Here are 66 things you can do with a lemon:
DEODORIZING
Freshen your fridge:
Soak a cotton ball or sponge in lemon juice and leave it in the fridge
for a few hours — your fridge will smell so much better, and it works
even better than baking soda.
Make a DIY room freshener:
Throw lemon peels, cloves, and cinnamon sticks into a pot of simmering
water. It will make your whole house smell amazing, get rid of odors,
and humidify the air, too.
Deodorize the humidifier: Pour
in lemon juice with the humidifier water. Turn it on and let it run —
the lemon juice will naturally deodorize the machine plus make the room
smell fantastic.
Make your breath smell better:
Drinking lemon water and combat the bacteria in your mouth. Just make
sure to rinse with water afterwards since lemon juice can erode your
teeth.
Deodorize trash cans: Throw a few peels into the trash can to keep everything smelling as fresh as possible.
Make the fireplace smell amazing: Use
dried citrus peels like lemon and orange as kindling — to prepare, let
them sit out on the counter for a few days so they can fully dry.
They’ll act as a flame starter and will make the fire extremely
aromatic.
Remove odors from hands: Whether
it’s garlic or fish, cooking can make your hands smell horrible. Wash
them with lemon juice and some soap to eliminate unwanted odors.
Neutralize cat-box smells:
Make your home smell better by neutralizing the acidic smell of your
cat box with a few lemon slices placed nearby in a bowl. It will have
the same effect as store-bought air fresheners.
CLEANING
Remove food build up from a microwave: Place
a bowl of water, lemon juice, and slices of lemon into the microwave.
Heat on high for three minutes and remove the bowl. Any leftover food
that used to be caked on will wipe right off and your microwave will
smell amazingly clean.
Clean windows: Because
it's acidic, lemon juice is great at cutting through grease or grime
build up on windows and glass. You can also mix it with cornstarch,
vinegar, and water for an even better window cleaning treatment.
Remove hard water stains from faucets: Hard
water can make your tub dingy and leave you with unsightly stains on
faucets and shower heads. Remove build up by taking a cut lemon and
rubbing it on your shower fixtures — they’ll look shiny and new when
you’re done.
Clean cutting boards:
Freshen your dirty, greasy cutting boards with a handful of coarse salt
and a cut lemon. Sprinkle salt on the cutting board and then rub it in
with the cut side of a lemon. Wipe off the salt or rinse the board in
the sink — easy. You can do the same thing with rolling pins and wooden
salad bowls.
Revive your old coffee maker: Run
your coffee maker through a full water-only cycle. Then, mix a solution
of lemon juice and water together and pour it into your coffee maker
water tank. Allow it to sit before turning it on and letting it run
through the cycle. Make a fresh solution and repeat the process. Run
another water cycle and soak the carafe, filter, and coffee reservoir in
dish soap and water to remove any lemon taste.
Clean marble: To
remove rust stains from marble, sprinkle baking soda on the stain and
add some lemon juice. Scrub and add more lemon juice and baking soda as
needed. Wipe immediately with a clean, wet rag.
Polish brass and copper: Combine
equal parts lemon juice and vinegar and then wipe the mixture on the
metal with a paper towel. Polish with a soft cloth until dry. You can
also combine lemon juice and baking soda to make a paste and have a
similar effect to remove tarnish.
Polish silverware: Mix
a tablespoon of lemon juice with 1 1/2 cups of water and 1/2 cup
instant dry milk. Let the silverware sit overnight and then rinse and
dry. If you’re in a hurry, simply pour some lemon juice on tarnished pieces of silverware and buff with a clean cloth.
Make your dish soap more effective: Add a teaspoon of lemon juice to dish soap to cut through grease on dishes and make your soap even more effective.
Bleach plastic Tupperware:
If your Tupperware is soaking up colors from your favorite spaghetti or
tomato soup, rub with some lemon juice and let it dry in the sun to
bleach away the stains.
Clean the toilet: Pouring
in 1/2 cup of lemon juice and letting it sit will make toilet stains
easy to tackle with a brush (and make the bathroom smell citrusy). You
can also add 1/2 cup of borax for extra stain fighting powers.
Unclog a drain:
Pour boiling water down the drain and then half a box of baking soda
followed by 8-12 ounces of lemon juice. The lemon juice will react with
the baking soda causing it to turn into a foam. Then pour more boiling
water down the drain to rinse away the foam and the clog.
Remove water stains on shower doors: Cut a lemon in half and dip one half into baking soda. Rub onto the glass and then rinse and dry.
Create an all-purpose cleaner:
Combining water, baking soda, vinegar, lemon, and lemon essential oil
will create an amazing all-purpose cleaner for the kitchen or the
bathroom. Get directions here.
Clean cheese graters:
Instead of ruining your sponge, clean your cheese graters using a half
of a lemon instead. It won’t matter if it gets grated a little and the
acid in the lemon will cut through the cheese easily.
Polish hardwood floors: Make
your own lemon-vinegar floor cleaner to fight mold, bacteria, and
germs. It also has the added benefit of being non-toxic and will make
your floors look great.
LAUNDRY
Spot treat your shirts:
Pour lemon juice on the stain and add some table salt. Rub the stain
between your fingers and then rinse. This is especially helpful with
dark underarm stains, and will be even more effective if you let the
clothing dry in the sun.
Get mildew stains out of clothes: Make
a paste with lemon juice and salt and rub it into the infected area.
Let it dry in the sun, and repeat until the stain is gone.
Remove grease stains: Mix lemon juice with vinegar and apply to the stain. Let it sit and then rinse off.
Whiten tennis shoes: Spray
lemon juice on white athletic shoes and let them dry in the sun. It
will bleach the fabric and even make them smell better.
COOKING
Revive limp lettuce: When
lettuce starts to get soggy, you can soak the leaves in a bowl of cold
water with the juice from half a lemon. Refrigerate for an hour and then
dry leaves before adding to salads or sandwiches.
Keep rice from clumping: Add
a spoonful of lemon juice while rice is cooking so it doesn’t stick
together at the end. Let it cool when it’s done and then fluff with a
fork.
Upgrade your ice cubes: Freeze
lemon slices in ice cube trays (or cupcake trays if you want bigger ice
cubes) and use them to add some zest to a standard glass or pitcher of
water.
Marinate meats:
Lemon juice is a brilliant marinade when added with oils and herbs. The
acid in the lemon juice will break down the meat so that the oil and
spices can flavor it even better.
Make candied lemon peels: Instead
of throwing away your lemon rind, you can make candy out of it that you
can put on cakes, into cookies, or just eat as a snack. All you need to
do is boil the peels a few times with sugar and coat in sugar.
Keep brown sugar soft: Adding
a lemon slice to brown sugar will keep it soft. The moisture from the
lemon will keep the sugar from becoming rock hard and unusable.
Boost flavor and reduce salt intake:
Studies have shown that if you use lemon juice and lemon zest, you’ll
use less salt to boost the flavor of your dishes. It's a healthier
alternative instead of constantly reaching for salt and pepper.
Make a buttermilk substitute: If
you don’t have buttermilk, add two tablespoons of lemon juice to a 1%
or 2% cup of milk. Let it sit so the acid sours the milk for 15 minutes
and then add it to the recipe.
Make a sour cream substitute:
Similar to the buttermilk tip above, lemon juice will sour whipped
cream if you let it sit for 30 minutes or so. It will also cut your
calories if you’re used to adding a dollop of sour cream to a baked
potato.
Make lemonade: You know what they say about life giving you lemons. Add some gin if you want a grown up lemonade.
BEAUTY
Fade age spots or freckles:
Lemon juice will lighten and brighten skin by reducing freckles as well
as fading age spots. Wash you face, pat dry, and then apply lemon juice
with a cotton swab.
Make a brightening moisturizer:
Mix coconut oil with a few drops of lemon juice to hydrate skin and
brighten it at the same time. Since both are anti-fungal, the mixture
will also help prevent acne.
Whiten and strengthen nails: Mix
lemon juice with olive oil and soak your nails. The lemon juice will
brighten the nail while the olive oil will strengthen it.
Fight dandruff: Massage two tablespoons of lemon juice into your scalp and then rinse with lemon water. Repeat until dandruff is gone.
Fight acne:
Lemon juice is a natural astringent which will fight the oil and
clogged pores that can cause acne. After cleaning your face and patting
dry, apply lemon juice to your face. After 10 minutes, rinse off with
cool water. Repeat twice daily.
Exfoliate your skin: Combine
lemon juice, sugar, olive oil, and honey to create a nourishing scrub
for your skin. Apply to your body and face before rinsing off.
HEALTH
(Shutterstock)Drinking lemon water is good for you since it has potassium and Vitamin C.Start your day with lemon water: Drinking lemon water will give you a dose of Vitamin C, potassium, and will aid digestion and give your immune system a boost.
Soothe a sore throat: Lemon
juice has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties which can help
a sore throat. It also has lots of Vitamin C to help boost your immune
system.
Treat canker sores: Because
lemon is both anti-fungal and antibacterial, it will speed up the
recovery time of a canker sore. Simply add lemon juice to a cup of hot
water. Let steep, and then gargle with the solution. It will sting, but
that means it’s working.
Soothe skin rashes: Soak a cotton ball in lemon juice and apply to the rash. This works especially well with poison ivy.
Stop itchy insect bites: Rubbing
a bit of lemon juice on insect bites will relieve the swelling and
itching. Just make sure not to go outside with it on since you might
attract more bugs.
Reduces phlegm and soothes a cough: Adding a little lemon juice with honey to hot water will reduce mucous build up, which can help you get better faster.
Remove warts: If
you don’t want to go to the doctor to treat your wart, try lemon juice
as a do-it-yourself option. Dabbing lemon juice on the wart will break
it down and it should disappear in two weeks.
MISCELLANEOUS
Make invisible ink:
Squeeze lemon juice into a bowl of water and then dip a cotton swab
into it. Write a message on white paper and then wait for it to dry
before heating the paper close to a lamp or light bulb to see the
message.
Sanitize jewelry:
Add a tablespoon of lemon juice to 1 1/2 cups of water. This is
especially good for sanitizing earrings, but should not be used on
pearls or gold.
Repel bugs from your home: Mop
your floors with lemon juice and water to ward off roaches and flees,
and spray concentrated lemon juice on any areas you think bugs like ants
may be getting in. Bonus points if you throw some lemon peels outside
of entryways.
Remove pet stains from fur:
Pinkish-red stains can sometimes form around your pet's eyes and mouth.
To remove these stains, combine baking soda and lemon juice and rub it
onto fur. Keep it away from your pet's eyes and wait for about 10
minutes before rinsing off. Always check with a vet first to make sure
it's safe.
Remove berry stains from your hands: Berries
can dye your hands red if you’re not careful, especially if you’re
slicing, rinsing, or cooking with them. To get rid of them, make a paste
of cornmeal and lemon juice and rub onto hands, let sit, and rinse off.
Kill weeds:
Lemon juice will kill any weeds you don’t want growing in your yard or
driveway. Fill a spray bottle with the juice and douse the offending
plants.
Make your own dog and cat repellent:
If neighborhood cats and dogs are using your lawn as a litterbox,
combine lemon peels with coffee grounds and place them where the pets
usually ‘go’ — they hate the smell and will soon head to other yards.
Save hardened paintbrushes:
If your paintbrushes look like there’s no saving them, bring lemon
juice and a little water to a boil and throw in the brushes to sit for
15 minutes. Wash them with soap and water afterwards and let dry.
Bristles should feel soft again.
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