When life gives you lemons – Different ways to make use of lemons

November 24th, 2015

Kitchen Laundry Small Appliances

Lemons aren’t only good for garnishing or adding zesty goodness to drinks and dishes, but they can also be used for cleaning and in other ingenious ways. Throw away smelly detergents and harsh chemicals, pick a few lemons from the tree out the back and use them as nature’s little helpers.

Image courtesy of Viacheslav Blizniuk at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 The Kitchen

Clean your microwave

1. Pour half a cup of cold water into a microwave-safe bowl.
2. Slice a lemon in half and squeeze the juice into the bowl of water. Place the 2 halves into the bowl once you’ve juiced it.
3. Put the bowl into the microwave, and heat on High for 3 minutes.
4. Leave the door closed for a further 5 minutes once the microwave stops.
5. Carefully remove the lemon bowl from the microwave, then remove your turntable and wipe it clean with a cloth (if applicable). Start wiping down the microwave from ceiling to sides, ending with the base. Then work on the door.
6. If you find a few stubborn spots, carefully dip your cloth into the lemon water, and then put a bit of elbow grease into removing it.

Image courtesy of Ambro at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Deodorise your garbage disposal

Next time your garbage disposal starts to smell a little off, feed it a few lemon peels, salt and ice cubes, switch it on, and then goodbye stench.

And to make sure you always have a few lemon peels on hand, make pre-made garbage disposal cleaning cubes by placing lemon peels, salt and cold water into ice cube trays and freezing them for later.

Photo sourced from Life Hacker

You can also grind up ice cubes made of vinegar if you don’t have any lemons handy.

Reuse plastics without the smell

Tupperware containers are extremely handy to have, but not so pleasant to keep when they have last weeks lasagna stains on them, or yesterday’s tuna bake stench rising from them.

Slice a lemon in half, and rub the halved side inside plastic containers to help remove odours and stains.

Photo sourced from Real Simple

DIY multi-purpose kitchen cleaner

When life gives you lemons, make an all-purpose kitchen cleaner!

Check out how here.

Photo and how to sourced from thekitchn

Easily freshen butcher blocks & chopping boards

Chopping boards:

1. Sprinkle course salt over the chopping board.
2. Slice a lemon in half, and rub the board with the cut side down, squeezing the lemon slightly as you go.
3. Let the lemon juice and salt sit for 5 minutes on the board before scraping it off with a bench scrapper or spatula.
4. Give the board a final rinse down with a clean wet cloth.

Butcher blocks

1. Use steps 1 & 2 from the above steps.
2. Let the lemon juice and salt sit on the block overnight, and then rinse with warm water in the morning.

Photo by Rick Lew

 Body & Beauty

Sourced from The Fit Indian

Lemon, honey & olive oil DIY facemask

If you suffer from dry skin, then this mask is perfect for you. Mix equal parts or honey, olive oil and lemon juice together. Apply the mixture to you face (avoiding the eye area) and let it dry. This usually takes about 10 minutes, so grab a book or add cucumber to your eyes and relax. Once the mixture is dry, rinse off with warm water, and then pat dry.

For silky smooth skin

Slice a lemon in half, dip the halved end into some sugar, and then in gentle, circular motions rub the lemon and sugar onto your skin. By doing this weekly, your skin will feel a lot softer.

Say goodbye age spots

Add ½ cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice to your batch and soak in it for about 20-30 minutes. If you prefer to target spot areas, rub lemon straight onto the problem areas and leave on overnight. In the morning, rinse off with warm water.

Lemons in the laundry

Photo sourced from Pop Sugar

For whiter whites

Add 1 cup of lemon juice to your wash load alongside your usual detergent.

No more having to spit shine

Keep your favourite leather boots looking good by dampening a soft cloth with lemon juice and wiping down your shoes regularly.

House & Home

Sourced from AliExpress

Say goodbye to pesky pests

Hang a breathable cloth sachet or laundry bag of dried lemon peels in your closet, and squeeze fresh lemon juice onto windowsills and doors where insects can gain access to your home. You can also spray lemon juice in between appliances and cracks to keep the little critters at bay.

Polish your copper

Dip a halved lemon into salt, and rub the salted lemon on your copper items to give them a good polish.

Enjoy lemons!

So next time friendly ole Mrs Hagen from across the street gives you a bag of lemons, don’t sigh, but rejoice, you know have a bag of endless opportunities.