Lemonade is the most popular product of lemons that everyone knows. There’s even an old saying related to this, and as lemonade seems satisfactory enough, a lot of people don’t really care about doing further research into the other utilities that lemons have to offer.
Well, you definitely aren’t one of them. In this article, we show you just what else to do with lemons in your kitchen, including the fruit’s relations with pots, coffee makers, and fabric. So let’s dive right in.
Freshener For Your Kitchen Sink
Your kitchen sink has accommodated all sorts of food. For one, you can’t deny loading it up with rotting food or even food that is perfectly okay one time or another. Some even additionally serve as garbage disposals.
Well, as you’d expect, the sink will start to smell, and the smell won’t be a pleasant one. But, if you have some lemons by your side, then you already have a quick fix for this bad odor. The citric acid in lemons gets rid of compounds like amines, which are sources of bad odor.
So you can throw some lemon and ice cubes pieces into the garbage disposal and turn it on to freshen up the scent. However, to maximize the effect, you can mix lemon juice with lemon zest, baking soda, and salt before throwing it into your garbage disposal.
Cleaner For a Microwave
Food gunk can get on your microwave turntable or any other part of it and, more times than not, we leave them uncleaned and just take out our food. But, leaving these for some time makes them hard to clean up, and, in this case, lemons come in handy.
The use of lemons to clean microwaves comes in two layers. First, cut your lemon into two halves and squeeze the lemon juice into a water bowl. Next, place the lemon halves without juice into another bowl and put this into the powered microwave for about three minutes.
This loosens the food gunk, and you can easily use a cloth to clean it up. If a stain proves stubborn, simply dip the cloth in the lemon-water mixture and use it appropriately. Next, clean the turntable, door, and every other part of your microwave.
Cleaner For an Oven
Just as clean your microwave, you also make use of lemons to clean your oven. The only difference is that the food gunk and grease are generally heavier, and you need more stringent measures.
After rubbing some lemon juice all over the oven, you can leave it to sit for about 30 minutes, rather than three minutes, as in the case of microwaves. Then, use a damp cloth to clean up the food gunk and grease, and your oven will be squeaky clean again.
Like with microwaves, also have a bowl of lemon-water mixture by your side. If a stain is difficult to remove, dipping the cloth in this mixture eases the process. Remember to cover every part of the oven also.
Stain Removal For Kitchen Cloths
Oil spills, tiny drops of water on the kitchen counter, and food smears on the cooker. Your kitchen rags and towels have been through a lot and probably need some resuscitation.
Do you have lemons lying around without a use for them? Then they are of great use in getting stains off of these pieces of cloth without much fuss. In addition, lemon juice (thanks to citric acid) serves as a perfect bleaching agent.
You simply boil some water with slices of lemon in it, put your kitchen cloth-like rags and aprons in it, and then leave them in the water overnight. Once you’re ready, you then wash your cloth with soap and water to properly remove the stain.
Cleaner For a Cutting Board
Your cutting board has constant contact with your knives, which creates little crevices on its surface. So, when you cut up different food items like meat, fruit, tubers, and whatnot, tiny pieces of it gets stuck in the crevices.
How do you easily get rid of these, especially knowing they can rot on the cutting board? Lemons are quite helpful and serve as a comprehensive cleaning agent. “Comprehensive” because lemons are great at removing stains and clearing up bad odors.
What you do is simply cut your lemon in half and rub it on the surface of your cutting board. You could also sprinkle some salt on the cutting board before rubbing the lemon and then leaving the juice to sit for a few minutes. Wash off the juice with water when done.
Polish For Cooking Utensils
Your cooking pots and pans have also been through a lot, from fire to hot surfaces and water. Tarnish is almost inevitable, but what if we told you that lemon brings their shine back?
As usual, the citric acid in lemons is the agent and how you apply lemon to your utensils depends on what they are made of. You only need to cut the lemon in half and rub it against their body for chrome and brass utensils. You then use a cloth to wipe off the lemon and give the utensils a shine.
Copper and stainless steel utensils need more attention. As usual, cut your lemon in half, but also apply salt to the freshly-cut side. Rub this side against the body of your pot and use a cloth to apply shine to it. It won’t remove all the tarnish, but your utensils will indeed have a renewed life.
Cleaner For Beverage Makers and Kettles
You wake up in the morning and start your day with beverages. Whether tea or coffee, this represents the daily routine of many other people, and, like these people, you may not pay much attention to cleaning your coffee makers and tea kettles.
A quick rinse is not enough, and after a while, you’d expect to see deposits of coffee and tea grains at the bottom of your marker or kettle. These give your beverages an awkward taste. One thing you want to do once a month is to add ordinary water mixed with lemon juice and boil this in your coffee maker or kettle.
Pour this out, and then rinse your beverage maker with just water afterward. Mineral deposits are easily cleared off this way, and your clean your kettles without much problem.
Stain Removal For Bowls and Plates
You are done eating but don’t wash your plates or bowls immediately. Many of us are like that, and, yes, food gunk and stains then become harder to get rid of. But, there’s even more to worry about with food bowls.
We all have that one bowl with a smell that wouldn’t just disappear. Maybe we placed food in it for some time, and now our soap can’t get rid of its smell. Making use of lemons should be your go-to solution, and it’s simple.
Cut your lemon in half, apply some coarse salt to the exposed part of it, and rub it along the inside of your bowl or on your plate. Hard stains are gotten rid of immediately. You may also rinse the bowls with lemon juice to eliminate the smell. This also works great for cleaning plates.
Freshener For Fridges
Many things go into your fridge, and the spills in it cause mold and foul odors if it isn’t taken care of properly. Well, lemons are also great for keeping the smell in your fridge as fresh as possible at all times.
You simply cut up your lemons, place the pieces on a plate, and place this plate into your fridge.
The lemon pieces clear up the smell in the refrigerator. Replacing the pieces of lemon after a few weeks ensures your fridge remains fresh always.
Create an All-Purpose Kitchen Cleaner
Well, we have seen that lemons are excellent for cleaning anything you make use of in the kitchen. However, how you clean these depends on the appliances and, sometimes, having to cut up lemons before you get to work is a little draining. So why don’t you create an all-purpose cleaner out of it?
All you need are lemon peels and white vinegar that fill up half of a large mason jar. Place your lemon peels in a large mason jar filled halfway up with vinegar and keep this mixture in the dark room for up to two weeks.
Once this time has elapsed, you simply strain the mixture and separate the peels from the liquid using a sieve. Next, collect the liquid in a large bowl and pour it into a spray bottle for easy dispensing. You may add some thyme and rosemary to make the mixture smell better.
Conclusion
Whether it be the removal of tough stains, just freshening up the air, or even giving your metalware a new shine, lemons come in handy. Try out these uses for lemons today!