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Today is the first day of Spring and with Spring comes Spring Cleaning. For the next few Fridays, I’m going to give you ideas on how you can spring clean your house for less. What better way than to use things you already have around the house!
Did you know the acid in lemon juice removes dirt and rust stains. You can even mix it with salt to form a scouring paste. And you just thought lemons were for lemonade! Try some of these handy tips to get a little extra out of your lemons.
Use Them on Countertops!
Cut a lemon in half and dip the open side into some baking soda. Scrub down your countertops, them wipe with a wet sponge and dry. They’re clean and smell fresh. This is a great alternative for those of you who dislike harsh chemicals but aren’t up for making your own cleaning products yet. *Note, don’t try this trick on delicate stone or stainless steel, it might cause discoloration. If you’re unsure, try a test patch first.
Use Them in Your Laundry!
To brighten whites, you can add 1/2 cup of lemon juice to the rinse cycle. If you have the fancy HE front loaders like mine, you can put it where the fabric softener would go in the easy dispenser tray. Also, I’d recommend an extra rinse just to be sure it got rinsed out of the hoses. The good news is it’s safer on bleach and for those of you who have a septic system, lemons are much friendlier than bleach!
Bleach Leftover Containers!
If you have tomato soup stains in the bottom of some of your tupperware, rub lemon juice on them. Let them dry in a sunny spot and then wash them like usual. This combines the natural bleaching agent in the sun with the lemon’s super acidity. No need to buy new containers now!
Stuff Them in Your Garbage Disposal!
If your garbage disposal smells funky, quarter a lemon and stuff it in there. I usually stuff 3/4 in. Squeeze the juice of the last 1/4 over the rubber thing and scrub. Then toss the peel in. Run the pieces through and the lemons will not only clean the disposal but also make your sink smell fresh!
For more tips on how to use lemons, go HERE. Or share some of your favorite lemon tricks.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Shellie, To avoid getting those tomato soup or tomato sauce stains in your Tupperware, rinse the container and the seal in cold water first. Then when you go to clean the container again, rinse in cold water again, then clean as usual with your other dishes. None of my containers have stains
Me again. I just read what I submitted. You rinse in cold water just before you fill with tomato sauce and right after you empty the container. HTH.