In my quest to rid my house of any chemical cleaning product, I've tried a lot of different household items to clean my house. Some don't work nearly as well as commercial products, some have a funky smell, but a few work really well and have become staple cleaning products in my house. Take lemon juice for example. I've found a whole bunch of great ways to clean with lemons and lemon juice. Here are a few of my favorites.
Freshen up the garbage disposal
I discovered this trick after my garbage disposal developed a strong, unpleasant odor. A fresh cut lemon run through the garbage disposal takes away the smell and leaves a light, fresh scent. Now whenever my sink has a smell, I chop up a whole lemon and run the pieces through the garbage disposal with cold water. After a minute or two, the smell is gone.
Remove spots on utensils
Lemon juice is naturally acidic and great at removing rust and other discolorations. My silverware had developed a few dark spots along the handles. To remove the spots, I dipped a clean, dry towel in some undiluted lemon juice and scrubbed at the spot. After a few seconds, the spot wiped off and the handle was gleaming.
Polish woodwork
My house has two wood fireplaces and every room is lined with wood baseboards. Since it's an older house, the wood is starting to show age and needs regular treatments, but I don't want to use a chemical wood polish. Instead, I mix 1 cup of olive oil with ½ cup of fresh lemon juice. I then apply the mixture to the wood and rub it in gently with a clean towel. The lemon juice and olive oil polish and treat the wood without damaging it or leaving behind a strong chemical odor.
Clean metal with lemon peel
When I clean with lemon juice, I end up with leftover lemon peels. Rather than throw the excess away, I scrub my bathroom and kitchen faucets and handles with the lemon peel. The peel is soft so it doesn't scratch the metal, but the lemon does do a good job of cleaning off water stains. After rubbing down the faucet with a lemon peel, I run a dry cloth over the surface for an extra polishing boost. One large lemon peel is enough to clean both my kitchen and bathroom fixtures.
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