9 Ways Lemons Will Make Your Life So Much Easier (and Cleaner)

You know what they say! When life gives you lemons, make…household cleaning products? Okay, that may not be how the expression goes, but that’s what we believe! Lemons aren’t just great for your ice water or your baking, there’s a lot more to this citrus than meets the eye. Watch the video below to discover nine surprising ways that you can use lemon (and lemon juice) to make your life easier and cleaner.

HACK 1: USE LEMONS TO GET YOUR WHITES WHITER

Looking for an all-natural alternative to bleach in your wash? Use lemon juice! Lemon juice will keep your clothes smelling fresh, brighten your whites, and is safe to use with colors.

HACK 2: FRESHEN YOUR HANDS

If you’ve been cutting something smelly, like onions, that stench will linger on your hands for hours. To nix the odor before it starts, wash your hands with a slice of lemon to neutralize the smell.

HACK 3: CLEAN YOUR CUTTING BOARD

The acidic nature of lemon makes it a great disinfectant! Add salt to some lemon juice to make it abrasive, then use your DIY scrub to clean dirty surfaces – like your cutting board after handling raw meat.

HACK 4: MAKE A LEMON SPRITZER

IN A LEMON. Woah. Add a spritz of lemon to food, drinks, or for cleaning with just a pump of your in-a-lemon spray bottle.

HACK 5: MAKE VINEGAR BEARABLE

Using vinegar in cleaning is very helpful, but let’s face it, vinegar reeks. To get all the benefits of vinegar with none of the stink, marinate lemon slices in vinegar and store it for a few weeks. You’ll create a lemon vinegar solution that will clean wonderfully and smell even better.

HACK 6: FRESHEN YOUR FRIDGE

While most of us use baking soda to keep the fridge fresh, some cotton balls soaked in lemon juice may be even more effective than this classic trick. Just make sure to switch out the swabs every week or so.

HACK 7: MAKE DESSERT BOWLS

Hollow our your lemon to make fancy dessert bowls! Let them sit in the fridge for a few hours and remove them to find lovely, usable ice cream bowls, perfect for some summer sorbet.

HACK 8: KEEP BUGS AWAY

Fun fact: Bugs like ants and flies hate the smell of citrus. Lemon most of all. Take some lemon scraps and tie them in a paper towel to form a bundle. Leave these bundles by doors, windows, or anywhere bugs could enter through to ward them off.

HACK 9: CLEAN YOUR COFFEE MACHINE

After some time, coffee machines get dirty with limescale which affects their performance as well as the taste of your coffee. To clean them out all-naturally, put a mixture of 1/3 lemon juice and water through the coffee maker. Run a few pots before using again.

Do you use lemon around the house in a creative way? Share it in the comments section below.