Green Cleaning—Using Lemons in Your Kitchen

Frugal Friday

 

So many cleaning products on the market are full of dangerous chemicals that can harm both the environment and your health.  They are also expensive.  So why not look to the past for both inexpensive and healthier alternatives?  Over the next few weeks, we're going to look at ways to use common household products to clean your home.  This week, we'll look at using lemons in the kitchen.

• Rub cut side of lemon on aluminum pots and pans, then buff with soft cloth to brighten.
• Squeeze lemon juice over door thresholds and other cracks where ants could come in.  Also scatter lemon slices around the outdoor entrance.
• Simmer a lemon slice in water for 15 minutes to loosen burned-on food.
• Add a tablespoon of lemon juice to one cup of milk to make buttermilk.
• Rub the cut side of a lemon on your cutting board to sanitize.
• Place lemon juice in the soap compartment of your EMPTY dishwasher and run as usual to sanitize.
• Dab lemon juice onto a cotton ball or rag, and let sit in your refrigerator overnight to deodorize.
• Mix three tablespoons of lemon juice to 1¾ cups water, microwave on high for five to ten minutes, allowing the steam to condense.  Food particles will wipe away.
• Pour lemon juice and alum powder onto your porcelain sink and scrub to remove stains.
• Mix lemon juice and baking soda to scrub stained plastic food containers.  Let sit overnight if stains are stubborn.
• Toss lemon peels into your garbage disposal to deodorize.
• Squeeze lemon juice onto your countertops to remove stains.  Don't leave on for too long, as lemons have a bleaching agent.