The Things You Can Do with Lemon Peels and Juice
The lemons have been brought in the US by Christopher Columbus in the 16th century, and since then they have been grown in Florida. The lemons are rich in vitamin C and were used in the fight against scurvy. During the California Gold Rush the lemons were demanded highly, and there were cases when people paid up to 1$ per lemon, which is a big price even today.
You need to use the lemons every day because of the high amounts of vitamin C. They are also very reach with antioxidants called flavonoids that are crucial in the fight against heart disease, cancer and inflammation. In the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry was stated: “The anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory characteristics of Citrus flavonoids can be crucial in their activity against few degenerative diseases and especially brain diseases.”
The lemons can be added in your diet very simple, they can be integrated into vegetable juice, used in salad dressings, squeezed over veggies or used for making lemon water. But the lemon has many uses outside of the kitchen, for which you may never new.
You can use the lemons for cleaning, skin care and many different uses. Business insider wrote up a list with more than fifty uses of the lemons.
61 Ways to Use Lemons Around Your Home
Deodorizing
| Garbage disposal: Use ice cube rays and freeze lemon slices and vinegar in them. Keep several frozen cubes in your storage for cleaning and freshening. | Refrigerator: Macerate a sponge in lemon juice and leave it in your fridge for several hours. It is far better than baking soda when it comes to remove scents. | Room freshener: Stew a pot of water and add lemon skin, cloves and cinnamon sticks. |
| Humidifier: Put lemon juice in the water for your humidifier and then let the machine run for deodorizing. | Breath: Lemon water will refresh your breath (wash your mouth with plain water afterward because the lemon juice can gnaw your teeth) | Trash cans: A Put several lemon skins in your garbage can and it will help in removing the unpleasant odors. |
| Fireplace: Dry citrus skins which will help you for easier starting fire, and will also add a wonderful scent. You can simply leave the citrus skins to stay for several days. | Hands: While washing your hands with soap add some lemon juice which will help in eliminating scents such as garlic. | Cat box: Put some lemon slices in a bowl near your cat’s box in order to have fresher air. |
| Furniture polish: Mix lemon oil. Lemon juice, and olive oil in order to make furniture polish. Use cloth or towel for polishing. | Microwave: If you are one of those who use microwave, you can clean it by microwaving a bowl of water with lemon juice and lemon slices added for 3 minutes. The scents will fade away immediately. | Windows: The lemon juice is very effective against grease and grime on the windows. Mix it with cornstarch, vinegar and water for more effective cleaning. |
| Hard water stains: Cut a lemon and scrub it on your faucets and shower fixtures. This will eliminate the hard water stains and make the fixtures shinier. | Cutting boards: Spray some coarse salt on your cutting board and then scrub it with a cut lemon for refreshing effect and to eliminate the grease. You can use this for wooden salad bowls and rolling pins. | Coffee maker: Run a cycle with plain water and then add a composite of lemon juice and water to the tank. Leave it to work and then run the cycle through. Iterate the same process again and then run another water cycle (in order to remove the lemon taste wash the filter and coffee pot afterwards) |
| Rust stains on marble: Spray some baking soda on the tarnish and then add the lemon juice. Rub and iterate if needed, then wipe it with a wet towel. | Brass and copper polish: Mix the lemon juice with vinegar evenly and then using a paper towel put it on the brass or copper. Use a soft cloth to polish until it becomes dry. You can also mix lemon juice and baking soda I order to make a paste which will eliminate tarnish. | Silverware polish: Mix one tablespoon lemon juice, 1.5 cups of water and 0.5 cut instant dry milk. Macerate the silverware in the mixture through the night, then wash it off and dry. In emergency situations you can put lemon juice to blemished silverware and polish it with clean towel. |
| Dish soap booster: Add the lemon juice in the dish soap and it will boost its effectiveness. | Plastic containers: If you are using plastic containers for keeping your food, you can clean them by rubbing them with lemon juice. Leave them to dry on the sun which will help in eliminating the tarnishes. | Toilet: Put ½ a cup of lemon juice into your toilet and leave it work awhile before rubbing. For harder tarnishes you can add half a cup of borax. |
| Drains: To clear obstructed drain you need to pour down a pot of boiling water through the drain and then add half a box of baking soda and 8-12 ounces of lemon juice. The lemon juice and baking soda will generate foam. Put another bowl of boiled water which will drive off the obstruct. | Shower doors: Soak the cut half of a lemon in baking soda and then scrub the glass to clean the water tarnishes. Wash it off. | All-purpose cleaner: Mix water, baking soda, vinegar, lemon and lemon essential oil for an amazing kitchen or bathroom cleaner. |
| Cheese graters: Scrub one half of lemon over your graters to eliminate the grease without wrecking the sponge. | Hardwood floors: Mix lemon and vinegar in order to make a grime-fighting toxic-free floor cleaner. |
| Gentle bleach: Apply lemon juice in hot water and macerate white linens, then wash it as usually. You can apply one-half cup of lemon juice to your washing cycle in instead of bleach. | Spot treatment: Put lemon juice on fabric tarnishes followed by salt. Scrub the tarnishes and then wash it off. It is great for underarm tarnishes. Leave them to dry on the sun for stronger stain-fighting power. | Mildew stains: Put a paste of lemon juice and salt to the tarnish, and then leave it on sun to dry. Iterate if needed. |
| Grease stains: Combine lemon juice and vinegar and put it on the tarnish. Leave it to work and then wash it off. | Whiten tennis shoes: Sprinkle lemon juice on the white sneakers and the leave them to dry on the sun for whitening and freshening effect. |
| Prevent browning on fruits and veggies: Macerate cut apples, cauliflower, bananas, pears, potatoes and avocados In a bowl filled with lemon water to disable browning. | Revive limp lettuce:Mix the juice of half a lemon with a bowl of cold water and then macerate dampy lettuce leaves. Put them in the refrigerator and then dry the crisp leaves. | Clumpy rice:If your rice is sticking on the bowl, you can solve this problem by adding a spoonful of lemon juice to in the water during cooking. Simply plump using a fork when it’s done. |
| Ice cubes:Put some lemon slices in your ice cube trays for a better flavored beverages. | Marinade: Mix the lemon juice with your favorite oils and herbs for marinating the meat. The acidic lemon juice is breaking down the meat which is helpful in absorbing the marinade. | Buttermilk substitute: You can make a substitute for buttermilk in your recipes by adding two tablespoons of lemon juice in a cup of milk and leaving them to sit for 15 minutes. |
| Sour cream substitute: In order to substitute sour cream you will need to add lemon juice to whipped cream and leave it to rest for half an hour. |
| Hair lightener: Combine lemon juice with almond or coconut oil, and then put it on your hair before exposing in the sun. The lemon will make your hair lighter and prevent it from drying. | Age spots and freckles: Using a cotton swab apply the lemon juice which will assist in fading age spots and speckles. Apply lemon juice with a cotton swab to help fade age spots and freckles. | Brightening moisturizer: Several drops of lemon juice combined with coconut oil and used as a moisturizer will assist to hydrate and clarify your skin. |
| Whiten nails: Macerate your nails in a composite of lemon juice and olive oil. The lemon juice clarifies the nails, and the olive oil firms them. | Dandruff: Apply two tablespoons of lemon juice on your scalp and massage it. Use lemon water for rinsing. Iterate if needed until the dandruff disappears. | Acne:Lemon juice is a natural astringent which is helpful against acne if you use it twice at day. Leave it to work for 10 minutes and then wash it off with cool water. |
| Exfoliator:A mixture of lemon juice, sugar, olive oil and honey creates a supporting exfoliating scrub for your face and body. |
| Lemon water: Lemon water gives you vitamin C and potassium and also improves your digestion and immune system health. | Sore throat: Lemon has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. You will ease your sore throat by gargling with lemon water. By consuming lemon water it will provide you with vitamin C which is helpful for your immune system. | Canker sores:Lemon juice has antifungal and antibacterial characteristics. Gargling with hot lemon water you will enhance the healing of canker sores. |
| Skin rashes: Macerate a cotton ball in lemon juice and put it to rashes, like poison ivy, for easing. | Insect bites: Lemon juice can be found useful in easing the bloating and itching from the insect bites. | Coughs: Tot hot lemon water combined with honey will diminish mucous buildup and ease coughs. |
| Warts: Treating warts with lemon juice will break them down and enhance recovery. |
| Leather shoe polish: Mix one-part lemon juice with two parts of olive oil and put it on the leather shoes. Leave it to work for 10-15 minutes and then polish with cloth. | Invisible ink: Macerate a cotton swab in lemon juice and write a message on a piece of white paper. Once it is dried, expose it on a lamp or light bulb light to read your message. | Jewelry sanitizer: Mix one tablespoon of lemon juice with 1.5 cups of water. Use this mixture to sanitize earrings and other jewelry. Remember not to use it on pearls or gold. |
| Insect repellant: Cleaning floors with lemon juice and water will deflect roaches and flees. If you can’t get rid from the ants, just spray concentrated lemon juice on the areas where the ants are getting in, or put some lemon skins near the entryways to deflect insects. | Stains on your pet’s fur: In order to eliminate pink or red-colored tarnishes from around your pet’s eyes or mouth, put a paste of baking soda and lemon juice and scrub it into the fur. Leave it to work for 10 minutes and then wash it off. The paste shouldn’t get in contact with your pet’s eyes. | Berry stains on hands: Apply a paste of cornmeal and lemon juice on your hands and leave it to work. Then wash it off in and the berry tarnishes will be removed. |
| Kill weeds: You can kill the weeds with simply spraying them with lemon juice. | Dog and cat repellant: If If your neighbor’s pets are bothering you in your yard, just spray the perimeter with coffee grounds and lemon skins. The dogs and cats are not liking the odor. | Hardened paintbrushes: Boil lemon juice and splash of water and then add it in firmed paintbrushes. Leave it to work for 15 minutes and then wash it off with soap and water. The hair will be softer once it dries. |
Lemon Aromatherapy May Ease Stress and Anxiety
With the lemon essential oil for aromatherapy will yoke the healing powers of the lemons. Essential oils are including active evaporating ingredients of flowers and plants in a very concentrated form. In many ways they are the essence of the plant and are giving therapeutic benefits in small values. The substances in essential oils that are coming from flowers, twigs, leaves or bark can be breathed in, stimulating many beneficial effects. The lemon essential oil has anti-stress and anti-anxiety effects.In a study where subjects nuzzled a whisk of oils of lemon, lavender and ylang ylang their blood pressure sympathetic nerve system activity were decreased. The constipation in the elder people was relieved by aromatherapy massage with lemon, rosemary and peppermint.
The lemon’s scent is diminishing the sickness and puking during pregnancy. You can’t do anything wrong with using lemon for vitamin C or its flavor, its antioxidant and cleansing powers, for aromatherapy or anything else.
Note: Using the lemon juice over the pre-squeezed varieties you can get at the market, as the other will lose vitamin C ingredient quicker.