Lemon Uses: Things You Can Do with Lemon Peels and Juice
Lemons have always been regarded as valuable fruits,
since they are beneficial and useful in everyone’s home. They have been grown
since the 16th century in Florida New World by Christopher Columbus. With their high
vitamin C content, lemons, as well as limes, were valued to protect against the
development of scurvy.
They were even paid up
to $1 per lemon during the California Gold Rush, when they were in high demand.
This would still be considered pricey today, which means that it was extremely
expensive during the 1800s. (1)
A reason enough for keeping a steady supply of lemons on hand is the vitamin C
content alone. However, these bright citrus fruits also contain additionalantioxidants, known as flavonoids, which play a
beneficial role in fighting heart disease, cancer, and inflammation.(2)
The Journal
of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (3) published an
article which claims that:
“The anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory
properties of Citrus flavonoids can play a key role in their activity against
several degenerative diseases and particularly brain diseases.”
Lemons have their place
in our daily diet, they can be used to make lemon water, for starters, they can
be incorporated into vegetable juice, used in salad dressings, squeezed over veggies
and so on. But what is even more interesting, lemon has even more favorable
uses outside of the kitchen.
Lemon will be your miracle worker when you learn all about
its uses around the house, for skin care, cleaning and much more.
Recently, a compilation
of more than 5 dozen uses of lemon was published by Business Insider.
All these uses are classified in a several categories. You can read all about
these in the article below (4):
Cooking
Clumpy rice: Add a spoonful of
lemon juice to the water while the rice is cooking in order to keep rice from
sticking. Simply fluff with a fork when it’s done.
Ice cubes: Add some flavor
to your drinks by adding lemon slices to your ice cube trays.
Prevent browning on fruits and veggies: Soak cut-up apples,
cauliflower, bananas, pears,potatoes, and avocados in
a bowl of cold lemon water to prevent browning.
Buttermilk substitute: To make a fine
substitute for buttermilk for the recipe you prepare, add two tablespoons of
lemon juice to a cup of milk, and leave to sit for 15 minutes.
Sour cream substitute: For a sour cream
alternative, add lemon juice to whipped cream and let it sit for 30 minutes.
Revive limp lettuce: Add the juice of
half a lemon to a bowl of cold water, then, soak the soggy lettuce leaves.
Leave it for an hour in the fridge and then dry the now-crisp leaves.
Marinade: Lemon can also help
you prepare a homemade marinade. Combine lemon juice with your favorite oils
and herbs to marinate meats. The acidic lemon juice helps break down the meat
so the flavor of the marinade can infuse it.
Health
Coughs: Sip hot lemon water with honey to help
reduce mucous buildup and relieve coughs.
Sore throat: Gargling with lemon
water may soothe a sore throat while consuming lemon water provides vitamin C
for your immune system. This is due to its anti-inflammatory and antibacterial
properties.
Lemon water: This fantastic
mixture provides you with vitamin C and potassium while helping with digestion
and immune system health.
Skin rashes: Relieve your pain by
soaking a cotton ball in lemon juice and apply it to rashes, such as poison
ivy.
Insect bites: Lemon juice can also
help to relieve the swelling and itching of insect bites.
Warts: Coating warts with lemon juice may
help in their elimination and accelerated recovery.
Canker sores: As mentioned
above, lemon juice has antifungal and antibacterial properties, so gargling
with a cup of hot lemon water may help speed the healing of canker sores.
Beauty
Age spots and freckles: Fade age spots and
freckles by applying lemon juice with a cotton swab.
Exfoliator: A combination of
lemon juice, sugar, olive oil, and honey makes a nourishing exfoliating scrub
for your face and body.
Acne: Lemon juice is a natural
astringent. Thus, it can help fight acne if applied to your face twice a day.
Let it sit for 10 minutes each time, then rinse with cool water.
Brightening moisturizer: Mix coconut oil with
a few drops of lemon juice. Apply this mixture as a moisturizer and it will
help to hydrate and brighten your skin.
Hair lightener: Before heading out in
the sun, apply a combination of lemon juice with almond or coconut oil to your
hair. The oil will prevent its drying, and the lemon will lighten your hair.
Dandruff: Massage two
tablespoons of lemon juice into your scalp then rinse with lemon water. Repeat
as necessary until you resolve this issue.
Whiten nails: For this purpose, you
need a combination of lemon juice and olive oil. Soak your nails in it. While
the lemon juice brightens your nails, the olive oil will help strengthen them.
Cleaning
Multi- purpose cleaner: Combine water, baking
soda, vinegar, lemon, and lemon essential oil for a wonderful kitchen or
bathroom cleaner.
Windows: Lemon juice cuts through grease and
grime on windows and glass. Prepare your own excellent window cleaner by
combining it with cornstarch, vinegar, and water.
Hard water stains: Lemon will remove
hard water stains and leave fixtures shiny. Simply rub a cut lemon on your
faucets and shower fixtures.
Furniture polish: Combine lemon oil,
lemon juice, and olive or jojoba oil to make a homemade furniture polish.
Simply buff with a cloth.
Microwave: If you caked on food,
microwave a bowl of water, lemon juice, and lemon slices for three minutes. The
food will wipe right off.
Cutting boards: This trick with lemon
also works for wooden salad bowls and rolling pins. Simply sprinkle coarse salt
on your cutting board then rub with a cut lemon to freshen and remove grease.
Brass and copper polish: Combine lemon juice
and vinegar (equal parts) then apply with a paper towel to brass or copper.
Polish with a soft cloth until dry. Lemon juice can also be combined with
baking soda to make a paste that will remove tarnish.
Shower doors: Dip the cut half of a
lemon in baking soda, then rub into on the glass to remove water stains. Rinse
and towel dry.
Silverware polish: Combine one
tablespoon lemon juice, 1.5 cups of water and 0.5 cut instant dry milk. Soak
your silverware in the mixture overnight, then rinse and dry. In a pinch, you
can apply lemon juice to tarnished silverware and buff with a clean cloth.
Coffee maker: Run a cycle with
plain water, then, add a mixture of lemon juice and water to the water tank.
Let it sit then run the cycle through. Repeat this process once more, and then
run another plain water cycle. To remove any lemon taste, you’ll want to wash
the coffee pot and filter afterwards.
Hardwood floors: Make a grime-fighting
non-toxic floor cleaner by combining vinegar and lemon.
Plastic containers: Rub the plastic
containers with lemon juice and letting them dry in the sun will help remove
the stains.
Toilet: Remove the stains by adding half a cup
of lemon juice to your toilet, then letting it sit prior to scrubbing. Add half
a cup of borax for stubborn stains.
Deodorizing
Room freshener: Make your own air
room freshener, by simmering a pot of water and adding lemon peels, cloves, and cinnamon sticks.
Hands: Remove stubborn odors like garlic from
your hands with the help of lemon. Add lemon juice while washing your hands
with soap. It’s that simple.
Breath: Drinking lemon water freshens your
breath. But make sure that you rinse your mouth with plain water afterward
since lemon juice may erode your teeth.
Humidifier: Add lemon juice to
the water in your humidifier, then let the machine run for deodorizing.
Fireplace: Simply let the peels
sit out for a few days before using. Dried citrus peels can act as kindling in
your fireplace, adding a wonderful smell and acting as a flame starter.
Garbage disposal: Freeze lemon slices
and vinegar in ice cube trays. Place a few frozen cubes down your disposal for
cleaning and freshening.
Refrigerator: Remove the odor from
the fridge using lemon. Just soak a sponge in lemon juice and let it sit in
your fridge for a few hours; it works better than baking soda.
Trash cans: You can also add a
few lemon peels to your garbage to eliminate the odor.
Cat box: Freshen the air by placing lemon
slices in a bowl near your cat box.
Laundry
Spot treatment: Lemon is a fantastic
means to fight underarms stains. Pour lemon juice on fabric stains followed by
salt. Rub the stain and rinse. Dry in the sun if possible for even more
stain-fighting power.
Grease stains: Lemon is also
remarkable with grease stains! Try mixing lemon juice with vinegar and apply to
the stain. Let it sit and then rinse.
Gentle bleach: Add lemon juice to
hot water and soak white linens, then rinse and wash as normal. You can also
add one-half cup of lemon juice to your washing cycle in lieu of bleach.
Whiten tennis shoes: Whiten and freshen
your white sneakers by spraying lemon juice onto them. Then, dry them in the
sun.
Mildew stains: Apply a paste of
lemon juice and salt to the stain, then let dry in the sun. Repeat as
needed.
Miscellaneous
Dog and cat repellant: Sprinkle the
perimeter with coffee grounds and lemon peels in case you want to keep
neighborhood dogs and cats out of your yard. Most dogs and cats dislike the
scents and will avoid it.
Stains on your pet’s fur: Apply
a paste of baking soda and lemon juice and rub into the fur Tt eliminate pink
or red-colored stains from around your pet’s eyes or mouth. Let it sit for
about 10 minutes then rinse off. Be careful not to get the mixture into your
pet’s eyes.
Insect repellant: Spray concentrated
lemon juice on areas where ants are getting in. You can also place lemon peels
near entryways to repel insects. Mopping floors with lemon juice and water will
repel roaches and flees.
Kill weeds: Your
homemade lemon juice weed spray is a remarkable non-toxic weed killer.
Jewelry sanitizer: Add one tablespoon of
lemon juice to 1.5 cups of water. Use the solution to sanitize earrings and
other jewelry. Note that you mustn’t treat pearls or gold in this way.
Leather shoe polish: Lemon
can also be part of your fantastic homemade leather shoe polish! Mix one-part
lemon juice with two parts of olive oil, then apply to leather shoes. Let it
sit for 10-15 minutes, then buff with cloth.
Hardened paintbrushes: Bring lemon juice
with a splash of water to a boil, then add in hardened paintbrushes. Let sit
for 15 minutes, then wash with soap and water. The bristles will become soft
again once they dry.
Invisible ink: Write a message on a
piece of white paper using a cotton swab dipped in lemon juice. After it dries,
hold it up to a lamp or light bulb to see your hidden message.
Fight Stress and Anxiety with Lemon Aromatherapy
-Another way to enjoy
the healing powers of the lemon is the aromatherapy with lemon essential oil. Essential oils are the essence of the plant and can
provide therapeutic benefits in very small amounts.
They carry biologically active volatile compounds of
flowers and plants in a highly concentrated form. Various beneficial effects
can be felt after an inhalation of the particles in essential oils, which come
from flowers, twigs, leaves, or bark.
-Lemon essential oil
has been shown to have anti-stress and anti-anxiety effects. (5)
-An aromatherapy
massage using oils of lemon, rosemary, and peppermint was even found to relieve constipation
in the elderly. (7)
-Meanwhile, the scent
of lemon has been found to also reduce nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. (8)
-One study showed that
when participants sniffed a blend of oils of lemon, lavender, and ylang ylang,
it lowered systolic blood pressure and sympathetic nerve system activity.(6)
To conclude, you can use lemon for its cleaning powers,
antioxidant properties, for its flavor and vitamin C, as a part of your
aromatherapy collection or for all of the numerous listed above, and you will
always feel its favorable effects. We should all try to benefit from the lemon,
as it is one of the most advantageous miracles of the nature.
Extra tip: If possible, always choose fresh lemon juice over the pre-squeezed
varieties you can purchase at grocery stores, since it keeps its vitamin C
content.(9)
Sources included linked
in Dr. Mercola’s article:
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