Before you toss the Christmas tree and those dehydrated orange garlands, give them a new life in a homemade cleaning vinegar!
If you're like me and have a hard time with the post-holiday blues, you're likely still hanging onto your crispy Christmas tree and battling with the pine needles all over your floor. This week, I finally decided I can no longer stand stabbing my feet on the pine needles, so the tree is going.
It's always a sad time of year, because I know I'll really miss the cozy vibes all of the fresh greenery and citrus bring to our living space. So, I decided to upcycle our dehydrated orange garland, bits of our scotch pine Christmas tree, as well as greenery and spices from my winter solstice altar into a scented cleaning vinegar.
It's super simple to make and has added disinfecting properties from the citrus and evergreen. For example, pine, citrus peel and pulp, as well as cinnamon all have powerful antibacterial capabilities in addition to vinegar's already powerful disinfecting and cleaning properties. This cleaner is a great cheap and natural alternative to chemical-laden store bought ones, and can be used on many surfaces.
In addition to the antibacterial properties, the plants included here carry energy for purification, protection, healing, joy, prosperity, and psychic abilities. By using it to clean your environment, you can invite all of these amazing energies into your life for 2022.
Ingredients:
large mason jar + lid
parchment paper
white vinegar
handful of evergreen cuttings from your tree (or foraged)
optional: 5-8 slices of orange slices, 1-2 cinnamon sticks, 1-2 star anise, 15-20 drops of essential oil (I used Saje "Present Moment")
Directions:
Cut a handful of evergreen tips and place in empty mason jar, almost filling it
Cut a square of parchment paper a bit bigger than the mason jar lid, and place it inside the lid
Add sliced oranges and other optional ingredients from above
Pour white vinegar in to cover the plant material
Add optional drops of your favourite essential oil
Close tightly (parchment paper prevents the vinegar from rusting the lid)
Mix vigorously
The next day, add some more vinegar if the level has gone down, close lid
Mix every few days and let sit for at least a week
Strain into spray bottle and clean!
PS. If you've already tossed your tree, you can always forage some evergreen from fallen branches on your next hike.