Forget expensive detergents and cleaners! Use lemons instead to keep your home shiny and fresh.
We share some of the most common tried and tested household cleaning techniques making use of the humble yellow citric fruit that's probably in your fridge right now.
Dish cleaner
Lemon juice can be mixed with vinegar or baking soda to make cleaning pastes. Cut a lemon in half and sprinkle baking soda on the cut section. Use the lemon to scrub dishes, surfaces, and stains.
Chopping board cleaner
Sprinkle a layer of coarse salt over your wood cutting board. Cut lemon in half and squeeze one half of the lemon over the board. Then use a scrub with a brush for a few minutes and rise with hot water.
Stain remover
- Surfaces: With its mildly bleaching effect, lemon juice can be used to gently fade stains in sinks, benches, tables and tiles. However, don't use this method on marble and granite surfaces as lemon is too corrosive.
- Fabric: Remove curry, blood, grass marks and rust stains from your fabrics by dabbing salt and lemon juice on to the mark. Leave for a while, then rinse well and wash as normal.
- Hardwood furniture and floors: Make your own furniture polish by mixing one cup olive oil with half a cup of lemon juice. Dab a little on a cloth and use in just the same way as your regular polish. This solution can also be uses to make wooden floors shine.
Freshener
Regularly place lemon (or other citrus fruit such as orange) peel through the garbage disposal. It freshens the drain and the kitchen. Keeping half a lemon left in the fridge will also help remove unpleasant odours. For a natural air freshener in your kitchen, cut a lemon in half, immerse completely in a pan of water and bring to the boil.
Grease and grime buster
Get rid of surface grease from everyday appliances such as kettles, stoves, taps and handles with a simple solution of lemon juice and water. Pour a quarter of a cup of lemon juice in a spray bottle and fill it up with tap water. Ensure the solution is mixed sufficiently and use it to remove stubborn grease around the home. Remove limescale from taps by rubbing with lemon juice, then rinse after a few minutes. However, lemons are not suitable for plated taps as it's corrosive.
Bathroom cleaner
Make soap scum and limescale disappear on baths, showers, tiles and grout by mixing a paste of two parts bicarbonate of soda to one part lemon juice. Apply the thick paste with a damp cloth, leave for ten minutes and then rub off with a sponge or soft toothbrush.
Shoe shiner
Lemon juice makes an excellent polish for black and tan leather shoes. Apply it neat and then buff with a soft cloth.
Glass & mirror polisher
Mix together one litre of water, a quarter cup of white vinegar and two table spoons of lemon juice in a spray bottle. Shake well and use as you would normally.
Mould remover
Banish black spots from mildew and mould with one part lemon juice to one part baking powder. Apply the paste, leave for two hours and then rinse off.
Fabric bleacher
Lemon juice acts as a natural bleaching agent. Add half a cup of lemon juice to your laundry rinse cycle when washing whites. Alternatively, put lemon juice directly onto white linens and clothing and allow them to dry in the sun. Stains will be bleached away
Grout remover
Use lemon juice and an old toothbrush together to scrub grout.
Microwave cleaner
Place a cup 3/4 full of water with a couple tablespoons of lemon juice in the microwave. Heat to boiling. Don’t open the door for another 10 minutes. Wipe away food particles with a dry cloth.
BBQ & grill cleaner
Combine lemon with salt to scrub grates and grills
Lunchbox cleaner
Soak plastic food storage containers and lunchboxes in dilute lemon juice to remove stains and odours. Add baking soda and scrub, rinse and dry.
Fridge refresher
Remove smells from your refrigerator with a half lemon on a saucer and change weekly.
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