinse. 

The orange cleaner is *excellent* at cutting grease, especially on stove tops!  Plus, it’s a great way to be “green” when you clean.