When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. However, did you know you can actually use lemons to aid in cleaning the home? Below we have 8 fruity ways to clean your household with this humblest of household staples.
Mix lemon and water to remove limescale.
Lemon is acidic, which means it is perfect for breaking down the calcium that limescale is made from. Fill your kettle with water and chopped lemons, and boil. You can repeat this process a few times before emptying the kettle. The limescale should have broken down and flushed out with the water.
Lemons can freshen up chopping boards.
You can also use lemons to bring some life back to your chopping boards. Over time, you may notice your chopping boards have a lingering smell of food. Sometimes cleaning them in the sink isn’t enough. Try rubbing chopped lemon on the surface which should help to replace with a zesty scent.
Lemons can remove odours from appliance.
Lingering odours is also common in appliances. Fridges, microwaves, and even others can be subject to bad odours from food. You can chop up a lemon, place in a bowl of water, and sit in the appliance for a few hours to provide a pleasant, fruity smell.
You can remove soapy marks with lemons.
If you have soapy marks in your sink or bath, you may be scrubbing hard to remove them. Rubbing a slice of lemon on the mark before scrubbing can help to remove. The lemon helps to break it down so it can be easily wiped away.
Lemons can help to effectively clean drains.
We’ve established lemon can help to break down dirt and grime, so why not try squeezing some of the juice into your drains with boiling water. This can flush out the dirt and grime. For extra support, you can always try adding some baking soda with the water too.
Lemon juice can make your windows shine.
You can mix some water and lemon juice into a spray bottle to create your own window cleaning. Use this to clean glass windows and mirrors.
Polish copper pots with lemons.
Lemon can help to make surfaces shine. Try adding some lemon juice to water when cleaning copper pots. This will give the pot a glimmering finish.
Don’t mix lemon with other acids.
You should always avoid mixing lemon or lemon juice with other acids, and only stick to mixing with water when cleaning. This is because lemons are acidic so mixing with other acids, such as bleach, can be problematic.
These tips are great if you have any leftover lemons, or if you want to try something new. Always check your products for any specific cleaning requirements before cleaning with lemons.
You can read more of our hints & tips here.