Super-Citrusy Room and Linen Spray

Don't throw out the perfectly good spray bottles that perfumes or other over-priced beauty products are sold in. We probably pay more for that bottle than for the product anyway! Instead, reuse the packaging to make new, and adorable, cleaning products.

This project is a great room or linen spray on it's own, or a base for something a little more elaborate. And since it is just citrus and vodka, if you like, it could also make a nice additional to your bar : )

The vodka and citrus fruits have anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties that will freshen up a room or closet without additional chemicals.

Ingredients
Lemons
Limes
Oranges
Vodka
Water

Materials
Empty Perfume Bottle (Spray bottle)
Jar (Reused food jar)

Tools
Knife
Cutting Board

Steps

Remove label from bottle (the vodka helps with this as well).
Slice rind of lemon, lime and orange. Just using the rind will minimize the amount of sugar that gets into the spray.
Put rinds in a jar and fill with vodka.
Cover and let sit for a few days.
Remove a few pieces of rind and cut into very thin strips.
Put thin strips in the spray bottle. This will not only look lovely, but continues the infusing process.
Fill half of the spray bottle with the vodka mix and the rest with water.

Optional - Add add a few drops of your favorite essential oil to the mix. Ginger, lavender or mint are good choices. Mixing in small batches gives you plenty of chances to try new scents.

humblebug says: Oct 9, 2011. 8:34 PM

hey annahowardshaw, i made one for myself, used 5% vodka, a mixture of orange and grapefruit rinds...my problem is it doesnt smell so good... i was thinkin if its because i mixed fresh and ripe rinds... please help...
also, im thinking if its possible to ethyl alcohol instead of vodka...

what do you think?

thanks in advance...

lwallace3 says: Oct 4, 2011. 4:52 PM

hmmm....how about flavored vodkas?

Browncoat says: May 15, 2011. 5:31 PM

Could prob also be a body spray, right? (I LOOOOVE citrus smells!)

nightmarefairy in reply to BrowncoatSep 27, 2011. 5:18 AM

i bought a jar of a product like this, made with grapefruit and keep it in the frig. its a wonderful refresher during the hot summer! p.s. its lasted almost 5 years, since it takes very little to make you feel fresh.

annahowardshaw (author) in reply to BrowncoatMay 15, 2011. 7:27 PM

Good idea! I don't see why that wouldn't work. The only thing is that I'm not sure how long the scent would last or how that might relate to infusion time.

Oh, and brand of vodka might come into play in terms of how strong the smell of the alcohol is and if it lingers at all.

dyanii in reply to annahowardshawJul 19, 2011. 9:01 PM

Also the pure alcohol may dry your skin more than you want it to. Be sure to also use some sort of moisturizer!

sbabb says: Sep 4, 2011. 9:01 AM

Hey I was wondering if you could use tequila for this? I don't really drink much so all I have is a bottle of tequila left over from New Years lol

tinker234 says: Jun 4, 2011. 1:02 PM

hey so ic ould use rubbing alchol

annahowardshaw (author) in reply to tinker234Jun 5, 2011. 6:43 AM

No! Rubbing alcohol would be okay for surface cleaning (which you could also use this for), but since it should not be inhaled and can cause skin irritation, spraying it around a room would no be advisable. Even if it evaporates quickly, and doesn't pose too much a hazard, it does has a stronger smell, so it may overpower any other scent anyway.

minerug in reply to annahowardshawAug 27, 2011. 7:40 PM

From an organic chemistry point of view, Rubbing alcohol (iso-propanol) would dissolve the oils in the lemons better than ethanol, but as you said; it's not really very good for you...

tinker234 in reply to annahowardshawJun 5, 2011. 8:53 AM

what could i use i cant ude vodca suggjestens

annahowardshaw (author) in reply to tinker234Jun 5, 2011. 9:37 AM

You could add the lemon/lime rinds to water to infuse, but I think it would be far less concentrated. You could add some additional essential oil to make up for it. Citrus does have disinfectant qualities on its own, so there would still be that element, but again, just not as strong.

If I find a better alternative, I'll let you know!

tinker234 in reply to annahowardshawJun 5, 2011. 9:39 AM

ok thanks

Dgidgi says: Jul 9, 2011. 7:14 PM

Thanks for sharing

My question is that if there is a risk of, with the time, the linen ends up stained... I mean, if I moisture it up and ironed and let them for weeks in the closet, could it stain? (If I wrote something wrong, please, excuse that messy english of mine, it's, of course, not mother language)

annahowardshaw (author) in reply to DgidgiJul 10, 2011. 4:53 PM

You wouldn't use enough to actually dampen the sheets at all. You'd only used a few sprays either in the dryer or a few inches above the sheets on the bed. The alcohol will evaporate pretty quickly.

You could also use fewer citrus rinds to reduce the risk further.

And if you have delicate and/or expensive fabrics, I would do more research before just trusting me : )

Dgidgi in reply to annahowardshawJul 11, 2011. 9:13 AM

Thanks for the explanation, I'll try with a little more precaution, then
*Ü*