7 Smart Ways to Use Lemons
When people think about lemons, it usually revolves around food. After all, this zesty citrus fruit is incredibly good for you. You can put lemon slices in your tea, make lemonade to drink on a hot day, and use it in lemon bars or cakes. But did you know that you can also clean your house with lemons?
If you are looking for an inexpensive, safe, and effective way to clean your kitchen, bathroom, and even to control weeds in your garden, then look no further than the crisper in your refrigerator, according to Good Housekeeping. Check out these seven ways that you can use lemons around your home.
Freshen Up Your Fridge
If your fridge smells like the fish you ate for dinner, maybe it is time to freshen it up. Just squirt a few drops of lemon juice on a sponge and leave it in your fridge overnight, according to Teaspoon of Goodness. This will help with odor control and give your kitchen a lemony fresh smell. Lemons are a great deodorizer to use in other kitchen appliances too.
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Polish Your Pots and Pans
It’s easy to polish your stainless steel and copper cookware, according to Good Housekeeping. Just slice a lemon in half, dip it in salt and then rub unto the metal to give it a brilliant shine. You can safely use this method on copper, chrome, pewter, aluminum, bronze, and stainless steel. You should not use this method on silver or gold because it can damage these metals.
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Remove Stains From Cutting Boards
If your plastic or wooden cutting boards are stained and dingy then use lemons to clean it up. First, run a cut lemon over the cutting board to deodorize it. Next, to remove stains, sprinkle the lemon with salt or baking soda and repeat. Some stains will require sitting overnight before rinsing.
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Helps to Brighten Laundry
When you need to remove stains from laundry or if you want to brighten up dingy whites, you can put the bleach away and use lemon juice instead. CBS News, reports that adding a half cup of strained fresh squeezed lemon juice to the wash cycle of your washing machine will gently remove stains without harming fabrics. Use warm water and not hot or cold.
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Clean Your Microwave
Lemons are a very effective way to clean baked-on food in your microwave, according to Teaspoon of Goodness. Just combine 12 fluid ounces (.35 liters) of water and three tablespoons of lemon juice in a glass bowl. Put the bowl in the microwave on the high setting for 10 minutes. The steam will soften the baked-on food and you can wipe it off with a paper towel or rag.
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Effective Weed Killer
You DIY your own weedkiller by spraying weeds in your garden with lemon juice according to Popular Mechanics. Just saturate the weeds with lemon juice and they will shrivel up in just a few days. Be careful just to spray the weeds because the juice will kill any plant it touches.
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Natural Pest Control
Instead of spraying chemical insecticides you can use lemons to rid your home of many pests, Teaspoon of Goodness suggested. Many bugs like ants, fleas, and cockroaches cannot tolerate the smell of lemon. You can even help control ants by squirting lemon juice along window sills and doors or any other entry place for insects. To help control fleas and roaches, combine the juice and rinds from four lemons and wash your floors with the mixture.
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