The most wonderful thing about citrus – which includes limes, lemons, oranges, and grapefruit and all the variations thereof – is that it’s a natural household helper. It cleans, gets rid of bad smells, and you don’t have to do much to make it work. It’s great to use squeezed fresh from the fruit for any of these ideas.
1. Wash Your Produce – Add a couple tablespoons of any type of citrus juice to the cleaning water for your produce and let soak for about 10 minutes before rinsing. It will help remove any additives, including oils and waxes that the store may have put on them.
2. Prevent Produce from Oxidation – Some produce, like apples, for example, will brown if you leave them in the air. It’s called oxidation. While it won’t really change the flavor, it won’t be as appealing with the brownish-gray color that can develop. Add a couple teaspoons of citrus juice and toss to prevent that browning.
3. Clean Your Glass Windows and Mirrors – Mix one tablespoon lemon juice per quart of warm water to make a straightforward and simple window cleaner. If you have old newspaper to wipe it off the glass, it’ll work even better.
4. Remove Stains – Rub some of any type of citrus that you have on the stain, then let set for at least ten minutes before throwing in the wash. Wash according to the fabric directions to avoid any issues. You can also use it on your countertops and in plastic that gets discolored from tomato.
5. Repel Insects – Insects don’t like the strong smell of oranges and other citrus. Use the peels or rinds anywhere you want to keep insects away. You can mix some peels, juice, and water in a spray bottle too. Spray on surfaces you wish to keep the bugs away from.
6. Polish Metal – Any type of pot other than non-stick can get cleaned with a combination of citrus and salt. One excellent method is to cut the citrus in half (most use lemon), dip it in salt, then use the fruit to scrub the pan inside and out.
7. Remove Smells from Garbage Disposal – Done with the fruit? Toss it down the garbage disposal to remove the build-up of bad smells that can happen. As you whirl up the peel in the disposal, the scent will permeate the entire house.
8. Clean Your Copper Pots – Do you have copper pots? If so, you’re in luck. Do the salt and lemon half trick again. Just rub the salt on the back of the pot to shine up the copper. It’s magic.
9. Remove Odors – Anywhere you’d like to smell better is an excellent place for citrus. You can often use the citrus just how it is to make the smells go away. You can also mix together water, baking soda and lemon juice to spray in the air to make it smell better.
10. Brighten Your Laundry – The citric acid in the lemon will break down stains, and it’ll also help whiten your clothing even better than bleach – without environmental impact. Plus, you do it the same as bleach; just add a cup of lemon juice to your wash with your detergent and notice the difference.
Once you give these ideas a try, you’ll soon prefer to use this all-natural way to keep your household smelling great, while also making it clean and fresh.
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