Lemon Juice is for more than Lemonade - Great Uses for Lemon Juice

Lemon juice is nature’s deodorizer, bleacher, and cleaner.  It has a pH of about 2.0 to about 2.3, which is highly acidic.  Here is just a few ways to harness that power in your home.

Uses for Lemon Juice In the Kitchen

Polish copper by rubbing it with a lemon juice soaked cloth and buffing it dry.

Deodorize your garbage disposal and drain by grinding one half of a lemon in the garbage disposal.  Add ½ cup of ice to sharpen the grinder’s blades.

For sparkling and spot-free clean smelling dishes, add half a lemon to the dishwasher and run with your regular detergent.

Good cooks know that you can substitute half as much lemon juice for salt in your dish and it will taste great and reduce the sodium content of the dish.

Clean and deodorize your cutting boards - plastic or wood – by rubbing them with a cut lemon half. For stubborn stains (like the juice from beets) or caked-on food, use some coarse salt or baking soda to help scrub the board clean. Rinse well and dry.

If drinking glasses or serving dishes are dull, rub with a cut lemon or soak in lemon juice and water to add sparkle. This woks great on cloudy coffee pots, pitchers, or decanters.

Don’t throw out a used lemon!  Even if you have zested the peel and used the juice there is still some power in that lemon. Drop the used lemons in a small pot of water, bring to a boil and then simmer for a few hours. Your entire home will smell fresh.

Cleaning with Lemon Juice

Remove lime scale, hard water stains, and soap residue from your faucets and porcelain fixtures by rubbing with lemon juice.

For fresh smelling laundry and to brighten whites and remove some stains, add lemon juice to a wash cycle along with your detergent.

To remove unsightly shirt collar and underarm perspiration stains scrub with a mixture of equal parts lemon juice and water.  For extra bleaching, let dry in the sun.

Make your closets smell fresh and ward off moths by hanging sachets of dried lemon peels.

Mix 1 part lemon juice with 2 parts olive oil to make a natural furniture polish.

First Aid & Personal Care Uses for Lemon Juice

Lemon juice can be used to lighten scars and lessen their appearance.  Once a week, rub the scar with a cut lemon and leave it there for fifteen minutes. Rinse with cool water and pat dry.

To stop a nose bleed, apply lemon juice to a cotton ball place in the nostril

Mix lemon juice and water and swish in your mouth to relieve a canker sore. Add salt and gargle for a sore throat relief

Remove hair product build-up by rinsing your hair with 1 part lemon juice to 4 parts water.  Rinse lemon mixture through your hair and then rinse with water.

Apply lemon juice to hair and sit in the sun to speed up blond highlights

To soften cuticles, soak in a mixture made of  2 tsp. lemon juice, 1 tsp honey, and 1/2 cup warm water. Rinse hands, dry, and push back cuticles.

You can use lemon juice to shorten the healing time of a cold sore. Just dab a little lemon juice on and while it will burn a little, the juice will act as an astringent and promote healing.

Apply lemon juice directly to affected areas to relieve the itching and rash from poison ivy.

To stop the itch from insect bites or allergic reactions,  make a paste of lemon juice and cornstarch and  rub gently on the spots.

Images courtesy of Sommai / FreeDigitalPhotos.net