NEED A NATURAL CLEANER? TRY LEMONS
If you’re looking for ways to clean your home with fewer chemical-laden household products that adversely affect the environment, buy a bag of lemons.
This powerhouse fruit leaves windows shiny, microwaves odor-free and the environment happy. Citric acid makes it a natural cleaning agent.
Rub half a lemon over a wood or plastic cutting board; wait 20 minutes then rinse. Not only will the lemon get rid of smelly odors; it will remove stains, too.
You know how aluminum pots and pans tend to discolor after a while? No amount of dish detergent will make them look clean. But lemon juice will. Sunkist Growers, the largest lemon producer in the United States, offers this tip: Fill the pot or pan with water, add a few lemon slices, then boil. So long, stains!
When your garbage disposal gets pungent, put lemon peel down the drain and that awful smell will be replaced by a fresh fragrance. To get rid of odors inside your microwave, simply squeeze half of a lemon into a half-cup of water, set the microwave on high, and leave it for a few minutes. After wiping it down, you’ll notice a clean, lemony fragrance.
To get your copper pots or bowls to sparkle without much effort, Sunkist Growers suggests sprinkling salt on a cut lemon and rubbing it over the surfaces. You can even use lemons on windows. Fill a spray bottle with water and lemon juice, and voila! The glass will be squeaky clean and streak free. To freshen up the inside of a toilet bowl, pour some lemon juice in it, followed by salt. Eliminate soap scum on bathroom tiles and bathtubs by rubbing a half lemon on affected areas. After 30 minutes, rinse. Use the cleaner on all your surfaces.
Bleach isn’t the only thing that perks up your whites. A half-cup of lemon juice added to the wash cycle works just as well, and smells a lot better than bleach.
While an all-purpose cleaner is indispensable, if the main ingredient is vinegar, you may want to mask that strong odor. Throw some lemon peels in the vinegar mixture and breathe in the fruity scent.