When life gives you lemons, start cleaning! Lemons are the perfect natural cleaning ingredient to use in the kitchen and around the whole house. The acidity in lemons gives them antibacterial and antiseptic properties, and the aroma is bright and fresh. You can make your own cleaning solutions with lemons and other natural ingredients to use around the house, or you can use whole lemons to cleanse things like your garbage disposal and microwave. Keep reading to find out how!
CLEAN YOUR GARBAGE DISPOSAL
The best thing about lemons is their fresh smell, making them the perfect deodorizing ingredient. To freshen up your disposal, cut two lemons into halves and place them into your garbage disposal, making sure the disposal is not running. Use tongs to push the lemons down into the disposal if needed. Also, add in a handful of rock salt if you have it. Let the lemons sit for about 2 minutes, then run cold water as you turn on your garbage disposal. It will be instantly deodorized and leave your kitchen with a pleasant citrusy smell.
CLEAN YOUR MICROWAVE
Start with a microwave-safe bowl filled halfway with water. Next, slice a lemon in half, squeeze the juice into the water and drop the lemon halves into the bowl. Set the bowl in your microwave and microwave for 3 minutes. When done, wait about 4 minutes to open the microwave, as the water, steam and lemons will be extremely hot. After, remove the bowl from your microwave, and start wiping down the interior. Leftover food and grime should wipe right off, leaving you with a fresh, spotless microwave. Oh, and don’t forget the door!
CLEAN YOUR COFFEE POT
Coffee pots get a lot of use, so it’s important to clean them periodically to get rid of built up residue. Lemons and salt can do the trick! First, cut one lemon into wedges. Fill up your coffee pot with water, making sure the pot is not hot. Next, squeeze the lemon wedges into the water and add in the lemon rinds. Add 3-4 tablespoons of coarse salt and a cup of ice. Holding the pot, swirl the ingredients vigorously clockwise and counterclockwise to agitate any coffee residue and remove any stains. Continue swirling until the pot is clean. If you are up against tough stains, let the mixture sit in the pot for a couple minutes. Rinse your pot thoroughly after cleaning and enjoy your next cup of coffee!
BASIC LEMON CLEANING SOLUTION (all-purpose spray)
INGREDIENTS:
- Lemon scraps (You can use any scraps like the rind, membrane, pulp and seeds, but do not include lemon juice.)
- Large mason jar or container with lid
- White vinegar
- Strainer
- Spray bottle (Recycle an old cleaning bottle!)
- Optional: Add essential oils like lavender or mint to add more fragrance
DIRECTIONS:
- Fill your jar or container with lemon scraps, and pack them in tightly. Pour white vinegar into
the jar; enough to cover all of the lemon scraps. Cover the jar with a lid, and let the lemon and vinegar mixture steep for a week. This will allow the ingredients to infuse and concentrate. Shake the jar halfway through the week to mix. - After one week, your cleaning solution is almost done. Pour the lemon and vinegar mixture through a fine-mesh strainer to remove any large particles or lemon bits; this will make sure your spray bottle doesn’t get clogged.
- Pour the strained liquid into a spray bottle and add in any essential oil drops to customize your fragrance. Your lemon cleaning solution is now ready to use!
TIP: To make the solution last longer, you can also add water to dilute it. Use this solution to clean kitchen counters, appliances, bathrooms and other hard surfaces. Do not use on fabric.
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