12 Amazing Uses for Lemons

Kevin is a huge lemon fan; I am a lime fan {especially in spring & summer}. On any given week, no matter what, our fruit bowl will always have some lemon in it.

I know lemon is really good for you, but I just can’t get past that tart taste. Anyways, last week I mentioned my post about homemade “green” cleaners and I began to think a little more about this lemon fetish of my husbands.

In addition to helping your bodies absorb antioxidants and being a great grease cutter, lemons may be the new fruit of choice… lemon to the aid.

Here are 12 amazing uses for the sunny-yellow fruit… {let’s make some lemonade of of these lemons}…

1. Save the Scraps. Kevin saves his squeezed peels so I cut them down and throw them into our garbage disposal for that “fresh kitchen smell”…

2. Make a Paste. Take some lemon juice & baking soda and make a paste, then rub the solution on your aluminum pans, then buff & watch them shine! Have copper pots? No problem, make a paste of lemon juice & salt to remove oxidation. Rinse well & dry completely.

3. De-Stain Your Laundry. Squeeze lemon juice on an ink stain, let it sit overnight, and then launder as usual. Repeat if needed before you dry it. {It works… Kevin got ink on his nice dress pants last week & it’s gone now}

4. Eliminate Fireplace Odor. There’s nothing cozier on a cold winter night than a warm fire burning in the fireplace — unless the fire happens to smell horrible. Next time you have a fire that sends a stench into the room, try throwing a few lemon peels into the flames. Or simply burn some lemon peels along with your firewood as a preventive measure.

5. Refresh Cutting Boards. No wonder your kitchen cutting board smells {especially if yours is wooden}! After all, you use it to chop onions, crush garlic, cut raw and cooked meat and chicken. To get rid of the smell and help sanitize the cutting board, rub it all over with the cut side of half a lemon or wash it in undiluted juice straight from the bottle.

6. Smooth & Shiny. Polish chrome faucets with a paste of baking soda and lemon juice.

7. Keep Your Food from Browning. Potatoes and cauliflower tend to turn brown when boiling, especially when you’re having company for dinner. You can make sure the white vegetables stay white by squeezing a teaspoon of fresh lemon juice into the cooking water.

8. Sticky Rice. To keep our rice from sticking together in a gloppy mass, we add a spoonful of lemon juice to the boiling water when cooking. When the rice is done, let it cool for a few minutes, then fluff with a fork before serving.

9. Sooth Sunburn. Mix lemon juice and cool water and gently apply to your skin. It will help your body recover more quickly from mild sunburn. {This is going to come in handy because my husband burns easy; while I just tan… he hates the slightest bit of pink skin}

10. Whiten Fingernails. Rub a wedge on the surface of your nails.

11. Elephant Elbows. Lighten, smooth, and soften elbows with lemon juice.

12. Get Fresh. Use a cut lemon as an all-natural deodorant for armpits & feet

{I must admit… we haven’t tried this one yet ;)}

Love everyday uses for household items, maybe “green cleaning”? Check out our post on homemade cleaners!

{This post was added to We are THAT Family’s Tip Party}

So, for real… do you use any of these tips? Have your own? DO SHARE!