9 Super-Useful Ways To Repurpose Leftover Citrus Peel

They deserve better than your garbage bin!

The next time you use lemon in a recipe or eat an orange as a snack, don't throw away that peel! There are a bunch of clever ways to ~squeeze~ more life out of it:

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1. Turn lemon peels into an all-purpose kitchen cleaner.

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Makes:

1 quart

Ingredients:

4-6 lemons, thoroughly washed

2 cups olive oil

Instructions:

1. Peel the lemons with a peeler, making sure to avoid the white pith, which would make the oil bitter.

2. Add the peels to a medium pot filled with the olive oil and stir.

3. Let simmer over very low heat for 15-20 minutes.

4. Strain out the peels.

5. Transfer the infused oil to a bottle or other resealable container.

6. The oil will keep in the fridge for a few weeks. If you see any signs of spoilage, discard it.

2. Or, turn them into DIY garbage disposal freshener pods.

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Supplies:

1 cup baking soda

½ cup iodized salt

1 tablespoon lemon zest

4 tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, add baking soda, salt, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Mix until all ingredients are blended to a consistency where the mixture will hold its shape when packed down. Add more lemon juice if needed.

2. In any mold, pack in the baking soda.

3. Dry for 24 hours. If it still needs time, you can throw it in the fridge for a day to let it settle more.

4. Drop one pod in the disposal and turn on the water and turn on!

5. Store it in a dry container or ziplock bag.

3. Turn grapefruit peels into a scouring scrub.

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Makes:

1 quart

Ingredients:

Peels from 3 grapefruits

½ cup baking soda

½ cup coarse salt

Instructions:

1. Pulverise the grapefruit peels in a coffee grinder or a blender.

2. In a medium bowl, combine ½ cup of grapefruit powder with the baking soda and salt.

3. Pour into a resealable closed container.

4. Transform an orange peel into a candle.

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Supplies:

Any orange, or citrus

Spoon

Oil (vegetable or olive oil work fine)

Lighter/matches

Instructions:

1. Slice an orange in half.

2. Spoon out the orange, carefully keeping the center stem intact to act as a wick.

3. Pour in a few tablespoons of oil, coating the center stem.

4. Light the stem.

5. The flame may initially go out, but will gradually grow once the stem develops a layer of char.

5. Toss some lemon and lime peels into a Moscow mule-inspired simmer pot.

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Ingredients:

1 lime

2 lemons

1/2 cup ginger

Instructions:

1. Fill a pot halfway with water.

2. Slice (and/or use leftover peels from) lime, lemons, and ginger.

3. Add them to the pot and bring to a simmer.

6. Use lemon peels to make lemon olive oil.

Gwenaelle Le Cochennec / BuzzFeed

Makes:

1 quart

Ingredients:

4-6 lemons, thoroughly washed

2 cups olive oil

Instructions:

1. Peel the lemons with a peeler, making sure to avoid the white pith, which would make the oil bitter.

2. Add the peels to a medium pot filled with the olive oil and stir.

3. Let simmer over very low heat for 15-20 minutes.

4. Strain out the peels.

5. Transfer the infused oil to a bottle or other resealable container.

6. The oil will keep in the fridge for a few weeks. If you see any signs of spoilage, discard it.

7. Add an orange peel to a cocktail.

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Give it a lil' twist before you drop it in, too — this gently releases its aroma and flavor, enhancing the drink's citrus notes without adding too much sweetness.

8. Zest and sprinkle an orange peel onto ice cream.

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The extra kick from the orange will make your chocolate scoops that much richer.

9. Or, zest and sprinkle a lemon peel on top of a salad.

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A lil' citrus peel never hurt nobody('s salad).

Enjoy! 🍋✨

Gwenaelle Le Cochennec / BuzzFeed