• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
The Gracious Wife logo
  • Recipes
  • Family
    • Love & Marriage
    • Parenting
  • House & Home
    • Kitchen and Cooking Tips
    • Cleaning & Organization
    • Budget
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

5 Surprising Uses for Orange Peels

Jun 13, 2016 · 3 Comments

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Yummly
  • Mix

Don't throw out your orange rinds! Orange peels have so many uses and you can save money and use the whole fruit with these clever and surprising Uses for Orange Peels.

5 Surprising Uses for Orange Peels - Don't throw out your orange rinds! Orange peels have so many uses and you can save money and use the whole fruit with these clever and surprising Uses for Orange Peels. Wow! These are great ways to stay frugal in the kitchen and all around the home!

Uses for Orange Peels

There's a use for everything! Even things that you'd typically think are just garbage, recycling, or composting material often have many other possible uses. A great example is orange peels! People throw away orange peels all the time, but what they're actually throwing out is a great material that can be used in a variety of ways! Check out these 5 Surprising Uses for Orange Peels!

 

5 Surprising Uses for Orange Peels

1. Make Brown Sugar Soft

Does your brown sugar always harden up? You can easily fix that problem using orange peels! One of the great uses for orange peels is as a brown sugar softener. To soften the sugar you need to put an orange peel or two into your container of brown sugar and leave it for a couple hours. When you check back on it, you'll have nice, soft brown sugar! Then remove the peel and use your sugar!

 

2. Make Orange Peel Tea

If you've got a bunch of washed, organic orange peels, don't waste them! Instead, make tea out of them! Orange peel tea is full of nutrients that help you fight colds and can reduce the pain of stomach cramping. You can dry the peels to make them last longer, or can use them fresh. If they're fresh, chop them up small. If they're dried, crush them. All you need is a few tablespoons of peel to make tea, but it doesn't hurt to add more! Mix your peels with boiling water and let it steep for 15 minutes (again, more doesn't hurt). Then strain the peels out, and enjoy your tea!

5 Surprising Uses for Orange Peels - Don't throw out your orange rinds! Orange peels have so many uses and you can save money and use the whole fruit with these clever and surprising Uses for Orange Peels. Wow! These are great ways to stay frugal in the kitchen and all around the home!
Juicy orange tangerines on a old wooden table

3. Repel Cats

Are your cats (or your neighbor's) bothering your garden? One of the great uses for orange peels is as a cat repellent! Homemade orange peel cat repellent is very easy to make. All it takes is a bunch of cut up orange peels. The bigger an area you want to protect, the more peels you should cut up. Then just sprinkle those peels around your garden. Cats will smell the citrus and decide to stay away!

 

4. Homemade All-Purpose Cleaner

Don't like all the chemicals in commercial cleaners? You can easily make your own green cleaner using orange peels! You just need a jar, orange peels, and white vinegar. Put enough peels in the jar to fill it halfway, then pour in the vinegar. Let that mixture sit for two or more weeks (ideally in a dark area), and the end result will be a homemade orange all-purpose cleaner! Take the peels out and you can pour your cleaner into a spray bottle!

 

5. Shine Glassware

Orange peels have citric acid, which gives them some handy properties. In particular, one of the surprising uses for orange peels is as a great glassware cleaner! To see the effects, you need to soak your glassware in a bowl or sink full of warm water and orange peels. Let that soak for about 5 minutes, then give your glassware a quick wash. When you're done you'll have brilliantly shiny glassware!

Do you reuse your orange peels?

Did you like these 5 Uses for Orange Peels ideas? Find more on my In the Kitchen and Cleaning boards on Pinterest!

If you liked these 5 Uses for Orange Peels ideas, you might also like

Household Uses for Lemons - Lemons are an extremely versatile tool to have around the house.  Check out these Household Uses for Lemons from cleaning and freshening to personal care. Such a great natural way to clean.  Love these tips!

Household Uses for Lemons

 

10 Ingenious Uses for Coffee Grounds - Don't throw away your coffee grounds! You can use them again with these 10 ingenious uses for coffee grounds around the house!

10 Uses for Coffee Grounds

 

64 Unexpected Uses for Baking Soda | From TheGraciousWife.com

64 Unexpected Uses for Baking Soda

See More Ideas for the Home

Never Miss a Thing!

Join our newsletter to get new recipes, tips, tricks, and tutorials every week!

Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.


There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.




 

5 Surprising Uses for Orange Peels - Don't throw out your orange rinds! Orange peels have so many uses and you can save money and use the whole fruit with these clever and surprising Uses for Orange Peels. Wow! These are great ways to stay frugal in the kitchen and all around the home!
5 Surprising Uses for Orange Peels - Don't throw out your orange rinds! Orange peels have so many uses and you can save money and use the whole fruit with these clever and surprising Uses for Orange Peels. Wow! These are great ways to stay frugal in the kitchen and all around the home!

More Cleaning & Organization

  • How to Make Your Own easy DIY Homework Station - Set your kids up for success this school year with a DIY Homework Station that's just for them to work on their homework and school projects stocked with everything they might need. School and craft supplies organization ideas for kids 
    DIY Homework Station
  • DIY Easy Crayon Organizer tutorial - Make this quick and easy Crayon Organizer for the kids to store their crayons or even colored pencils or markers. It's cheap, easy to make, easy to use, and a pretty way to organize the coloring mess! Perfect easy craft supplies organization for kids!
    How to Make an Easy Crayon Organizer
  • 6 Natural Remedies for Kitchen Pests - If kitchen pests are invading your home and driving you nuts, try these 6 simple and natural remedies for kitchen pests to get rid them quickly! Cleaning | Kitchen Tips
    6 Natural Remedies for Kitchen Pests
  • 10 Awesome Uses for Rubbing Alcohol - Rubbing alcohol is a necessity to have around the house, and not just for first aid! Check out these 10 Great Uses for Rubbing Alcohol to get the most out of your bottle!
    10 Great Uses for Rubbing Alcohol
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Yummly
  • Mix

Cleaning & Organization, For The Home Cleaning

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Rachel says

    June 15, 2016 at 6:29 pm

    Great post! I had forgotten about using those as a repellant. Here are a few more ideas: trialanderrorhomeec.blogspot.com/2012/11/ktt-how-to-use-orange-rinds.html

    Reply
  2. VickiWestcamp says

    June 18, 2016 at 11:54 am

    I make candied orange peel with mine - soooooooo good! It turns out kinda like the consistency of gummy bears and is fairly easy to do. Yum!

    Reply
    • Michelle says

      June 18, 2016 at 12:43 pm

      Sounds delicious!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Picture of Michelle Medlin, The Gracious Wife

Hello! I'm Michelle!
I'm a comfort food lover and self-taught cook with five amazing kids and a firefighter husband, surviving mostly on coffee. I love to create easy and delicious family recipes, and share creative family tips I've learned along the way.
Welcome to The Gracious Wife!
MORE ABOUT ME>>

Happy Fall!

Crockpot chicken noodle soup with wide egg noodles and fresh parsley with a spoon in it taking a bite out.

Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup

Sweet potato pecan cupcake on parchment paper and a rustic wood background topped with a caramel drizzle and chopped pecans

Sweet Potato Pecan Cupcakes

Slice of apple pie on a small plate topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Green apple and pie in a pie dish are behind.

Best Old Fashioned Apple Pie

Southern pecan pie on a white plate with a fork

Southern Pecan Pie

Thanksgiving side dishes on a wooden table with Fall decorations

70 Thanksgiving Side Dishes Your Guests Will Gobble Up

Stack of four toffee pretzel cookies surrounded by pretzel twists with the baking sheet full of cookies in the background. The top cookie has a bite taken out.

Toffee Pretzel Cookies

More Fall Recipes & Ideas

Happy Halloween

DIY Spider Costume for Kids - Make this easy, fun, and creepy DIY Spider Costume for Kids for a creepy crawly frugal do it yourself Halloween costume! So cool. Made from just a few black shirts!

DIY Spider Costume

Skeleton Cupcakes - Spooky but fun Skeleton Cupcakes with chocolate skeletons on top of your favorite cupcakes are a perfect easy Halloween treat for kids! These are so cute and easy! My kids will love them!

Skeleton Cupcakes

Black Cat Cupcakes Tutorial - Black Cat Cupcakes make a fun and easy non-spooky Halloween treat for kids! They're easy enough that anyone can make them! Fun project for kids to help with! Fun, quick and easy Halloween treats for kids! 

Black Cat Cupcakes

Jumbo Spiderweb Cookies Recipe for Halloween - Jumbo Spiderweb Cookies are a fun, quick, and easy Halloween treat for kids.  They're big enough to share and made with the all-time BEST chocolate chip cookies recipe. How fun! My kids will love these! Definitely making for their Halloween party treat!

Jumbo Spiderweb Cookies

9 Uses for Mini Pumpkins - Pumpkins are everybody's favorite! They just scream Fall! Check out these 9 Uses for Mini Pumpkins to squeeze even more pumpkin into your life while the season lasts! Love decorating for Fall and mini pumpkins are so fun! Love these ideas

9 Uses for Mini Pumpkins

Sparkle Pumpkin Cupcakes Tutorial - Make these fun, easy, and festive Sparkle Pumpkin Cupcakes in just 4 simple steps for adorable Fall and Halloween treats! What a great idea for Halloween food. My kiddos will love these! Make them as Pumpkin spice too!

Sparkle Pumpkin Cupcakes

DIY Halloween Paper Plate Candy Corn Banner Tutorial - This cute and festive DIY Paper Plate Candy Corn Banner makes an adorable and cheap DIY Halloween decoration that's perfect for your home or even a Halloween party decoration.  So easy to make that even the kids could help!

Paper Plate Candy Corn Banner

36 delicious and fun Candy Corn Dessert Recipes that are made with candy corn or look like candy corn. A fun way to celebrate Fall and Halloween! Candy corn is a perfect Halloween food. These recipes would be such great ideas for kids Halloween party!

36 Candy Corn Dessert Recipes

Peanut Butter Candy Corn Cookies take the rich creaminess of peanut butter and combine it with the vanilla and honey sweetness of classic candy corn to make a perfect and delicious Fall and Halloween treat for kids, party, and everyone!

Peanut Butter Candy Corn Cookies

More Halloween Recipes and Ideas

Reader Favorites on The Gracious Wife

A slice of no bake s'mores cheesecake topped with mini marshmallows and graham cracker crumbs on a small plate.

No Bake S'mores Cheesecake

Slice of crockpot breakfast casserole on a white plate with stainless steel crock pot in the background.

Crockpot Breakfast Casserole

A corner slice of chicken pot pie with golden crust on a small plate with a fork with a bite on it, on a rustic wood background with a striped linen

The BEST Chicken Pot Pie

Close up picture of a Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes with a bite taken out on a marble background.

Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes

Homemade Mint White Hot Chocolate is a fast and easy homemade hot chocolate recipe made with white chocolate and mint! creamy, white chocolate with a burst of peppermint flavor to create a perfect decadent Christmas, winter, St. Patrick's Day, or holiday treat. Yum! Definitely making this ASAP!

Mint White Hot Chocolate

What's Trending Now:

  • Biscuits stacked on a black matte plate on a white rustic wood background Southern Buttermilk Biscuits
  • A corner slice of chicken pot pie with golden crust on a small plate with a fork with a bite on it, on a rustic wood background with a striped linen The BEST Chicken Pot Pie
  • Chicken Gnocchi Soup in a white bowl with a rustic wood background and breadsticks in a white and blue striped linen behind it. Copycat Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup
  • Snickers Caramel Apple Salad drizzled with caramel sauce in a large bowl next to a wrapped Snickers bar and Granny Smith Apple on a rustic wood backdrop Snickers Caramel Apple Salad
  • Slice of crockpot breakfast casserole on a white plate with stainless steel crock pot in the background. Crockpot Breakfast Casserole

Footer

  • About The Gracious Wife
  • Contact Us
  • Copyright Notice
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclosure

You can find me here too!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Disclosure

The Gracious Wife is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. All our thoughts and opinions are our own and we are not paid for or mandated to provide a positive review.

2022© The Medlin Group
  • Blog
  • Contact Us

Copyright © 2023 The Gracious Wife ·

675 shares
675 shares