Did you know a single lemon could help you clean house, relieve cold symptoms, eliminate bugs, treat acne, brighten laundry, whiten nails, and remove grease? And to think: you’ve just been squeezing a splash of lemon in your water for all these years, totally unaware of all the other wonderful things you could be doing with it! That’s okay because today you get to learn about 7 special uses for lemon that will blow your mind.
A slice of lemon could rid your refrigerator of the stink that makes you say “ew.” To deodorize your smelly fridge, simply chop off a chunk of lemon and squeeze the juice on a cotton ball. Sit that cotton ball inside your refrigerator for a few hours. Of course, if you have any groceries from ancient times that could be causing a stink, you’d be wise to toss those in the garbage.
Fall is around the corner, so you could find yourself with a nasty cold when the temperature drops. If you do find yourself with an achy throat, you can mix up honey and lemon for a tasty treat that will offer you relief. Brew or microwave some hot water, pour it in your favorite coffee mug, add one tablespoon of lemon, add two tablespoons of honey, and voila! Please note that this mixture will NOT cure, you but it will help your cold suck less. If you fear that you have something worse than a cold, put down your mug, get in the car, and go to the doctor.
Insects are not fans of the acidic smell of lemons, so spraying it in the areas they are gathering will scare them away. For extra protection, wash your kitchen floor with a mixture of hot water and lemon juice to discourage fleas and roaches from treading on your turf.
Lemons offer a home skin-care treatment that can eliminate acne and blackheads thanks to the wonder food’s antifungal and antibacterial properties. Slice a lemon open, rub it across your face, wait for about 10 minutes, and rinse off with cold water.
Bleach can brighten your laundry but if you’re concerned with the not-so-healthy chemicals that are attached to it, lemons can get the same job done. Add about a quarter cup of squeezed lemon juice to your white laundry while it is rinsing. Hang it outside in the sun to dry, let a few hours pass, and come back to discover a shiny white that is as good as new.
Go ahead and get a bottle of olive oil (one of the healthiest things you can cook with!) and mix that with a little bit of lemon juice. Remove nail polish if you need to, wash your hands, and soak your nails in the mixture for a couple of minutes. This will help you whiten and strengthen your nails so they are more visually appealing and less susceptible to breaking.
Don’t you hate it when you scrub and scrub and scrub away at grease that will not go away? Drop your chemical-laden cleaners and see if lemons will do the trick. Chop a lemon in two, squeeze it onto your trouble dishes or counters (but not marble ones!), and walk away for a few minutes. Come back and make a paste with a bit more lemon juice and some baking soda or vinegar. Scrub away until the grease is a goner (and then let out a nice “hooray!” or “die, grease, die!” if you so desire).
By the way, there're many benefits for lemon water! 11 Benefits of Lemon Water You Didn’t Know About
Featured photo credit: desegura89 via Flickr
Daniel Wallen is a certified personal trainer, life coach, and author of "The Busy Woman's Guide to Getting Fit, Fierce, and Fabulous." Click here to get your copy now. You're welcome to visit Daniel's blog or say hi on Facebook.
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