7 Alternative Uses For Lemon In Your Home

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.

avocado photo

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.

jewelry photo

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.

wood chair photo

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.

lemon peel photo
Photo by bigal_60714

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.

lemon water photo
Photo by Sam Fox Photography

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.

mosquito bite photo
Photo by camerabee

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.

nails photo

Photo by Growing a Green Family

Photo by Muffet

Food, Home
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About the Author
Carina Wolff
Carina is a health and wellness journalist based in Los Angeles. When she’s not writing, doing yoga, or exploring mountains and beaches, she spends her time cooking and creating recipes for her healthy food blog, Kale Me Maybe. Carina is also an ongoing writer for Bustle, Reader's Digest, FabFitFun, and more.

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