Household Uses for Lemon Juice: Clean Silver and Brass, Remove Smell of Garlic and More

Lemons, originally called “the golden apples” originated in India and were used to trade for many other valuables. This fruit is just as useful to people today, and many don’t realize how many uses there are for the inexpensive lemon.

Do you have blemishes? Mix the juice of one medium lemon with one tablespoon of honey and apply to clean face. Rinse. Your skin will be glowing and future blemishes are greatly reduced.

Need buttermilk for a recipe but don’t have any on hand? Mix one cup of milk with a tablespoon of lemon juice for a buttermilk substitute that works great!

To sanitize your dishwasher and remove mineral deposits and odors, remove all dishes. Place ¼ cup of lemon juice in the soap dispenser and run through the normal cycle. Your dishwasher will be clean and smell wonderful!

To freshen a stinky garbage disposal, slice a medium sized lemon into the disposal and turn on the disposal with running water until the lemon is gone.

To clean grout around tiles, apply lemon juice and water with a toothbrush and scrub.

To clean copper pots, cover the surface of a half lemon with salt and scrub. Rinse and buff with a soft cloth for a beautiful shine.

To clean silver, clean with lemon juice and buff with a soft cloth.

Lemon juice also cleans the tarnish off brass.

To freshen the air, squeeze a few drops of lemon juice into the vacuum cleaner bag before vacuuming.

To clean glass shower doors, apply lemon juice with a sponge. Dry with newspapers for a sparkling shine.

To remove the smell of garlic or onions from your hands, rub with a lemon slice and rinse.

To brighten whites that can’t be bleached, just pour a quarter of a cup of lemon juice into the washing machine.

If someone ends up with a small cut or scrape, dab it with some lemon juice to disinfect the wound. It will also take the itch out of poison ivy.

To remove fruit, baby formula stains, or rust on colored clothing, mix a paste of cream of tartar and lemon juice. After checking the fabric for colorfastness, apply the mixture and let it set for 15-30 minutes. When stain is lifted, launder as usual.

To clean countertops and remove stains (including laminate and stone countertops), apply salt to the cut side of a lemon and scrub. Rinse and dry.

To freshen the microwave, place a few lemon slices covered with water in a small bowl and microwave on high for one minute.

To clean and disinfect cutting boards, wash with lemon juice and dry in the sun.

To freshen the air, place a teaspoon of cinnamon over lemon slices and cover with water. Simmer in a saucepan for 15 minutes on medium heat.

To make your own furniture polish that is much better for the wood than what you can buy, prepare enough for a single preparation (make fresh each time you use it.) Mix the juice of one lemon, one teaspoon olive oil and a teaspoon of water. Apply a thin coat to furniture and buff to a deep shine.

To remove ink from fabric, apply lemon juice liberally while the ink is still wet. Then wash the garment on the normal cycle with regular detergent in cold water.

To cure dandruff, apply one tablespoon of lemon juice to your hair. Shampoo, then rinse with water. Rinse again with a mixture of two tablespoons of lemon juice and two cups of water. Repeat every other day until dandruff disappears.

To write with invisible ink, use a cotton swab as a pen to write in lemon juice on a piece of white paper. Once it dries, hold the paper near a hot light bulb (don’t touch!). The writing will turn brown.

To eliminate blackheads, rub lemon juice over blackheads before going to bed. Wait until morning to wash off the juice with cool water. Repeat for several nights until you see a big improvement in the skin.

To create blonde highlights, rinse your hair with one-quarter cup lemon jucie with three-quarters of a cup water.

To remove fruit and berry stains on your hands, rinse hands with lemon juice.

To whiten, brighten, and strengthen fingernails, soak fingernails in lemon juice for ten minutes, then brush with a mixture of equal parts white vinegar and warm water. Rinse well.

To stop bleeding and disinfect minor wounds, pour lemon juice on a cut or apply with a cotton ball.

To relieve poison ivy, apply lemon juice over the affected areas to soothe itching and alleviate the rash.

To eliminate odors in your humidifier, pour three or four teaspoons of lemon juice into the water.

To relieve rough hands or sore feetk apply lemon juice, rinse, then massage with olive oil.

If you still don’t know what to do with those extra lemons, try this:

Southern Lemonade
1 ½ cups fresh squeezed lemon juice
7 cups ice cold water
1 ¼ cup sugar

Combine in a two quart pitcher and refrigerate. Yum! Drink up!