Posted by Rachel Schwartz on 6/12/2020 to
Family
Keeping your kitchen clean is important but after a while the scent of bleach or other strong cleaners can get old. Or maybe you're looking to try a more natural approach to cleaning. Lemons, the fruit whose scent is often associated with cleaning products, can actually be useful in cleaning and can solve the issue of a strong bleach scent as well as offer a natural approach to cleaning. Depending on what you plan to clean, purchasing a bottle of lemon juice will also work. Here are 10 ways you can use lemons (or lemon juice) to clean your kitchen.
- Cleaning copper pots and pans. By cutting a lemon in half and dipping the cut into salt, you can easily clean your copper cookware.
- Freshen up the garbage disposal. Have you ever noticed a faint odd smell permeating from your kitchen sink? It's probably coming from your garbage disposal and there's an easy fix for it that doesn't include buying a specialized cleaner at the store. Simply throw some ice cubes, a few lemon peels, and a tiny bit of salt down the disposal and turn it on for a minute or two. You should end up with a pleasant, lemony smell.
- Removing stains from countertops. If you have any stubborn stains on your countertop, try pouring a tiny bit of lemon juice on the stain and let it sit for a few minutes. Then, add a little baking soda and scrub the area and the stain should disappear. However, be careful not to let the lemon juice sit for too long as it is acidic and can be powerful.
- Bleach your white apron, tablecloth, or kitchen towels. Lemons are acidic and lemon juice can be used as a natural bleach. Put lemon juice onto any of your white kitchen linens and let them dry in the sun. Any stains should be bleached and no longer visible when you go to bring them back inside.
- Clean the inside of the microwave. Simply add a few lemon slices to a bowl or measuring cup of water and place in the microwave. Turn the microwave on for 3 minutes or so and let stand for another few minutes before carefully removing the bowl. Any spots or food bits stuck to the walls should be loosened and easy to wipe away.
- Clean your wood cutting board. Similar to cleaning copper cookware, cleaning your wood cutting board with lemon starts with cutting a lemon in half and dipping the cut end into salt. Then, turning the lemon cut side down, scour the board's surface, making sure to squeeze a little every now and then to release the lemon juice while you clean. Once finished, let the board sit for 5-7 minutes before scraping the liquid and salt off. Wipe the cutting board down one last time with a clean, wet sponge.
- Make your own all-purpose DIY kitchen cleaner. Save your lemon peels and add them to a jar with vinegar and let the mixture sit for two weeks. After two weeks, strain the liquid and discard the peels. Pour the liquid into a spray bottle and use it as an all-purpose cleaner.
- Remove stuck on food from dishes. Using half a lemon and a little salt, scrub the lemon over the area of a dish with stuck on food. The bits of food should loosen up.
- Clean the blender. If your blender's blades could use a good scrub or if you notice a smell that suggests you're not getting to every part of the blender when you clean it, try blending up a lemon with some water and a little bit of dishwasher soap. This should not only get the blender clean but also remove any smells you might have noticed.
- Clear the air. Want to easily remove any lingering odors in your kitchen from last night's dinner? Or just want to make your kitchen smell citrus-y and fresh? Cut up a lemon or two and let them simmer in a pot of water on the stove for an hour or so. This will chase away any lingering smells and replace them with a nice, lemony scent.
