They taste sour on their own, but add delicious zest to sweet and savory dishes and drinks; their cheerful color & scent has been known to brighten up a dull room; and the sheer versatility they bring to health, beauty, cleaning, and cooking is practically magical!
We’re talking about the lemon, of course. This small but powerful fruit has hundreds of uses, and as a green cleaning service we’ve put them all to the test over the years! Its citric acid – the element that makes lemon juice taste sour, but smell wonderful—its natural antibacterial properties, and low pH balance combine to give the lemon its super boost of cleaning power.
In fact, we’re such a fan of cleaning with lemons that Limoniera, one of the largest providers of lemons in the U.S, has selected us as a New York-based cleaning expert thanks to our innovative uses of lemons as an all natural cleaning solution.
Here are our 10 favorite (and surprising!) ways to clean with lemon
#1. Clean a stinky garbage disposal with lemons
Grinding lemon rinds in the garbage disposal will clean, sanitize, and banish nasty smells leaving only their telltale fresh, clean aroma. Run hot water into the disposal when you turn it on and keep it running until you hear the disposal finish crunching up the lemon.
#2. Lemons clean your microwave
Lemon slices, a (microwavable) bowl of hot water, and a damp cloth is all you need to clean and sanitize your microwave. Kill bacteria and loosen dried food by cooking the lemon slices in the bowl of hot water for 1 minute on high. When the timer goes off, take your damp cloth and wipe out the microwave.
#3. Turn shower grout white again with lemon
Using harsh cleansers to clean shower grout is a mistake that can haunt you for days after. The humid environment of the shower keeps the smell alive and its tight quarters don’t give you any room for escape. We like to clean gritty showers using a small stiff brush—like an old toothbrush—and a mix of 1 cup of lemon juice and ½ cup of baking soda. The mixture will fizz and bubble, which means its ready to go! Scrub it into the grout with a stiff brush and wait at least 30 minutes before rinsing. The lemon will brighten grout and destroy any bacteria.
#4. Use lemon instead of dish soap to clean your pots & pans
The lemon juice and baking soda combination also works as a substitute for dish soap. Instead of combining the two in a separate bowl, use the lemon as a sponge and apply the baking soda directly to the cut side. Don’t forget to rinse dishes well so you don’t ruin your cleaning with a sticky residue.
#5. Make dingy windows sparkle with lemon
Never use chemicals to make your windows sparkle again! Mix ½ cup of lemon into a spray bottle of water, shake well, and get to work. Wipe windows down with a clean, dry cloth after you spray.
#6. Refresh your cutting boards (and containers) with lemon
Lemon juice will remove stains from cutting boards and food storage containers if you rub it in and let it sit until the stain starts to fade. Tough stains might need to soak in lemon juice overnight, others will take only a few minutes to lighten up. Rinse well and dry thoroughly when clean.
#7. Lemon makes your laundry smell like sunshine!
You don’t need to buy expensive—and dangerous—laundry products to remove stains, smells, and dullness from clothes.
- Try adding the juice of one lemon to a load of laundry (combine with detergent as normal) for better smelling clothes.
- Restore clothes to their original brightness by soaking whites in hot water and 1 cup of lemon juice before you wash.
- Lemon juice on a grease stain will lift the stain overnight, and even rust can be removed when it’s treated with a mix of lemon juice and cream of tartar.
- As with anything involving expensive clothing and laundry, please test all remedies on a small area of the fabric first.
#8. Shine copper with lemon
Pour sea salt onto the cut side of ½ a lemon and use it as a sponge to rub tarnish out of copper. Continue adding salt and rubbing until you get the results you want. Rinse and dry well when you’re finished.
#9. Clean and sanitize earrings with lemon
Earrings find themselves in drawers, at the bottom of purses, and on the floor. Sanitize the posts before putting them back in your ears by soaking them in a little lemon juice. Only the posts need to be submerged, so don’t worry about hurting expensive pieces of jewelry.
#10. Use lemon to unclog a drain
Once you try this method you won’t go back to using Drano. Mix baking soda and lemon juice—amount depends on the size of the drain (and the size of the clog)—and pour the mixture down your drain as you would with Drano. Wait at least 15 minutes before pouring hot water down the drain to test the clog. If it’s still backed up, repeat the process with more lemon juice and wait a little longer until it clears.
Try it for yourself!
We hope you’ll discover, as we have, that cleaning with lemons is an inexpensive, easy way to keep your home or office green without sacrificing cleanliness. Of course, we always recommend giving your environment a thorough scrubbing to kick off your transition into green cleaning so old chemical residue doesn’t follow you into your new healthy lifestyle.
What else can you do with lemon? We’re always open to ideas and suggestions, just leave us a comment or chat with us on Facebook anytime.