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You are here: Home / Garden / Soil Improvement / Composting / The Magnificent Orange Peel | Clever Homestead Uses for Citrus Peels

The Magnificent Orange Peel | Clever Homestead Uses for Citrus Peels

Reading Time: 5 minutes

March 17, 2025 By Riley E. Carlson 5 Comments

Looking for Uses for Orange Peels on the Homestead Front?  You’ll love these 30 wonderful uses for citrus peels and orange peels. The next time you eat an orange, think before you toss.

Uses for Citrus Peels

Citrus Peels are a wonderful element of the citrus fruit, that happen to also have many benefits for everyday use! Think before you toss them aside, and find a better use for them around the homestead.

After this list, you’ll never want to throw away citrus peels again! Please, freeze them, grind them up, or put them down the garbage disposal instead.

30 Ways You Can use a Citrus Peel Around The house.

1. Make An Air-Freshening Candle

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Aren’t these beautiful? The heat from the flame makes your whole home smell delightful!

Make your own candle orange here.

2. Make An Orange Peel Vinegar Cleaner

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Here’s how to create your own orange vinegar cleaner for amazing sanitation results.

Learn about the wonderful things Vinegar can do for your home – H E R E .

3. Make Candied Citrus Peel

Make your own delicious candied citrus peels here

4. Make An Orange Peel Rose for Your Potpourri

Just beautiful, and they smell good. Learn how here

5. Use As Fire Kindling

Citrus Peels will burn slowly, and emit a nice aroma.

6. Use In Composting

There are debates on whether citrus peels in composting are a good idea. As long as you chop them up into small pieces, the earth will compost them right up. Read more here.

7. Citrus peel for insect repellent

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Insects and nematodes do not prefer the strong scent of citrus. Place the rinds in your yard to repel.

Looking for more ways to repel mosquitos naturally? Here are 7 more Plants that will do the trick!

8. Make Orange Peel Powder

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This powder is extremely beneficial. Sprinkle it on everything, or use it to make skin products. Click here to learn how to make it.

10.  Add Flavor To Your Grill

Toss the peels in with the coals on your grill, and enjoy the citrus flavor on your finest work.

11. Put Citrus Peel In Wine

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Mulled wine is a great cure for the winter blues. Learn to make it here

12. Make Citrus Peel Sorbet

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Make your own citrus sorbet here

13. Make Your Bathroom Sparkle

The acid in lemon eats up the buildup on your sinks and showers! The citrus peel makes for an easy grip.

14. Clean coffee stains

Use your lemon peels to wipe out the coffee stains from your mug

15. Disinfects cutting boards

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Add a little salt to your cutting board and wipe it down with a lemon wedge. The chemicals will react and disinfect. Rinse it off with water and allow to dry before your next use.

16. Citrus peel for cleaning microwave

Place your citrus in a microwave safe container filled partially with water. Heat in the microwave for one minute. Now you can rub down the walls with a clean paper towel.

17. Remove rust with a citrus peel

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Run the rind of a citrus fruit over rust to remove it.

18. Deodorize your shoes

Stuff some orange peels in your shoes to mask that nasty smell. Bonus, it not only masks, it also absorbs the bad odors. Leave a peel in the shoe overnight, remove the next day for clean stepping!

19. Make Citrus Peel Jam!

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Orange Peel jam is delicious. You’ll love this recipe: here.

20. Make Citrus Peel Pepper Seasoning

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Combine ground citrus peel, salt, and pepper for a delicious seasoning. Here’s the recipe.

21.  Freshen your garbage disposal

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Grind up citrus peels in your garbage disposal to help remove any unwanted odors. Freeze them first for more grit.

22. Boost your tea

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Tea with lemon is always a good idea.

23. Keep brown sugar moist

Place some citrus peels in your brown sugar to prevent it from hardening up.

24. Remove Tar from your shoe

Use a citrus peel to remove tar or gum from the bottom of your shoe, or wherever else it may have stuck to!

25. Make cute jello shots

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How fun are these! Make your own watermelon jello shots and use the peel of a lime as a “watermelon rind” with this recipe: here

26. Start Seeds

Use a citrus peel as an upcycled seed starter. If your soil has a high PH you can even plop the whole thing straight into the garden once the seeds are ready. Consider the quality of your own soil when doing this gardening hack.

Interested in learning more about seed starting? Get your FREE Survival Seed Playing Cards here! 

27. Make a Nice Bird Feeder

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You can make an orange peel bird feeder for a pretty and natural way to enhance your yard and give the birds something to snack on.

28. Use citrus peel powder for seasoning

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29. Freeze them for later

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Don’t be quick to toss your peels! Stick them in the freezer and use them later. A great use for frozen peels is alongside peeled apples and potatoes, to keep them from browning. More info here

30. Rejuvenate your skin!

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Lemons are miraculous for natural skin and body rejuvenation. Read more here.

 

Orange peels, lemon peels, grapefruit peels, lime peels, and all the other citrus peels can be used in various ways! Waste not want not, and repurpose your peels for a fresh and clean home that SMELLS delightful!

So… What did you think? Are you an avid citrus peel user? Do you already use citrus peels regularly to remedy the homestead? Share your stories with us in the comment section below! (Just keep scrolling down to find it).

Thanks for tuning in! Homesteading is a place for information and ideas to be shared about homesteading, craftsmanship, and sustainability. We strive to help people of all experience levels take steps towards happier, healthier lives. Our personal frontier is that of self-reliance. Will you join us on our blazing trail?

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Filed Under: Composting, Fertilizers, Garden, Garden & Outdoor, Homemaking Skills, Natural Health, Recipes, Remedies, Sides, Soil Improvement Tagged With: orange peel, orange peel uses

Comments

  1. Mama Grizzly says

    May 20, 2015 at 10:24 AM

    Plus I just read recently that you can dry and save the peel in small pieces and just swallow as a source of Vitamin C! Amazing fruits – thanks for the great article!

    Reply
  2. Joann says

    May 20, 2015 at 10:42 PM

    Loved all these ideas!

    Reply
  3. Cindi Harris Cockrell says

    May 29, 2015 at 10:32 AM

    I dry then grind up organic citrus peels and use it as vitamin C. I put about a teaspoon in my smoothie.

    Reply
    • Riley E. Carlson says

      May 29, 2015 at 12:38 PM

      Wonderful idea!

      Reply
  4. Wendy S says

    May 31, 2015 at 7:54 AM

    I use citrus powder as a natural cat repellent.I dry and grind any citrus peel and spread on freshly dug garden, or my lawn to keep cats from fouling the grass etc. It is harmless, but they don’t like to sniff it and don’t go there.

    Reply

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