Making your own cleaning supplies is nothing new. Besides the fact that humans have done it for long enough, I've noticed that the web is filled with different DIY solutions that are supposedly easy to make, easy to use, easy on the wallet, and easy on your body.

How could I resist? Well, I didn't even try to resist.

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It all started when I was reminded that caulk is actually a thing. Growing up, we used distilled water in the kettle, so it was never a problem. Now, however, with filtered water going in, I noticed an ever so slight buildup. I knew vinegar was good for caulk, and to be honest, there is no way I would have felt comfortable putting any sort of cleaner in there anyway. I was reminded of my time abroad when my roommate and I would clean our shower every week with vinegar to get rid of and prevent caulk. My mind wandered, as it does, and I wondered what else I could clean with vinegar. My husband, however, hates the smell of vinegar, so I knew I needed to find a solution. Spoiler alert: I found a one.

Enter: lemons.

I had heard that adding lemons to vinegar and then letting it all sit for two weeks would make the vinegar smell less like vinegar. I thought it would be worth a try. Plus, the idea of having a jar of lemons sitting around for a while looking all pretty was very appealing to me. In went lemon skins, in went vinegar, and there it sat. I thought about using the leftover lemon juice to make a delicious lemon cake but opted to deodorize my cutting boards instead. Worked amazingly.

After two weeks (and a few days to be exact), I finally had the opportunity to strain my concoction. I may have been a little too excited, but it was worth it. While pouring, I was overwhelmed by the smell of lemons. The vinegar odour was faint, but still there.

Once strained (I had to do it a few times because I wasn't very dilligent in making sure I got rid of the pulp from my peels), I diluted it (1 part of the mixture and 2 parts water) and added it to my glass spray bottle. I took the great opportunity to clean my bathroom counters and was quite pleased with the result. I will mention that it took a bit more elbow grease than usual, but the result as a work-out as well as a clean-up. Score!

It wasn't just that it was squeaky clean afterwards either! I was not paranoid about using chemicals and felt good about the natural ingredients I was using. There are so many chemicals hiding in household cleaning products (read about some here)

One concern I did have was whether or not it was actually cleaning. After some research, I found that vinegar really is a great disinfectant!

I have been using this cleaner for over a month now, and I have yet to have any complaints. With Spring just around the corner, I'll truly be putting it to the test