#COOKING WITH CLORIS--ORANGE YOU GLAD FOR NATURE?

In the course of cooking and baking—or just eating—I’m sure many of you often find yourselves with a preponderance of orange peels. Rather than tossing them in the trash, I add mine to the compost bucket, but that’s not necessarily an option for everyone, especially if you live in an apartment and don’t have access to a plot of land for a garden.

I recently came across several other clever uses for orange peel and thought I’d share them with you today. By the way, did you know the orange was not named after the color? It turns out the color was named after the fruit. Who knew? Well, now we all do!

So here are some great hacks for orange peel that have the added benefit of omitting some household chemicals from your daily life.

Natural Metal Shiner

Orange peel contains citrus oil. Turns out citrus oil, also known as D-limonene, is great for removing other oils like fingerprint residue and grease. Just rub the inside of the peel over your kitchen and bathroom fixtures. As an added bonus, the peel will also buff the metal.

Natural Pest Control

And while we’re on the topic of orange oil, many insects—including mosquitoes, flies, some ants, and roaches—can’t stand the stuff. You can keep them away by placing bowls of orange peel in the corners of your home.

Natural Deodorizer

Instead of spraying chemical deodorizer in your kitchen to combat lingering cooking smells, place a pan of peels in your oven and bake 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees F. You’ll diminish the odor and leave your kitchen with a fresh natural citrus scent. Works great on fish smells!

Natural Stress Reliever

If you have the luxury of soaking your stress away in a tub now and then, you can relieve even more stress by thinking ahead. Leave some orange peel out to dry. Then using a coffee grinder or food processor, grind the peel into a fine powder. Sprinkle in your bath water.

Natural Teeth Whitener

Did you fail the “tissue test”? Don’t have time for whitening strips? Citrus oil will also temporarily brighten your smile. Just rub the inside of the orange peel over your teeth.