Cleaning With Lemons

In the New Year people make resolutions. Whether it is to be healthier by eating right and going to the gym to doing something good for someone every day or something good for yourself.  My resolution is being more conscious about what I put into my body and what type of chemicals I put myself around.  House hold cleaners can have a lot of chemicals that are harmful to you and the loved ones around you. And if they get on food you’re preparing? Forget it!  Something that has been around probably longer than humans are lemons, they have a natural cleaning power in them that we’re going to learn how to harvest!

Lemons have high amounts of citric acid in them so this helps them be able to cut through grease and dirt.  It’s low pH and antibacterial properties help it disinfect things almost better than an antibacterial wipe.  Lemons should be a staple in any home because it is a natural cleaning agent as well as useful in dishes and drinks. 

Use lemons to clean a wooden cutting board.  You take have a lemon and kosher salt (table salt can be used but the bigger grain size is better for cleaning). You cut the lemon in half and generously sprinkle the salt on the cutting board.  Using the half of a lemon, scrub the board with the salt on it.  The germs will be evicted and your cutting board will smell better and be cleaner than using a harsh chemical cleaner. 

Do your hands smell from handling fish or onions? Take some lemon slices and rub them on your hand then rinse and wash your hands like normal.  Your hands will be clean and smell lemony fresh. 

Getting produce from the grocery store is another step towards living a healthy life.  Something not so healthy about the produce? The pesticides, dirt and bacteria.  Clean hard skinned produce with a little warm water diluted lemon juice to clean the produce safely. 

Having bleach in your house with little one, or just you being clumsy, can sometimes cause a mess and unneeded stress.  Make an alternative to cleaning white without bleach.  In a large pot boil water and thinly sliced lemons.  Once it comes to a boil turn it off and add the dingy whites and let them soak for an hour.  After just wash like normal and the whites will be sparkling just like new. 

What else do you clean with lemons in your home?