21 Ingenious Uses for the Average Lemon

Lemons truly are a powerful little fruit. Whether you need a cleaner, a deodorizer, or a flavor boost, lemons have got you covered. Here are just some of the great ways that you can utilize a lemon when you don’t need it to cook with.

  1. Refresh Your Cutting Boards: Get rid of residual smells and help sanitize your cutting boards by rubbing the cut side of half a lemon all over the boards. Rinse and wash as usual.
  2. Deodorize Your Garbage: Save some lemon peels and toss them at the base of your garbage can under the bag. Repeat this once every couple of weeks to combat odors.
  3. Make Soggy Lettuce Crisp: Add some lemon juice to a bowl of cold water. Then put the soggy lettuce into the bowl and refrigerate for an hour. Dry the leaves completely and you should be ready to use crispy lettuce.
  4. Whiten Clothes:

    Give your laundry detergent a boost when washing your whites! Just add a cup of lemon juice to the washer for whiter whites.

  5. Heartburn Relief: Suffering from heartburn? Just drink a glass of water with 2 tsp of lemon juice for some relief.
  6. Clean Grungy Nails:

    Soak your nails in a cup of warm water and the juice of 1/2 a lemon for about 5 minutes. Then take the inside of a lemon peel and rub against nails to refresh them.

  7. Soften Brown Sugar: Add a lemon peel to your brown sugar packaging to keep it soft between uses.
  8. Keep Guacamole Green:

    After you make guacamole, sprinkle a good amount of lemon juice over the top to keep it fresher and greener for longer.

  9. Lighten Age Spots: Dab at your age spots or scars with lemon juice (you can use a q-tip for this job) twice a day. Leave the juice on for 1 minutes before rinsing it off.
  10. Treat Dandruff: Massage 2 tablespoons of lemon juice into your scalp and rinse with water. Then stir a tablespoon of lemon juice into a cup of water and rinse your hair with it. Do this daily until you start to see your dandruff disappear.
  11. Prevent Kidney Stone: Drink lemon water on a normal basis to help prevent formation of crystals that can build into kidney stones.
  12. Disinfect Fruits and Vegetables: Put one tablespoon of lemon juice into a spray bottle. Then use that to spray and wash your fruits and veggies with skin. Then as the lemon juice works to disinfect, it will leave your fruits and veggies smelling nice as well.
  13. Clear Up Acne: Using a Q-tip, dab lemon juice on blackheads to draw them out.
  14. Clean Tarnished Chrome, Brass or Stainless Steel:

    Make a paste of lemon juice and salt to coat the affected area. Let it sit for 5 minutes, then wash in warm water. Rinse, then polish to dry. You can use this same method to clean metal sinks as well.

  15. Remove Stubborn Stains on Marble: Cut a lemon in half, then dip exposed part into salt. Rub this into the stain on the marble. Then rinse well. (Note: the acid could potentially damage the marble, so only do this as a last resort.)
  16. Remove Warts: Dab lemon juice on any warts you have using a Q-tip. Repeat for several days until warts dissolve completely.
  17. Give Laundry Detergent a Boost: Add in a cup of lemon juice to the washer during the wash cycle. This will help to remove rust and mineral discolorations from cotton shirts and briefs. And as an added bonus, your clothes with come out smelling lemon-fresh.
  18. Get Rid of Mildew Stains on Clothing: Create a paste out of lemon juice and salt. Then rub it on the mildew stain and leave clothes to dry in the sunlight if possible.
  19. Clean Plastic Containers:

    Get rid of lingering smells in plastic tupperware by soaking the container in a mixture of equal parts lemon juice and water.

  20. Refresh Your Humidifier: Add a few teaspoons of lemon juice to the water in your humidifier to combat smells.
  21. Clean Your Microwave:

    Mix some lemon juice in a microwave-safe bowl of water, then microwave on high for about 5 minutes. Remove the bowl, then easily wipe off the softened food on the microwave walls.