20 Hacks for Cleaning With Lemon in Your Home

Lemons aren't just for making lemonade. You can use them to clean your whole house. From getting rid of rust on tools to cleaning stains on a mattress, lemons have many cleaning purposes around your home. Find out how to clean with lemons quickly and easily.

Are Lemons Good for Cleaning?

You might not think of lemons beyond adding them to your newest culinary creation. But with its high acidic content and fresh scent, lemon is great for cleaning all areas of your home. Plus, like bleach, lemons aren't going to damage your skin, respiratory system, or stuff. To clean your home naturally, grab:

• Lemons/lemon juice/lemon essential oil
• Baking soda
• Salt
• Borax
• Spray bottle
• Old toothbrush
• Microfiber cloth
• Squeegee
• Container

Kitchen Cleaning With Lemons

Cleaning your kitchen is easy. All you have to do is grab a few lemons from the fridge. From cleaning your microwave to deodorizing your refrigerator, lemons have a plethora of uses in your kitchen.

Clean and Deodorize Microwave With Lemons

Did you forget to clean out your microwave for a hot minute? Maybe you happened to burn some popcorn. Grab a lemon and a bowl of water to combat a nasty microwave.

1. Put 1 cup of water in a bowl.
2. Cut a lemon in half and juice it into the bowl.
3. Throw the lemons in the water.
4. Microwave for a few minutes.
5. Allow the steaming water to sit in the microwave for 5-10 minutes.
6. Remove the bowl and wipe out the microwave.

For a bit more scrubbing power, cut a fresh lemon in half. Dip it in baking soda and scrub the remaining gunk.

Deodorize Your Fridge With Lemons

Does your fridge have a little funk? Get those smells out quickly with a lemon.

1. Cut a few lemons in half.
2. Squeeze some of the juice onto a damp cloth.
3. Wipe down the refrigerator.
4. Put the cut lemons in the fridge for a few days.

Scrub Wood and Plastic Cutting Boards

Lemons cut through grease and gunk. Freshen up your cutting boards by adding a bit of lemon and salt.

1. Sprinkle salt on the cutting boards.
2. Cut a lemon in half.
3. Use the lemon to scrub the cutting boards in a circular motion.
4. Allow the mixture to sit for 10 minutes.
5. Rinse and dry.

Refresh Dishwasher With Lemons

Are you starting to notice a funky smell in your dishwasher after cleaning out your traps? Vanquish those smells by adding a lemon to a cycle.

1. Cut a lemon in half.
2. Push it onto a wire on the top rack. (Make sure it's skewed on there.)
3. Run a normal load cycle.
4. Enjoy that lemony fresh smell!

Freshen Garbage Disposal

Garbage disposals need cleaning too. Crazy right! After a while, your garbage disposal can start to smell a bit stagnant. Try adding a bit of lemon to deodorize and clean the gunk.

1. Cut a few lemons in half.
2. Squeeze the juice into the garbage disposal.
3. Allow it to sit for a few minutes.
4. Run the water and feed the lemon halves into the disposal slowly.
5. Let the hot water and disposal run for a minute after all the lemons are ground up.
6. Take a sniff and smile.

Degrease Pans and Bowls With Ease

It can be scary to add chemicals to your pans. Even with a complete rinse, you might wonder about eating on them. Well, you don't have to.

1. Fill the pan or bowl with hot water and a half cup of lemon juice.
2. Allow it to sit for at least an hour or more.
3. Half a lemon and rub it on the plastic or pan.
4. Rinse and dry.

If you want to add a bit more scrubbing power, dip the lemon wedge in baking soda.

Lemon for Cleaning Bathroom

When you think of smelly rooms in your home, the bathroom might just be your number one. Rather than scrubbing on your hands and knees with chemicals like bleach, lemon is an easy and natural go-to. The acids in lemon juice are great for cutting through grime and making your bathroom smell fresh.

Get Rid of Soap Scum

Soap scum quickly takes over your tub, sink, and shower curtains. Cut through it with ease.

1. Cut a lemon in half.
2. Rub it all over your tub, sink, shower curtain, etc.
3. Allow it to sit for 15-30 minutes.
4. Rinse with water and dry.

Add baking soda to the lemon wedge for a gentle abrasive.

Scrub Grout

Grout looking a little murky? Grab a toothbrush and a lemon from your fridge.

1. Squeeze the lemon over the grout.
2. Allow it to sit for 15 minutes.
3. Scrub the grout with an old toothbrush.

Freshen Toilet

Toilet bowls collect a lot of smells and bacteria. Freshen up your toilet quickly with a little salt and lemons.

1. Either juice a few lemons or pour lemon juice around the toilet bowl.
2. Sprinkle a bit of salt around the bowl.
3. Allow it to sit for 15-30 minutes.
4. Scrub with a toilet brush.
5. Flush to rinse.

For hard water stains, add a bit of borax to the mix.

Make Shower Doors and Mirrors Shine

Mirrors and shower doors in a bathroom get streaky and cloudy fast. From soap scum to hard water stains, these areas deal with a lot. Try out this method to get them gleaming.

1. Mix a cup of lemon juice and a cup of water in a spray bottle.
2. Spray down the doors or mirrors.
3. Allow it to sit for a minute or two.
4. Wipe away with a squeegee or newspaper for a streak-free shine.

Lemony Fresh Faucets

Shine up your faucets and have them smelling fresh fast.

1. Cut a lemon and squeeze the juice onto a cloth.
2. Rub your faucets.
3. Buff with a dry cloth.

For heavy soap scum on faucets, use a lemon wedge dipped in baking soda to scrub.

Using Lemons to Clean and Freshen Rooms

That lemony fresh clean doesn't stop in your bathroom and kitchen. You can use lemons for various purposes around the house. From getting rid of stains on mattresses to freshening up drawers, try out a few of these fresh recipes.

Polish Furniture

Who needs Lemon Pledge when you can combine lemon juice and white vinegar to make your own furniture polish.

1. Add equal parts lemon juice and white vinegar.
2. Shake to mix and spray down furniture.
3. Wipe off with a microfiber cloth.

Remove Stains From Mattress

Have an unknown light spill on your mattress? Get it removed quickly with a bit of salt and lemon.

1. Put several teaspoons of salt in a container.
2. Add enough lemon juice to make a paste.
3. Apply the paste to the stain.
4. Allow it to sit for an hour.
5. Vacuum off.

Freshen Drawers With Lemon

Drawers are known for getting that musty smell. You can combat that with a few dried lemon peels.

1. Allow several lemon peels to dry.
2. Put them in a cloth bag.
3. Set them in the drawers to remove the smell.

For a bit of added fragrance, you can wipe the drawers down with a bit of lemon essential oil.

Freshen Rugs With Lemon

Rugs get dirty and stained. They are also plagued with odors. Get them clean in a jiffy with this hack.

1. Sprinkle baking soda all over the rug.
2. Let it sit for 24 hours and shake or vacuum out.
3. Create a mixture of 2 parts warm water and 1-part lemon essential oil.
4. Spray and allow to dry.

Use Lemon to Wash Windows

Grimy windows can be a big problem if you have kids or pets. Get your windows clear again with this simple recipe.

1. Mix 2 tablespoons of lemon juice with 2-3 cups of warm water in a spray bottle.
2. Spray down the windows.
3. Allow the mixture to sit for a few seconds to minutes.
4. Wipe clean with a lint-free cloth.

Cleaning With Lemon Juice Around the House

Lemon juices is a multi-purpose natural cleaner you can use pretty much anywhere. It can be used to get rid of sweat stains on clothing and freshen up your furniture. You can even use it to repel ants and get rid of rust around your tub or sink.

Using Lemon Juice to Fight Stains

Lemon juice has mild bleaching properties, making it perfect for getting rid of stains on light clothing. And using it is so simple.

1. Put straight lemon juice on the stain.
2. Allow it to sit for about 10-15 minutes.
3. Add a bit of dish soap and rub the stain.
4. Rinse and add to the wash.

You can also add a cup of lemon juice to whites to help brighten the load.

Create an Air Freshener

Want to freshener up your room with the scent of lemons. Combine two great cleaners to get to easily freshen your air.

1. Combine 1 tablespoon of lemon juice with 2 tablespoons of baking soda.
2. Add it to a spray bottle with 2 cups of water.
3. Shake and spritz in your rooms.
4. Enjoy the fresh scent.

Deter Insects With Lemon

Insects like ants can be a big problem in houses. Well, lemon can deter them.

1. Add about a cup of lemon juice to a spray bottle.
2. Fill with water.
3. Spray the mixture where you find ants.

Cleaning Rust With Lemon Juice

Rust can be a common problem on the metal in your home like on faucets and tools.

1. Cut a lemon in half.
2. Dip it in salt.
3. Scrub the rust with the wedge.
4. You can also create a mixture of 1 cup of lemon juice and a tablespoon of salt.
5. Soak the rusty pieces in the mixture for several hours.
6. Remove and scrub away any remaining rust.

Lemon Is Not a Disinfectant

Natural lemons have a nice natural smell that most people enjoy. They also cut through grime well. However, they are not a disinfectant. When you are looking for a disinfectant, you need to grab bleach, hydrogen peroxide, or rubbing alcohol. These stronger cleaning agents are proven to get rid of germs. While you can infuse lemon in rubbing alcohol, you should never mix lemon and bleach.

How to Clean With Lemons

Lemons have a low pH and work great as a cleaner around the house. You can even use their juice to whiten your socks. While lemons aren't a disinfectant, lemon juice can remove anything from soap scum to rust. Plus, they won't cause any harm. Now grab a few lemons and give some of these cleaning recipes a try.