When life hands you lemons, there’s so much more you can do than just make lemonade. Lemons are great for cooking, but they can also help with a variety of things within the home, including cleaning, removing foul odors, and helping cure stomach aches.
Lemons are great to keep around, as they are readily available, inexpensive and extremely versatile. Next time you need to find an easy solution to a household problem, consider these seven creative uses for lemon.
1. Preserve Produce
To prevent fruits and vegetables like apples, avocado, and lettuce from turning brown or going bad, squeeze a little lemon over them to help keep them preserved for longer. The acsorbic acid in the lemon helps protect produce from oxygen, which is what causes them to turn brown.
2. Remove Tarnish From Jewelry
Spruce up your metals using just a mixture of lemon juice and water. This works well with silver and copper, but it’s not recommended for gold or pearls. The acid in the lemon juice helps to remove tarnish.
3. Restore Furniture
Lemon juice helps to restore old furniture by removing stains and helping to add moisture. Create your own furniture polish by mixing together lemon juice, olive oil, vinegar, and gently apply using a soft cloth.
4. Create A Natural Air Freshener
Instead of using chemical-filled air fresheners, which can have negative health effects, create your own using lemon.
Use the leftover peels to create a natural deodorizer by boiling them in a pot of hot water. You can also stick a piece of lemon down the garbage disposal to help get rid of any unwanted smells.
5. Improve Digestion
Most of us have heard that we should begin our day with a glass of warm water and lemon; this is because lemon water can help slow the absorption of your food and improve digestion. It is also a good way to get in vitamin C without ingesting too much sugar.
6. Relieve Mosquito Bites
If you’re experience discomfort and itchiness from a mosquito bite, rub a little lemon on it. The citric acid helps numb the itch, and the lemon also helps to cleanse and heal the skin.
7. Whiten Nails
Freshen up dull and yellow nails by mixing lemon juice with baking soda. Allow the lemon juice to sit on your nails, and it will work as a natural bleaching agent to lighten up your nails.
Photo by Growing a Green Family 
Photo by Muffet