Like the homemaker, from 2 posts ago, who was all out of cleaning supplies, she used what she had on hand, lemons and vinegar. However, her cleaning product took atleast 2 weeks to make. So, if you’re needing something to clean your home right away, you can use nothing more than a cut lemon.
Lemons are antibacterial and can inactivate bacteria, even the ones that cause Salmonella and E. Coli.
The Lemons acidity neutralizes odors, whether in the air, on your sofa or in the trash.
Lemons contain D-Limonene which is a powerful degreaser and solvent.
AND its acidity can remove stains of all types from many different surfaces.
So, it is safe to say that lemons really are a great option for cleaning. Not to mention it is a much more natural alternative than your typical store bought cleaners.
So, curious to know how you can use lemons in your daily cleaning routine? Then, let’s begin.
🍋ODORS🍋
1. GARBAGE DISPOSAL: Remove that nasty stinch from your garbage disposal by dropping in a slice of lemon.
2. AIR: If your home is smelly, but not sure where it’s coming from, simply boil lemon peels to get the fragrance into the air.
3. HANDS: Strong food smells on your hand? (such as garlic, fish etc.) Rub your hands with a slice of lemon.
4. FRIDGE: Absorb nasty fridge odors by cutting up a lemon in small pieces, place on a small shallow plate, sprinkle with salt and put in your fridge.
🍋KITCHEN🍋
5. MICROWAVE: Clean your microwave without scrubbing by cutting a lemon in half, squeeze into a microwave safe cup of water (about 1/2 cup of water) drop i. both halves into the cup and microwave on high for about 3 min. Do not open the door for another 5 min. After time has passed, open and wipe down all areas. If there is hard to remove crust use the half lemon, sprinkled with salt, to remove.
6. CUTTING BOARD: Clean your cutting boards by sprinkling kosher salt onto the board and scrubbing with half a lemon. It will remove stains and odors.
7. BUTCHER BLOCK COUNTERS: Use the same method as with your cutting boards. It works great!
8. FAUCETS: Remove faucet stains by rubbing them with half a lemon.
9. DISHWASHER: Toss a lemon rind into the silverware compartment to clean and freahen up your washer. Plus it will make the kitchen smell wonderful!
10. DISHES: Hard stuck-on foods? Use a cut half of a lemon dipped in salt and scrub away.
11. KNIVES: Use lemon juice and a sponge to get rid of rust on your kitchen knives.
🍋 POWDER ROOM🍋
12. TUB & TILE: Clean soap scum off of your tub and tile by scrubbing it with a half cut of a lemon.
13. TOILET: Make your own easy toilet tablets (recipe here) with lemon juice.
🍋 LAUNDRY ROOM 🍋
14. BLEACH ALTERNATIVE: Lemon is a great alternative to bleach and is also safe to use with colors as well. Pooring one cup of lemon juice into the wash with your regular detergent, is a great way to help remove stains and smells much better than bleach as well.
15: RUST STAINS: Boil some water in a kettle. Poor lemon juice on the stained fabric and carefully hold over the steam for a few minutes. Wash as usual.
16: JUICE STAINS: Soak stain in a mixture of 1/3 cup lemon juice & 2/3 cup water and wash as usual.
17. MILDEW STAINS: Make a mixture of salt and lemon juice to create a paste. Spread over the stain and place in the sun to dry. Then wash as usual, preferably hot water.
18. LEATHER: Dampen a cloth with lemon juice and use to wipe down leather shoes, jackets, etc. to clean and shine……
🍋BUGS🍋
19. ANTS: Sprinkle lemon juice along ant routes and around baseboards to keep them away without using dangerous chemicals.
20. MOTHS: Place dried lemon peels where you want to repel moths such as your closets.
I believe we can all agree that lemons are an amazing versatile fruit created by an Amazing Creator!
I hope you get a chance to try out this powerful cleaning fruit in your daily cleaning routine and let me know how it goes!
Much love,
– Hollie Yang
Home Sweet Cottage 