TIPical Mary Ellen host Mary Ellen Pinkham provides her favorite tips for using lemon juice around the house.
- For light cleansing, use the peel from citrus fruits such as lemons and oranges.
- Cut through tough grease by wiping the surface with a sponge or cloth that is soaked with lemon juice.
- Make your own spray cleaner by mixing two tablespoons lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon liquid soap, 1/2 teaspoon washing soda, and one teaspoon Borax into two cups hot water. Mix until dissolved.
- Add a nice clean scent as well as cleansing power to all liquid cleansers by adding two tablespoons lemon juice.
- To remove strong smells from a cutting board, first wash the board in soap and water, then scrub the surface with the face of a lemon half.
- Use lemon slices, along with a wet rag, to clean your fingers when eating messy finger foods such as ribs or fried chicken. Lemon cuts away the grease.
- When cooking cabbage, put half of a lemon in the water to keep the smell from filling the kitchen. Overcooking makes the smell worse, so keep it crisp.
- Keep a small spray bottle filled with lemon juice in the refrigerator. You can then quickly spray fruits in salads, seafood, and vegetables that call for it.
- Whiten tennis shoes by spraying them with lemon juice and placing them in the sun.
- If you have lemons that need to be used before they go bad, simply squeeze the juice and freeze it in ice cube trays to use in future recipes.
- Clean brass with a lemon half that has been sprinkled with a generous layer of salt.
