Are you looking for a chemical-free way to clean your home and leave it smelling amazing? Look no farther than your kitchen! Here are some great ways to use a lemon to clean your entire house.
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Are you looking for a natural, chemical-free way to clean your home?
Do you want your home to not only feel clean, but to smell clean, too?
Then you need to head into your kitchen and grab a lemon!
The citric acid in lemon juice acts a natural cleaning agent that will cut through certain types of stains. It’s also very effective at cutting though soap scum. Imagine a sparkling clean shower door that’s free of soap scum and smells amazing!
So before reaching for those harsh cleaning sprays that are filled with harmful chemicals, grab a lemon instead!
Here are some great ways to use a lemon to clean your entire house.
And don’t forget to check out these other uses for lemons, too!
I had a few plastic food containers that were stained with leftover spaghetti sauce. (I know you secretly have one or two of these hidden away, too!) Get those stains off by using a lemon to clean them. Here’s how:
Cut a lemon in half and squeeze some lemon juice directly into the container. Use the cut side of the lemon to rub the juice around the container, focusing on the stains. Then, set the containers out in the sun to dry. After they have dried, wash the plastic containers as you normally would. Those stubborn sauce stains should disappear!
Since cutting boards are used to prep the foods you eat, you probably don’t want to wash them with harsh chemical cleaners. The process for removing stains from wood or plastic cutting boards is similar to cleaning food containers.
First, cut a lemon in half and squeeze the juice directly onto the cutting board. Then, rub the juice in with the cut side of the lemon and let it sit for about 20 minutes. The acid will work on the stains, leaving you with a fresh, clean cutting board.
Put a cup of lemon juice in a dishwasher-safe container and set it on the top rack of the dishwasher. Then, run a load as normal to get clean, shiny plates!
Remove crusty, caked-on foods easily from your microwave by microwaving a bowl of water with fresh lemon juice for 3 to 5 minutes, or until it starts to boil. Then wait another 5 minutes before opening the door so the steam can do it’s magic on the walls of the microwave. Finally, remove the bowl and wipe down the inside of the microwave.
After a while, your garbage disposal can really start to stink. If you notice a yucky odor coming from the drain, run a few lemon rinds through the garbage disposal to eliminate the smell.
Spritz lemon juice on kitchen and bathroom faucets, wait 10 to 15 minutes, then wipe clean. The lemon juice removes hard water buildup and/or mineral deposits from your faucets.
I don’t use a cheese grater often, but I hate to clean it when I do! It’s so hard to get the sticky cheese out of those tiny holes. However, cutting a lemon in half and running the cut side along the grater makes it so much easier to clear away all the leftover pieces of cheese!
I am unable to use bleach on anything and because of that I’m definitely not putting it on clothes that will be touching my skin. So instead of using bleach to brighten whites, lemon juice does the trick just as well.
To use lemons to make white clothes brighter, just add one-half cup of lemon juice to a gallon of hot water. Boil the water for a few minutes, then soak your whites in the mixture for at least an hour or overnight. Then wash as you normally would.
If your whites are not too terribly stained, you can add one-half cup of lemon juice in place of bleach to your wash cycle.
Tip: It’s best to use lemon juice on cottons and polyester only!
To make a natural degreasing spray, combine 2 cups water, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon Castile soap, and 1 tablespoon baking soda in a spray bottle. Swirl the bottle to mix the ingredients well. This recipe works on almost any hard surface besides wood. The lemon fights stains and disinfects, while the baking soda acts as a gentle abrasive.
Before heading to the store to buy a furniture polish full of harmful chemicals, consider making your own natural lemon-scented furniture polish. Just combine 2 parts olive oil with 1 part lemon juice in a small container. Then apply it a cloth to wood tables and chairs.
Tip: Be sure to try the DIY polish on a small section to make sure it won’t stain. Remember – not all finishes are created equally!
A grimy bathtub is gross and uninviting. Who wants to relax in a dirty tub? You can use a lemon to clean your bathtub and leave it sparkling!
Mix equal parts baking soda and cream of tartar, then add in a little bit of lemon juice. Rub the paste on the stained tub and let it sit for 30 minutes. Then, rinse the bathtub to reveal a clean and sparkling bathtub.
Pour some lemon juice in a spray bottle and spray it directly on the shower doors. Allow it to sit for a minute or so, then wipe clean with a clean, damp cloth. Thanks to the acidity in the lemon, the soap scum comes right off!
Tip: Don’t use lemons to clean natural stone!
Litter boxes, paint fumes, and cooked fish or broccoli can leave your home smelling a tad gross. Luckily, lemons can save the day and leave your home smelling fresh and clean. Add several slices of lemon or lemon peels to a small pot of water and simmer for about an hour.
As you can see, lemons are perfect for cleaning. And not only will your home be clean, it will smell clean, too!
Do you use a lemon to clean certain areas of your home? I’d love to hear your tips in the comments!
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Thanks for sharing.
You're welcome! Thank you for your comment! :)
Lemon ideas are wonderful. However I'm anaphylactic to citrus. grrrrr.
Oh no! Well, stay away from lemons then. :D
I'll try that simmer option! Here's a weird question...I put some lemon juice (diluted) in a spray bottle, but the bottle ended up--well, the best way I can describe it, is "shrivelling". Did I not dilute the lemon juice enough?
I think the acid in the lemon can be strong enough to dissolve certain plastics, so it's probably best to use a glass bottle. The same thing has happened to me before, too!
Oh good! I'll have to keep an eye out for a glass (or metal, since I'm super clumsy) bottle! I shouldn't be using plastic anyway, for the environment's sake. Right?
Right! Lol! 😉
PS Since I worked in kitchens and food service in a former life, I always think about sanitizing/cleaning my cutting boards in a non-toxic way, but it never occurred to me to use lemon on them! Thanks for that fantastic tip! And that tip about using it on water faucets is even better!
You're welcome! I'm so glad that helped! I worked in fast food for 9 years and it always bugged me that our managers soaked the cutting boards with the other dishes. Yuck! Thank you!
Ugh, yes, so you know! I worked for Chili's actually, and (I don't know why I think that's ironic), they had one of the best track records for kitchen cleanliness. :-)
I got some new ideas here, thank you Michelle!
That's great! I'm so glad you found these tips helpful!
Great ideas. Am on it.
Thank you so much!!
Great suggestions. For many of these I use bleach, vinegar, or ammonia, but using lemon juice sounds like a much better alternative. I also slice a lemon and quarter the slices and add 1 piece to my dogs' water each day. I helps that doggie breath. The first time I did it, I put several pieces in and the dogs didn't want to drink the water.
Thank you! I can't use bleach or ammonia, but I do love using vinegar, too. I've never heard of adding lemon to dog's water before. I'll have to try that because my dog's breath isn't exactly the best. Haha!
Michelle! It's so good to see you here, my friend. You have been missed. ❤️ I've been keeping you in my prayers.
These tips are wild. You always come up with amazing ideas to share. One I can testify works 100% is cleaning the microwave with lemon water. Back in my bachelorette days, I was a comfort food cookin' fool in my microwave, LOL. Needless to say, my microwave looked like it too. I didn't want to use that chemical cleaner stuff made for that purpose so I tried this hack instead. I could not believe how easily the gunk wiped out when it was all done. Crazy easy. Plus, as a lover of lemon smell, it was a heavenly aroma too!
I will definitely be trying this out on our cutting boards though because they're not always easy to clean. The spaghetti stains? That's brilliant! I finally tossed mine, but when it happens again...oh you best believe I'm gonna try this!
Too many good ones to recap here. You're the best, Michelle. Thank you for sharing, as always. You have my love and I am always here if you should ever need me. 🤗
Awww, thank you!! It has been such a crazy busy year!
Haha! I love your microwave story! I know exactly what you mean! Those little food pieces on the microwave walls are such a pain to get off, too. Thank you for sharing that! You always know how to bring a smile to my face!
Thank you so much, my friend. I'm here for you, as well! Many hugs and love!!
Great tips! Thank you. Blessings, Michelle!
Thank you so much!
Wonderful tips, Michelle. We use lemon to clean the microwave, but I'm going to try some of these other tips.
Thank you! Lemons are great at cleaning the microwave and getting all the food smells out, too. :)