Oranges are zesty, energy-giving fruits which can be quite versatile in the not only the world of crafting, but also the world of nutrition and beauty! Once you enjoy the fruit of the oranges, don’t let those orange peels go to waste! Here are 16 different ways you can use orange peel around the house and to improve your health!

• For tea! You can cut off the zest of the orange into strips and dry them for tea! Great with Earl Grey!
• Use the dried peels as a natural deodorizer in clothes drawers or your shoes! Simply place the dried peels into a small miche or muslin bag and tuck them into where you’d like a nice orangy clean smell!
• Add orange peels to potpourri with other complimentary flowers, since orange is so strong i’d suggest milder smelling flowers such as lavender or chamomile.
• Add orange peel to your baths, the essential oil inside the orange zest can steep into your bath just as it would your tea!

• Make your own body scrub: Using coconut oil and course raw sugar as your base, you can then add the zest of your orange, obtained using a zester or cheese grater, for a clean body scrub that is great for exfoliating and rejuvenating your skin!
• Teeth whitening! Some say that the peel itself, without any of the acidic fruit attached to it, rubbed on the teeth may actually be useful for teeth whitening!
• As an insect repellant! The orange oil in the peel rubbed on your skin, may act as a natural insect repellent when rubbed on the skin! Its pungent flavor, like that of garlic, is too overpowering for them that as long as its oil lasts on your skin from rubbing it with peel, bugs will stay away!
• Rub the peel on kitchen stains to fight through grease on your stove top or surfaces!

• Infuse orange peel into vinegar to use as a natural cleaning agent for your home!
• Candy the peels, as a cute gift to friends or family with a bit of a sweet tooth, or for a little bit of a treat for yourself!
• Zesting the peel and putting It into various things that you’re eating throughout the day such as on toast, cereal, yogurt, or pasta salad can be great ways to receive its health benefits!
• As a candle! Cutting around the orange with a knife so that you are able to get two bowl-like shells of orange peel, one of the halves with the “inner” stem attached, can be used as the base and the top of a candle! The stem that’s jutting out of the bottom half will be the wick and simply poor a tablespoon of oil such as canola or olive oil over the wick and into the base and then light your candle! Cut a hole just in the top of the other half so that when you place it on there is some ventilation so oxygen can reach the wick.

• As a face mask! Mix two tablespoons of orange zest with honey until it forms a paste that can be applied to your face! Great for acne scars and rejuvenating the skin!
• Place orange peels in your garbage disposal or under the trashbag: orange peels can keep some pretty noxious smells at bay! Allow them to keep these problem areas smelling cleaner longer!
• Place in brown sugar bin: dried orange peels are able to draw moisture away from other dry products such as brown sugar! Put a couple dried orange peels in the container with the brown sugar for a fresher product longer!
• Perfume your home: for the day you just want your home to smell like oranges immediately for when guests are coming over, simply put a bunch of orange peels into a pot of boiling water on your stovetop and smell as your whole home begins to smell amazing for a period of time!

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By Spencer Carney

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Spencer Carney is a contributor at SBLY Media.