Lemons for cleaning

Lemons are more than just a food. They are not only used for adding to recipes, juicing or beauty. Lemons serve many purposes. Did you know they can be used as a non-toxic cleaner in your home? They can be used in place of harsh chemicals to clean in your kitchen and bathroom. Here are some cleaning uses for lemons:

Clean your microwave - Measure about 1/2 cup of water into a measuring cup. Slice a lemon in half and squeeze the juice into the water. Drop the lemon halves into the bowl. Place the bowl in the microwave. Microwave for 3 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes. Wipe the microwave clean. It will look very clean and smell fresh.

Clean your wooden cutting boards - Sprinkle the cutting board with coarse salt. Using a lemon half with the cut side down, scour the surface, squeezing slightly to release the lemon juice as you go. Let sit for 5 minutes, and then scrape the gray, dirty liquid into a small bowl using a bench scraper, and discard. Give the surface a final rinse with a clean wet sponge.

Make an all purpose kitchen cleaner using citrus peels - Add citrus peels to a large mason jar until it is filled at least half way. Pour vinegar over the peels until it fills the jar. Cover the jar with a lid and allow it to sit in a dark place for two weeks. After two weeks, strain your citrus cleaner using a fine mesh sieve placed over a large bowl. Discard the peels. Add your citrus cleaner to a spray bottle and use it as you would any other all purpose cleaner.

Polish copper - Cut lemon in half and apply salt. Rub copper with lemon. Continue to rub the surface and apply salt as needed until tarnish is removed. Form a paste for tougher areas by squeezing lemon juice into a bowl and mixing it with salt. Rinse the pot clean with warm water. Dry thoroughly. Buff with a dry, clean cloth for additional shine.

Create your own furniture polish - Combine 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 10 drops of lemon essential oil, ½ cup olive oil (or vegetable oil). Mix well. Add this mixture to a spray bottle. Use the fine mist setting on the bottle to spritz on furniture. Wipe clean with a soft cloth.

Substitute lemon juice for bleach - Add a cup of lemon juice to your laundry in place of chlorine bleach for a fresh scent and whitening clothes.

Shine your faucets - Rub the cut lemon directly onto the faucets until spots and stains are removed. Your fixtures will look bright and shiny!

Deodorize and clean the dishwasher - Add one cup of lemon juice to a dishwasher safe container and put on the bottom rack in the dishwasher. Run the rinse cycle. Once finished, your dishwasher will not only be deodorized but clean, too!

Lemons really come in handy in the kitchen, bathroom and for laundry purposes. I'm going to try the all purpose cleaner and furniture polish instead of using harsh chemicals. Use lemons for cleaning as they are toxic free and great smelling too!