It’s Friday and I’m to officially conclude my rain with the household diaries. Monday, you heard all about eggshells and Wednesday, I taught you about coffee grounds. Friday, despite being one of the sweetest days will be devoted the sourest of fruits – lemons! Yes, lemons are beyond all reproach, because they have hundreds of uses at home. They augment tea and their scent brings a certain amount of joy, otherwise cleaning products wouldn’t try to recreate this smell.
Truth is lemons will forever symbolize cleanliness and freshness and truth is they stand their ground just fine when it does come to homemaking. You just wait and see what I can show you.
Let’s start with the obvious.
Lemons Kill Bad Smells
If you imagine cleaning to be an ancient arena, then your lemon is the gladiator who can cleave a strong opponent in half with little effort to none. You’ll be surprised just how potent lemon scent is at neutralizing smells.
Does your oven smell suspiciously of meals you have prepared days ago (a common grievance)? Then all you need to do is leave a mug with water and lemon juice to heat at the highest setting. The thermal treatment will release the high levels of natural acid, which in turn will dig into the microwave’s walls and kill whatever causes the bad smells. All you need to do is then wipe the insides thoroughly and voila no smells left.
You can take this knowledge and put it to the test in other areas. Rubbish bins can benefit from a small heap of lemon rinds to stay overnight to kill the smell of rot. Lemon rinds left atop drawers in the bathrooms can kill off any bad odours, which are natural to occur.
If you’re anything like me, then you wish to know whether you can take things to an extreme and with lemons, you certainly can. Slice three lemons and simmer then in four cups of water for the duration of two hours, provided you fill in water when it eventually evaporates. Your home will smell fresh and clean without having to resort to any artificial deodorizers, most of which have been proven to afflict your health in the long run.
Bonus: Fresh citrus smells have a positive effect on depression.
Lemons Are Bacteria Slayers
Although hospitals and laboratories will opt for something stronger, you will be surprised at how much work lemons can achieve when preforming as antiseptic. My grandmother insists that we should perform domestic cleaning with lemons, because given its natural acidic qualities, it kills a variety of common domestic bacteria and microbes that hide within household dust.
The acid makes this citrus fruit perfect as a metal cleaner and will guarantee a smooth shine with no spots to mar it. Application doesn’t need to be overly complicated. Cut one fruit in half and rub it in until the juice stops flowing and then polish with a clean cloth.
Lemon juice doubles as a natural, safe-to-use bleach that can whiten sheets and at the same time brighten colored clothes. It breaks down the minerals in hard water, thus making it irreplaceable in cleaning porcelain objects.
As you can see, lemons impress with their versatility and should you need a quick fix around the house, but have no time to go buy a certain detergent, you have your tool at hand. Personally, I prefer to have lemon slices in my tea. The rest seems a bit of a sacrilege.
