Mia Lane
Many people like to eat oranges in autumn and winter, as fruits are considered to be a healthy source of vitamins. But what about the shells? They’re too good to just throw away. We have five better ideas for using orange peel.
- Oranges are rich in vitamins and minerals.
- Instead of throwing away orange peels, they can be used as a cleaning agent, moth repellant, or even as an odor eliminator.
- Orange peels also help with dull hair – with a homemade conditioner.
During the colder months, oranges are a popular type of fruit. Rightly so, because they are full of vitamins and minerals. If you buy organic oranges, you can also use the peels for cooking and baking and add flavor to soups, cookies and cakes with orange zest. What many people don’t know is that orange peels can also be used around the house instead of simply throwing them away. We show you five tips.
Buying oranges – you should pay attention to this
A tip first: It is best to only buy oranges when they are in season. In Spain, the harvest season begins in November. In the summer, on the other hand, oranges come to our supermarkets from far away, from South Africa or South American countries.
If you don’t just want to eat the inside of the citrus fruit, but also want to refine dishes with orange zest, for example, it’s better to use organic oranges. Because there the shells should be free of pesticides. By the way: You are welcome to eat the white strands of oranges.
Use orange peel instead of throwing it away
If you have eaten your organic oranges or pressed them into orange juice, the skins remain. Do you really just have to throw them away? Too bad! We present five better ideas.
1. Remove unpleasant smells
You can quickly remove odors from lunch boxes or plastic bowls with fresh, fragrant orange peels. To get rid of an unpleasant smell, simply rub the cans, boxes or bowls with the orange peel. Then wash them thoroughly with water.
2. Natural limescale remover
Fresh orange peels can also serve as limescale removers because they contain citric acid. To do this, rub fittings in the bathroom and kitchen with the inside of the bowl. The surfaces should shine a lot more again.
3. Orange peel tea
Instead of buying tea with – often artificial – orange flavoring, you can also brew it yourself. To do this, pour hot water over fresh or dried orange peel and let it steep for around ten minutes. For a pot of tea, you can use about the peel of an orange. Reminder: Only use organic orange peels.
4. Hair conditioner with orange peel
Orange peel can give hair new shine and free it from residues. You can make the hair conditioner yourself with just three ingredients: orange peel, apple cider vinegar, water.
Make your own hair conditioner – this is how it works:
- Place the peel of an orange in a bowl and cover the peel with apple cider vinegar.
- After two days of infusion, pour off the orange peel.
- Fill the apple cider vinegar solution with water in a ratio of 1:3.
After washing your hair, you can apply the conditioner to your hair – without washing it out.
5. Help against moths
Get rid of moths with orange peels: hang dried orange peels in a bag in the closet or place them between clothes. The orange smell is said to effectively repel moths.
If you have not found a suitable idea in the suggestions: simply dry the orange peels on the heater and leave them for a few days. Then a light orange scent pleasantly fills the apartment. Another idea: decorate winter desserts with dried orange peels.
