Lemons are so much more than a colorful garnish. These little yellow
citrus fruits have hundreds of practical applications around the house,
from polishing stainless steel appliances to brightening laundry. The
citric acid in lemons gives them powerful natural cleaning abilities,
and they're useful for natural health and beauty, too. These 10 uses for lemons
will cut back on your house cleaning expenses, eliminate unnecessary
chemical cleaners and give your home a fresh, invigorating scent.
Deodorize your home
From the refrigerator to the cat litter box, lemons can eliminate bad
smells of all kinds throughout the house. Soak a sponge in lemon juice
and place it inside the fridge to absorb odors. Simmer lemon peel in a
pot of water for a fresh whole-house scent. Toss leftover lemon down
your garbage disposal to banish bad smells from accumulated food gunk.
Just a few slices of cut lemon placed near a litter box will help
neutralize unpleasant odors.
Remove tarnish
Remove the tarnish that keeps brass, copper and stainless steel from
sparkling by making a paste of lemon juice and salt and applying it to
the affected surface. Let it sit for five minutes, then rinse with warm
water and pat dry.
Polish metal surfaces
There's no need to purchase a special polish for stainless steel,
aluminum and chrome. Just cut a lemon in half and rub it directly on the
surface to remove fingerprints and grime. For extra cleaning power, mix
lemon juice with either salt, baking soda or cream of tartar. The
latter two options are gentle enough to polish metal surfaces without
leaving any scratches behind.
Eliminate stains
Sweat, grass, wine, tomato and other stains can be lifted right out
with a little lemon juice. Blot up as much of the offending substance as
possible, and then saturate the stain with juice. Sprinkle with salt
and then rub the salt in. Then, toss the garment into the wash.
Brighten laundry without bleach
You don't need bleach to brighten whites that have dulled or yellowed.
Add a quarter-cup of lemon juice to the rinse cycle when washing white
laundry, and then hang the items to dry on a clothesline in the sun. The
combination of the lemons and sunlight will have your whites looking
good as new.
Keep fruits and vegetables from turning brown
Apples, potatoes, avocados and other fruits and vegetable that tend to
turn brown when sliced can be preserved with just a little bit of lemon
juice. Add a teaspoon or so to the water when boiling potatoes, and
sprinkle just a little bit on fruit salad or guacamole.
Relieve a sore throat
No matter how it's flavored, cough syrup never tastes good. The next
time your throat is so sore you can barely breathe, try this trick
instead: mix a tablespoon of lemon juice and a tablespoon of honey into a
cup of water and either simmer on the stovetop or microwave until warm,
but not too hot to drink. The lemon clears congestion, while the honey
soothes inflamed tissue.
Clean greasy dishes
Lemon juice is extremely effective on grease. Squeeze it onto tough
messes, including crusted, baked-on foods, and let it sit for a few
minutes. Then, make a paste with some baking soda and a little more
lemon juice and scrub away the gunk.
Repel insects without pesticides
Ants, fleas, moths, cockroaches and other insects are driven away by
the strong scent and flavor of lemons. Hang a breathable cloth sachet of
dried lemon peels in your closet instead of mothballs, and squeeze
fresh lemon juice onto windowsills and doors where pests are likely to
gain entrance to your home. You can also spray lemon juice into
hard-to-reach areas, like the cracks between appliances and walls.
Whiten yellow fingernails
Give your nails a healthier, more youthful look with a lemon juice
soak. Remove any nail polish, wash your hands and then soak your
fingernails in full-strength lemon juice for a minute or two. Moisturize
them afterward to prevent excessive dryness.
