Lemons are by far one of the most useful fruits to have on hand around the home, which is why a lemon tree was the first plant I bought for my balcony! Unfortunately it’s not mature enough yet to bear fruit, but I’m kept in a pretty good lemon supply in the meantime from my parents and a colleague at work. That’s the other fantastic thing about lemons, you’re almost guaranteed to know someone who has excess at home, or be able to find a lemon tree that is growing over public land (hanging over the back of a laneway is common around my area!), so you shouldn’t need to resort to buying them too often. Today, I wanted to share my top 10 uses for lemons around the home – they sure are versatile!
1. Cleaning Product
Lemon is a great addition to your green cleaning repertoire, you can add it to your homemade sprays and scrubs to add a disinfectant element, as well as a fresh scent to cut through the smell of vinegar. If you need more green cleaning tips don’t forget to check out my earlier posts on homemade cleaners for the bathroom & laundry and the kitchen & floors.
2. Shine Stainless Steel
If you find your stainless steel looking dull or covered in fingerprints then lemon is your answer. Just rub a cut lemon across the surface of your dishwasher, sink, taps, exterior of your oven and any other stainless steel you might have in your kitchen. If you need more of a scrub you can mix some baking soda into the cut lemon for a gentle, but effective, cleaner.
3. Stain Removal
You can use lemon juice in a number of ways in your laundry to help brighten your whites and remove stains from your clothes. Adding a cup of lemon juice to your wash cycle will act as a natural bleach to lighten your whites, while also removing stains and leave your clothes smelling lovely and fresh. If you find yourself with not-so lovely stains in the underarms of your clothes then you can give them a scrub with equal parts lemon juice & water before washing which will help remove the stains without the need for harsh chemicals.
4. Natural Pest Control
According to pest control vaughan, not many bugs are fans of lemons so you can use lemon juice to keep unwanted critters out in a number of ways. Simply spray lemon juice around plants or along windowsills, door frames and in hard-to-reach places like between appliances to keep ants, moths, cockroaches and other bugs away. If you find yourself having a problem with cockroaches or fleas you can also mix lemon juice with water and use it to clean your floors, they hate the smell so they will head elsewhere! You can also dry out lemon peels and pop them in a cloth bag in your closet to keep moths at bay without resorting to mothballs (which tend to smell pretty bad I think!).
In case raccoons are creating nuisance at your property, you could check out the raccoon removal company Germantown TN
5. Deodorise
If you find it hard to remove the scent of things like garlic from your hands after cooking then lemon could be the answer! Just wash your hands with a wedge of lemon and the scent will disappear. Lemon peel is also useful to keep near your bin, in the bathroom or near a cat’s litter box to help freshen the air and remove unwanted scents.
6. Stop Oxidisation
Lemons are a natural way to stop your food oxidisation, just squeeze it over the top of foods like mashed avocado (or guacamole) and fruit salads to stop them going brown before you get to eat them. You can also add a teaspoon of lemon juice to the water while you’re boiling vegetables like cauliflower or potatoes to make sure they stay nice and white as well.
7. Freshen the Fridge
If you find yourself with a funny smell in the fridge then lemons could be your saviour (or coffee grounds if you prefer!). Once you’ve removed the offending food just soak a sponge or some cotton buds in lemon juice and leave it sitting in your fridge for a few hours. It will absorb the not-so-lovely smells and leave your fridge smelling fresh and clean.
8. Clean Chopping Boards
Chopping boards get used for preparing a myriad of foods so it should come as no surprise that they often end up smelling not so wonderful and may need a sanitisation every now and again. Luckily it’s as easy as rubbing a cut lemon or some undiluted lemon juice over your chopping boards to absorb the scents as well as disinfecting them. It’s always best to keep separate boards for meat, fish and vegetables, but lemon juice can at least help stop any cross contamination.
9. Clean Your Microwave
Microwaves can be one of those kitchen items that don’t get cleaned anywhere near as often as they should (out of sight, out of mind I would imagine!) so when it does come time to clean them it’s often a very un-fun job. Thankfully lemons can make this much simpler! All you need to do is combine the juice of half a lemon with around 1 1/2 cups of water in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on high for 5-10 minutes. The steam will soften any baked on food and then it’s just a matter of wiping it all away with a cloth. Easy as that!
10. Clean Greasy Dishes
Lemon juice is perfect for cutting through grease and grime on your dishes, just squeeze some onto hard to clean food remains including baked on foods and leave it to sit for a few minutes. Then, make a paste out of lemon juice and baking soda and give it a scrub, you’ll find it all comes away fairly easily and you won’t be left with any greasy residue. It also won’t scratch your pots and pans like scourers can!
Fiona Moore
February 18, 2015 at 6:44 am (10 years ago)Personally I like vanilla in my fridge cleaning 🙂
Fiona Moore recently posted…500 likers GIVEAWAY!
I Spy Plum Pie (admin)
February 18, 2015 at 8:03 pm (10 years ago)Vanilla is an excellent option too!
merilyn
February 18, 2015 at 7:26 pm (10 years ago)I love these helpful tips, thankyou liz!
ofcourse I knew some of them but always ready to learn more!
we are lucky to have two neighbours, who share their lemons! all good! love m:)X
I Spy Plum Pie (admin)
February 18, 2015 at 8:03 pm (10 years ago)Neighbours with lemons are the best kind of neighbours! xx
Ingrid @ Fabulous and Fun Life
February 20, 2015 at 8:42 pm (10 years ago)I’ve heard you can use lemon in home made beauty products such as face masks but haven’t done this myself.
When I was at school some the girls used lemon to lighten their hair as well.
Ingrid @ Fabulous and Fun Life recently posted…Makeup Organisation Solutions
I Spy Plum Pie (admin)
February 21, 2015 at 9:47 am (10 years ago)I haven’t tried lemon in a face mask yet but I use it in a scrub and it’s excellent! I remember the ol’ lightening your hair trick too!
Carolyn @ Champagne Cartel
February 20, 2015 at 8:51 pm (10 years ago)Love these, thanks! Someone suggested to me recently that a half a lemon studded with cloves could help get rid of the flies I had invading my kitchen. I haven’t had a chance to try it yet, but I’ll add it to the long list of the wonders of the lemon. 🙂
Carolyn @ Champagne Cartel recently posted…Friday Fizz: blueberry mojito
I Spy Plum Pie (admin)
February 21, 2015 at 9:47 am (10 years ago)Ooh I’d be keen to hear how you go with that!
Nicole- Champagne and Chips
February 21, 2015 at 2:43 pm (10 years ago)Gosh this is clever. I normally just use lemons for adding to mineral water.
I do seem to have a few supply issues though- don’t stumble across many in my day to day.
Nicole- Champagne and Chips recently posted…Carbonara Pasta Recipe
I Spy Plum Pie (admin)
March 1, 2015 at 7:11 pm (10 years ago)You’ll need to find yourself a lemon supplier Nicole!
Emily @ Have A Laugh On Me
February 21, 2015 at 4:10 pm (10 years ago)Umm so I use a lot of lemons, but usually for my vodka drink! Thanks for giving me some non-alcoholic uses for it!
Emily @ Have A Laugh On Me recently posted…Would you cope without your mum?
I Spy Plum Pie (admin)
March 1, 2015 at 7:12 pm (10 years ago)That’s where lots of mine go too Emily!
Maxabella
February 22, 2015 at 9:04 am (10 years ago)I’ve also got a balcony lemon tree. Last year the cockatoos polished them off before I could get yo them. This year I’ll be netting them!! x
Maxabella recently posted…Weekend Rewind | Ethics and faith
I Spy Plum Pie (admin)
March 1, 2015 at 7:13 pm (10 years ago)Damn those cockatoos! The parrots go crazy for my parents plums and peaches, but they seem to leave the lemons alone thankfully!
Kristy @ Loulou Zoo
February 23, 2015 at 5:17 pm (10 years ago)Oh I love your posts – this is so helpful, thank you!!! 🙂
Kristy @ Loulou Zoo recently posted…Almond and Butter Cookies
I Spy Plum Pie (admin)
March 1, 2015 at 7:17 pm (10 years ago)Thanks Kristy, that’s so nice to hear!
Malinda @mybrownpaperpackages
February 23, 2015 at 9:48 pm (10 years ago)Thank goodness my parents have a ripper lemon tree and I often get baskets full from them. All great ideas. I might try cleaning my stainless steel tomorrow, haven’t tried that one.
I Spy Plum Pie (admin)
March 1, 2015 at 7:17 pm (10 years ago)Parents with lemon trees are the best aren’t they!
Sonia from Sonia Styling
February 26, 2015 at 3:13 pm (10 years ago)Oh my goodness, I love these tips! Shining stainless steal and removing stains from clothes – who knew?! My husband likes to use a cut lemon to clean the BBQ. x
Sonia from Sonia Styling recently posted…The Day I did a Juice Cleanse
I Spy Plum Pie (admin)
March 1, 2015 at 7:21 pm (10 years ago)It really is a wonder fruit isn’t it!
Ianna Reign Stevenson
May 28, 2015 at 5:54 pm (10 years ago)I didn’t know that lemon is very useful in terms of cleaning the house. I’m aware that it removes stain and a good one for juicing. Thank you for this informative article of years, I didn’t expect that it could be a great freshener.
Bound for Style
March 18, 2016 at 1:31 pm (9 years ago)Awesome post! Lemons are very useful.
I Spy Plum Pie (admin)
March 29, 2016 at 3:50 pm (9 years ago)Aren’t they fantastic!
Richa from Strata Cleaning
December 4, 2018 at 10:20 pm (6 years ago)Hey Liz, Thanks for sharing such useful tips. Lemon can be skin specialist too. We can use it for tan removal.