If life throws you lemons, don’t make lemonade. Use them for cleaning! Lemons are one of nature’s best natural cleaners due to their acidity and fresh fragrance. Surprisingly, Lemons work as well for removing stains, dust, grime, and bad odors as most cleaning products you can buy off the shelf! This is because of their amazing acidic properties that neutralize stains such as lime scale and rust. The acidity of the lemons reacts with the lime scale or rust to soften and dissolve the deposits. They are also antibacterial cleaners as the acid in the Lemon creates a hostile environment for many types of bacteria and fungi. Read on for three useful ways that you can use lemon for cleaning around the workplace or home.
Clean the Microwave:
Microwaves are often dirty from food splatters and spills and using lemon to clean it is a cheap and effective method. All you need is a small bowl with ½ a cup of water, the juice from one lemon and a clean cloth.
Step 1: Measure out ½ cup of water into the bowl. Slice the lemon in half and add the juice and the two halves to the water.
Step 2: Place the bowl into the microwave and heat for 3 minutes. As the lemon boils, it condenses on the side of the microwave, loosening gunk and dissolving food splatters.
Step 3: Leave the door closed for five minutes while the steam inside is loosening the dirt and grime.
Step 4: Remove the bowl and wipe out the inside of the microwave. Don’t forget the door!
Tip: For any tough stains or spots, dip the cloth into the bowl of water/lemon and scrub until the stain is removed.
Clean stainless steel:
Due to its acidity, lemons are also excellent for removing deposits on stainless steel such as your sink and taps. For general cleaning of taps and faucets etc. squeeze 3-4 lemons into a cup of hot water. Soak you cleaning cloth in the water for a minute and then scrub your stainless steel until it shines like new! For the sink or any flat surface, cut a lemon in half and sprinkle some coarse salt onto the surface. Scrub the salty surface with the lemon half until the stainless steel is clean, then rinse thoroughly with warm water.
Refresh and sanitize wooden cutting boards: Wooden cutting boards can be frustrating to clean as they have small grooves that trap food and cannot be washed in a dishwasher. Although you may wash your chopping board after every use, over time you may find that your cutting board develops a layer of grime so it is a good idea to give it a ‘bath’! As well as cleaning the chopping board, the lemon also sanitizes it as the acid in the lemon kills any germs or bacteria. To do this, cut a lemon in half and sprinkle some coarse salt over the chopping board. Then using the lemon half, scour the surface, slightly squeezing the lemon as you go. Leave to sit for a few minutes then scrape the grey, dirty liquid off with a bench scraper. Finally using a cloth or sponge, wash the surface down with warm water, removing the last of the grime!