Lemon-Aid

When life gives you lemons, freshen up around the house. The citric acid in lemons works as a natural cleanser and laundry aid. Lemons also leave a clean scent. Here are some common household uses for lemons:

-Remove tarnish from copper by dipping a lemon half in salt, then rubbing it onto a copper surface. Squeeze a little juice onto a pot and let it sit for several minutes to remove stubborn tarnish.

-Rub a lemon wedge over your hands to remove lingering odors from working with onions, garlic, fish or other stron smelling food.

-Clean some stains (especially food stains) from countertops by squeezing lemon juice over the stain. Let juice sit 30-45 minutes, then pour baking sode over the juice and gently rub the stain away.

-Remove rust from tools and other metal surfaces with lemon juice. The juice also will loosen bolts that are rusted in place. Pour juice over metal and let it sit until rust starts to dissolve. If juice runs off the surface too quickly, saturate a rag or paper towl with lemon juice and wrap the towel around the rusted area.

-Erase rust spots and fruit juice stains from white fabrics by dabbing stains with leomn juice. Dry in the sun to help with bleaching.

-Grind lemon rinds in your garbage disposal to keep it smelling sweet.


From BH&G 2/2000