May 16, 2024 | Allison Robertson

40 Genius Uses for Lemon


The Nutrient Dense Fruit That Packs a Punch

As you may already know, lemons are not only packed with flavor but they’re also packed with health benefits, and can be quite useful around the house too.

Here are 40 genius uses for lemon, from health to home and everything in between.

woman with lemon and cleaning faucet split image

Sore Throat

Gargle with a lemon juice and water solution to relieve a sore throat.

Brunette illness girl gargles her throat in bathBearFotos, Shutterstock

Bad Breath

Gargle with a lemon juice and water solution to rid bad breath.

Headshot of smell something bad face of Asian man.Rachata Teyparsit, Shutterstock

Shiny Hair

After shampooing your hair, rinse with a lemon juice and water mixture (juice from one lemon + 8-ounces of warm water) to make it shine.

Young woman hand holds bottle and spraying her wavy blond long hair.Sunny_Smile, Shutterstock

Upset Stomach

Sooth an upset stomach by sucking on a lemon.

Woman Eating Lemon and looking at camera.Oz Art, Pexels

Discolored Utensils

Clean discolored utensils with a cloth dipped in lemon juice. Rinse with warm water.

Close up of female hands with rubber gloves cleaning frying pan in the kitchenBudimir Jevtic, Shutterstock

Fresh Scent

Toss used lemons into your garbage disposal to help keep it clean and smelling fresh.

Cooking food, meat and vegetable leftovers in a plastic container.Octavian Lazar, Shutterstock

Scour Chinaware

Use one part lemon juice and two parts salt to scour chinaware to its original luster.

Eco friendly natural cleaners baking soda, lemon, salt and vinegar on a wooden backbround.alenacepl, Shutterstock

Clean Faucets

Rub kitchen and bathroom faucets with lemon peel. Wash and dry with a soft cloth to shine and remove spots.

The chrome faucet of the sink in the bathroom is cleaned of limescale with a lemon.Nick Alias, Shutterstock

Remove Soap Scum

Fresh lemon juice in rinse water removes soap film from interiors of ovens and refrigerators.

Complete oven cleaning serviceFantastic Services, Flickr

Remove Odor on Hands

Fish or onion odor on your hands can be removed by rubbing them with fresh lemons.

Person Squeezing Lemon.cottonbro studio, Pexels

Remove Odor on Wood

To get odors out of wooden rolling pins, bowls, or cutting boards, rub with a piece of lemon.

Don’t rinse: The wood will absorb the lemon juice.

pexels-polina-zimmerman-4008563.jpg

Clean Copper Pots

Clean copper pots by cutting a lemon in half and rubbing the cut side with salt until the salt sticks. Rub the lemon onto the metal, rinse with hot water, and polish dry.

Person, wearing rubber gloves, cleaning a stainless steel and copper saucepan with a wadhing up foam padrigsbyphoto, Shutterstock

Deter Critters Outside

Save lemon and orange peels to use to deter squirrels and cats from digging in the garden. Store peels in the freezer during the winter, and then bury them just under the surface of the garden periodically throughout the spring and summer.

Slices grapefruit on wooden table near plantTara Winstead, Pexels

Insect Repellent

A few drops of lemon juice in outdoor house-paint will keep insects away while you are painting and until the paint dries.

Person Mixing A Can Of PaintBlue Bird, Pexels

Remove Rust

Mix one tablespoon of lemon juice with two tablespoons of salt to make a rust-removing scrub.

Man in home workshop garage work metal with handle wire brush.amedeoemaja, Shutterstock

Remove Scratches from Furniture

Remove scratches on furniture by mixing equal parts of lemon juice and cooking oil and rubbing it on the scratches with a soft cloth.

Woman cleaning white countertop with rag in kitchen, selective focus.New Africa, Shutterstock

DIY Furniture Polish

To make furniture polish, mix one part lemon juice and two parts olive oil.

Lemon and lemon peel oil on white backgroundibrahim kavus, Shutterstock

Clean White Marble or Ivory

To clean the surface of white marble or ivory (such as piano keys), rub with a half a lemon, or make a lemon juice and salt paste. Wipe with a clean, wet cloth.

Crop person cleaning tabletop in bathroomKarolina Grabowska, Pexels

Hardened Paint Brushes

To renew hardened paintbrushes, dip into boiling lemon juice. Lower the heat and leave the brush for 15 minutes, then wash it in soapy water.

Paint Brush on White SurfaceGerhard Kienzle, Pexels

Remove Paint from Glass

To remove dried paint from glass, apply hot lemon juice with a soft cloth. Leave until nearly dry, and then wipe off.

Senior bald man farmer cleans the window from the paint.RealPeopleStudio, Shutterstock

DIY Air Freshener

Slice some lemons, cover with water, and let simmer in a pot for about an hour. (This will also clean your aluminum pots).

Woman Holding Syringe over Pot with Lemon Sliceshello aesthe, Pexels

Aid in Weight Loss

Lemons contain pectin, a type of fiber found in many fruits. Pectin helps you feel full longer and you will, therefore not eat as much.

Woman Eating a Slice of Lemoncottonbro studio, Pexels

Aid in Digestion

The atomic structure of lemon juice resembles the digestive juices found in your stomach. When you drink lemon water, your liver is tricked into producing bile, which helps keep food moving through your gastrointestinal tract.

Sliced Lemon Fruit in Glass PicherJulia Zolotova, Pexels

Fresh Scent

Before you start to vacuum, put a few drops of lemon juice in the dust bag. It will make the house smell fresh.

pexels-cottonbro-4107274.jpg

Whiten Socks

Make dirty cotton socks white again by boiling them in water with a slice of lemon. This will work for any white clothing/material.

Socks hanging on a clotheslineWs Studio1985, Shutterstock

DIY Cleaning Agent

Create a natural cleaning agent using vinegar and water. Add a few drops of lemon juice for a fresh scent, and the added cleaning power of lemon.

Person in Green Button Up Shirt Holding cleaning bottle.cottonbro studio, Pexels

Eliminate Refrigerator Odors

Use a lemon to absorb lingering odors in your refrigerator. Soak a sponge or cotton ball in some fresh lemon juice, and place it in your fridge for several hours to absorb those odors.

Recycled used lemons placed in refrigerator to deodorize smellThamKC, Shutterstock

Remove Permanent Marker Stains

You can use a mixture of lemon juice and cream of tartar to remove or treat permanent marker stains on fabric or upholstery.

Permanent blue marker scribbling on brown leather, blurred soft focus macropuha dorin, Shutterstock

Deter Bugs

Use lemon juice to repel pesky insects in your home. Squeeze some lemon juice into holes and cracks where you see ants coming in, and they’ll avoid the area in the future.

Person Squeezing Sliced LemonYaroslav Shuraev, Pexels

Wash Your Veggies

Just add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to 8 ounces of water, and pour it into a spray bottle. Spray your fruits and veggies, let them sit for a few minutes, and then rinse them thoroughly with cold water.

Female using spray bottleSHVETS production, Pexels

Ease Inflammation

Lemon juice removes uric acid in your joints, which is one of the main causes of inflammation. Drinking lemon water can help alleviate inflammation.

Woman drinking lemon watercottonbro studio, Pexels

Heal Cracked Heels

Remove the flesh out of one half of a lemon, then place the empty “shell” on your heel. Put a sock on to hold the lemon in place, and leave it for 30 minutes. The acid in the lemon juice will help slough off dead skin cells, leaving softer, smoother skin behind.

Woman feet in bath tub with sliced lemons.Taryn Elliott, Pexels

Clean a Stained Plastic Cutting Board

Squeeze the juice of half a lemon onto your stained cutting board. Use the lemon peel to spread the juice so it covers the stain, and to work the juice into the nooks and crannies of the cutting board surface.

Set the cutting board in the sun for several hours, and then wash it in soapy water.

A Person Cutting Lemon on plastic cutting board.ROMAN ODINTSOV, Pexels

Freshen Your Microwave

Make the interior easier to wipe down by heating a cup of water and a chopped-up lemon on high until the microwave's window is steamy. Let the bowl sit for 15 minutes before you open the door, and clean away any grime and grease with ease.

Close-up Of Woman Putting Bowl Of Slice Lemon In Microwave OvenAndrey_Popov, Shutterstock

Get Rid of Weeds

Spray any garden offenders with a little lemon juice to banish them from your yard. But keep the juice away from the plants you want to keep — the acidity could damage or kill flowers and bushes, too.

Gardener Spraying Water to Green LeavesGustavo Fring, Pexels

Remove T-Shirt Sweat Stains

Fight those troublesome set-in stains by rubbing them with lemon juice (vinegar works well, too) before you toss the clothing in the wash.

Homemade cleaning sweat stains the armpits on a T-shirt with baking soda and lemon.HalynaRom, Shutterstock

Clean a Cheese Grater

Cheese graters can be tough to clean thoroughly when cheese hardens in the small holes. Run the flesh side of cut lemon over the tool to help cut through and free the residue.

Delicious hard cheese grating in kitchenKlaus Nielsen, Pexels

Combat Dy Indoor Air

If the air in your home is dry, simmer a saucepan of water and lemon slices. It will add humidity to your air and freshen your home at the same time.

Water with lemon in a glass top viewPhotosiber, Shutterstock

Combat Bacteria

Cleaning with lemon is a great way to fight bacteria as lemons have a natural antibacterial property.

To use lemon juice for cleaning, it should be applied to the surface after washing and left for five to 10 minutes before rinsing with hot water.

hand with glove is cleaning the table with lemonJens Rother, Shutterstock

Clean the Toilet

To effectively remove water lines and rust stains from toilet bowls, the combination of laundry borax and lemon juice can be used to create a paste. This paste should be applied directly onto the affected areas and be left to work for at least two hours before being scrubbed away.

Using a Brush to Clean the ToiletLiliana Drew, Pexels

Sources: 1, 2


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