If you are leery of using chemical cleansers in your home, nothing cleans and refreshes like fresh lemons.
This sunny citrus fruit not only smells invigorating and delightful but also packs a powerful punch when it comes to cleaning your home.
Nature’s organic cleaning solution works well on its own, or when partnered with other natural cleaners from your pantry.
In this article, we look at 15 ways to use lemons as a refreshing boost to your cleaning regime.
1. Remove caked-on dirt from the microwave
If you live in one of those households where people are microwave-spill blind, your microwave is probably covered in caked-on dirt.
This is gross and an excellent place for bacteria to call home. Fear not, however, as the trusty lemon is ready to make short work of this disgusting job.
Simply take a microwave-safe bowl and fill it with water and the juice and rind of fresh lemon.
Place it in the microwave and run it for three to five minutes. Wait five minutes for the steam to do its job, and then wipe down the surfaces—easy peasy lemon squeezy.
2. Make furniture shine
Furniture polishes often have a lemony fresh scent for a good reason. Lemon is an excellent cleanser that is ideal for delicate wood.
You can mix one part lemon juice with two parts olive oil for a homemade furniture polish that puts off-the-shelf polishes to shame. Whisk it up until smooth, and then use a clean, soft cloth to apply it to your tables and chairs.
To be safe, try a less noticeable area of the wood first, just in case, there is some unknown ingredient in the furniture’s finish that might react to the lemon.
3. Clean that wood-cutting board
If your freshly-sliced melon tastes like garlic and onions, it’s time to clean your cutting board. Wood holds strong odours and flavours that can then be transferred to other foods chopped on the board.
However, an easy way to get rid of those lingering odours and oils is to use a sprinkle of salt on the board and then scrub it with half a fresh lemon.
Rinse the board, and do the sniff test to decide if you must repeat the process.
4. Clean discoloured tupperware
Things like curry and spaghetti sauce discolour plastic food containers, making them look orange or yellow.
You can get rid of that unpleasant colour by rubbing stains with lemon juice and then letting the lemon juice stand for about 15 minutes. Give it a final scrub and rinse, and the stains should fade.
5. Get rid of drain funk
Drains and garbage disposals capture food debris that sits and rots for days or weeks. This can lead to a funky smell in the kitchen.
You can run freshly sliced lemons through the garbage disposal or sprinkle baking soda with a few squirts of lemon juice into the drain to eliminate that smell.
6. Make faucets sparkle
While you’re working on the drain odours, you can also remove hard water buildup or mineral deposits from your faucets.
Squirt lemon juice on the faucet, and let it sit for about 15 minutes. Then, wipe it off and take the deposits with it.
7. Save a sponge, clean your grater
Cleaning cheese graters is dangerous work for sponges, which can get torn apart by sharp slicers.
The smaller graters also get pieces of sponge stuck in the holes. A simple solution is to grate a fresh lemon on dirty graters to add moisture to dried cheese or vegetable bits, which also forces dried debris out of the holes.
You can then easily rinse all the debris away.
8. Reduce fridge odours
Cleaning your fridge with lemon and baking soda creates a clean fresh scent. Also, you can place a bowl of lemon slices in the fridge for an hour or so to help remove odours.
9. Scrub those pots
A sprinkle of coarse salt on half a fresh lemon creates a natural SOS pad or Eraser that can be used on copper, brass, and aluminum pots to remove tarnish marks.
10. Clean the floors
A great natural cleaning solution for floors and floorboards is one part lemon juice, one part vinegar, and two parts water.
Although the vinegar might smell a little strong at first, it acts as a germ killer, with the lemon taking over with a clean, fresh scent. This is a pet and kid-friendly cleaning solution.
11. Make an air freshener
Citrus is a refreshing scent often used in aromatherapy. Lemon rinds make the perfect air freshener when simmered in water.
You can create your own scents by adding different spices, herbs, and citrus fruits for a home that smells warm and welcoming.
12. Make grout sparkle
Lemons are very acidic and can work very well to remove grout stains. For a one-two punch, spray lemon juice on the grout and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Then, sprinkle baking soda on half a lemon, and use it to scrub and remove dirt.
13. Refresh and degrease
Fresh lemon juice added to warm dishwater can help cut the grease and provide a pleasant lemony smell while scrubbing.
14. Clean kitchen counters
If you have laminate or wood countertops with wine or other stains, lemon juice in hand with baking soda creates an excellent stain remover.
Sprinkle it on the baking soda, then squeeze on the lemon juice and rub it with a clean cloth, and watch the stains disappear.
15. Bake a lemon, clean the oven
Just like microwaving the bowl of lemons to clean off the built-up crust, an oven-safe baking dish filled with lemons and water will see the same results.
Bake the dish at 250 degrees for about 30 minutes. Turn off the oven and let it cool, and then use a sponge to remove the mess.
If all of these natural cleaning tips seem like a hassle, then let Maid4Condos take care of your house cleaning for a fresh, clean home that you’ll love. Click here for an instant online quote, or call us today at (647) 822-0601 or contact us here.
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