While its convenient to pick up a bottle of household cleaner off the shelf at your nearest supermarket, commercial cleaners are often full of not-too-healthy chemicals that cause more harm than good. So if you’re looking for a natural, chemical-free way to clean your home, look no further than the crisper of your fridge.
Lemons have a surprising amount of cleaning power thanks to the citric acid that makes the juice a natural cleaning agent that’s effective at cutting through soap scum and tackling certain types of stains. Here are a few ways you can clean your home safely and effectively, simply using the left over lemon in your fridge.
Keep Your Cutting Boards Stain-Free
To remove stains from your wood or plastic cutting board, simply cut a lemon in half and squeeze the juice onto the board. Rub the juice in with the lemon half, then let sit for 20 minutes. The acid will work on the stains, revealing a fresh, clean and stain-free cutting board.
Brighten Your Whites
Frequent washing with bleach can give your whites an unpleasant yellow cast, not to mention erode the fabric. A natural and non-damaging way to brighten your whites is to add clean stained clothing to a pot of water with a few lemon slices, then boil for a few minutes for brighter whites.
A Natural Lemon-Scented Degreaser
To make a natural degreasing spray you can use on almost any hard surface except wood, simply combine two cups water, two tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon of Castile soap, and one tablespoon baking soda in a spray bottle and shake well. The lemon fights stains and disinfects, while the baking soda acts as a gentle abrasive.
Great For Stained Food Containers
Lemons are great to remove stains from your mother’s precious Tupperware containers. Squeeze lemon juice onto the stained plastic and rub with the cut side of the lemon. Let the containers dry in the sun and wash normally.
Clean Your Cheese Grater
After grating soft cheese or any sticky foods, cut a lemon in half and rub the cut side along the grater. It will clear away residue, while leaving a fresh lemon scent while it disinfects and saves you from shredding your kitchen sponge.
Polish Brass and Copper
Rubbing half a lemon with salt on the top over your brass or copper candlesticks, ornaments, bowls, pots and pans will remove any tarnish and have them shining.
We hope you try some of the tips that we have suggested. If you have any other suggestions for lemons, do let us know!
THE LIFESTYLE COLLECTIVE 