The humble lemon is a lot more than something you can slice and pop into your drink during the hot summer months. But it can also be used as a potent cleaning solution. We asked several professionals to elaborate on this topic, so here is how you can use the lemon’s zingy loveliness to clean your home.
The Power of Lemon
“If you’re keen on doing your bit for the environment and keeping your home fresh and sparkling, it also makes a very effective (and inexpensive) life hack,“ they say at Proskips.
Battersea estate agent Eden Harper agrees, “Harsh cleaning chemicals can be really overpowering and damaging to the environment and our health. There are lots of things you can use instead that work just as well and won’t break the bank.”
Freshen Up Your Fridge
Fridges can release some pretty horrid pongs at times, especially if you keep a lot of strong smelling foods in there. To relieve your fridge of nasty odours, cut a lemon in half and place it on the shelf- it will soak up the stink like a dream.
Make your Windows Sparkle
Mix 1 part of white wine vinegar with 2 parts fresh lemon juice into a cup of hot water. Pour the mixture into a spray bottle and use in the same way as you would your usual window cleaning product.
Remove Rust
Lemon works a treat on rust- mix 1 tbsp lemon juice with 2 tbsp salt and stir until it makes a paste. Spread it onto the rusty area and give it a good scrub before rinsing away with water.
Clean your dishes
Adding a cup of lemon juice to your dishwasher will make your dishes and cutlery extra fresh and sparkly. You can also try this on an empty cycle to give your dishwasher a bit of a freshen up.
Banish limescale
Cut a lemon in half and pop it in the kettle, then boil the water as normal. Leave the liquid in the kettle overnight and then boil it up once more, before rinsing with cold, fresh water. The result- a lovely, limescale free kettle. At You Choose Windows they claim, “We have tried this and must say, it works wonders”.
Make your microwave fresh again
Add a few squeezes of lemon juice to half a cup of water and then place in a small, microwavable bowl. Pop the microwave on full power for one minute and when it’s finished you’ll be able to lift away any dirt and grease effortlessly- it will smell amazing too!
Brighten up your oven
Lemon juice mixed with baking soda makes a really effective oven cleaner that won’t fill your home with pungent fumes. Simply mix into a paste, scrub and rinse for a fresh, sparkling oven and hob.
Denhan Guaranteed Rent concludes, “We’re all much more aware of the environment than we used to be, so lots of people are looking for a natural alternative to harmful cleaning products without compromising on effectiveness. Lemon makes an excellent cleaning solution, and you can make up a good batch for just a few pennies.”