Lemons are our friends

From cooking to cleaning to fighting off a cold, lemons really can do a lot for such a small fruit. Here are a few ways you can use a lemon and (just for Sonya) it’s eco-friendly as well.

*Highlight your hair - much better for you and the environment than commercial bleaches. Mix the juice of one lemon with one teaspoon of salt and apply to your hair with a comb. Get out into the sun for a couple of hours. Do some vegetable gardening, tend your lemon tree, go for a walk, you get the picture. Don't do this too often; it will dry your hair out.

*Exfoliate and clean your feet - mix up some lemon pulp and brown sugar and get rubbing. Rinse and moisturize.

*Combat bad breath - gargle with lemon juice to get rid of bad breath.

*Fight off a cold - mix lemon juice with honey and hot water to sooth coughs and sore throats and give you a dose of vitamin C.

*Sooth a sting - mix the juice of half a lemon with water and bathe a sting to lessen the pain.

*Make homemade lemonade - and avoid all the chemical/preservative laden stuff in the shops. The basic recipe is 1 cup lemon juice, 1 cup organic sugar, 1 cup water. That will give you syrup to dilute as you like. Add ice.

*Freshen up your dishwasher - use half a lemon and jam it onto an upright in your dishwasher. Smells fresh, helps cut grease and has got to be more eco-friendly that those plastic lemon shaped things you can buy to do the same job.

*Remove limescale from draining boards and taps - use half a lemon to rub over stainless steel draining boards and taps. Leave a minute, rinse and shine with a dry cloth.

*Squeeze some lemon juice on fish, the only accompaniment that fresh fish needs.

*Freeze the juice in ice cube trays for later use. The juice can also be used to make lemon cordial and home-made lemonade.

*Make a room deodorizer: Mix the juice of one lemon with 1L strong tea. Strain and store in an old spray bottle. Spray into rooms to make them smell fresh.

*For a sore throat, make up a mixture of lemon juice, sage tea and honey and gargle before going to bed.

*Use half a lemon dipped in salt to clean brassware. A lemon can also be used to clean silver.

*A few drops of lemon juice will shine shoes.

*Stains: Dab a little lemon juice on stains, leave to work for a few moments, and then wash as usual. Hang the clothes outdoors to dry on a sunny day to allow the sun to add its bleaching effect too.

*If the stains are well soaked in, make a paste from fresh lemon juice and crème of tartar. Apply the paste to the fabric and leave in the sun for an hour. Then wash as usual. Keep an eye on the clothing, as lemon juice can be very powerful!

*Pre-Soak: You can pre-soak white clothing in lemon juice if it needs to be brightened. Slice up a lemon and place in a large container. Pour boiling water over the lemon, cover and leave to reach the desired temperature. When cool enough, add your clothes and soak them for an hour before washing as usual.

*Alternatively, put 1/2 cup lemon juice in the rinse cycle of your washing machine and hang your clothes in the sunshine to dry.

*If your kitchen work surfaces have marks on them, put a few drops of fresh lemon juice on, leave for a few minutes, and then rinse and dry.

*The antibacterial affect of lemons make them perfect for disinfecting chopping boards. Apply fresh lemon juice to the board, allow it to soak overnight and rinse off in the morning. This will remove any odors from chopping garlic and onions as well as removing bacteria.

*To clean bathroom and kitchen sinks, make a paste from fresh lemon juice and salt. Dip a sponge into the paste and rub around the sink to remove stains. Porcelain sinks in particular will love this treatment and sparkle beautifully!

*Lemons can help dissolve hard water deposits and soap scum. Rub a cut lemon around your taps or around your sink, leave to work for a few minutes, and then rinse.

*Keep a plant mister in the shower room with a mixture of the juice of two fresh lemons and water in it. Wipe around the shower panel and tiles with this mix after showering to prevent limescale building up.

*To prevent limescale in your kettle, put some fresh lemon peel in the bottom, top up with water, bring to a boil and then leave overnight. Rinse well in the morning and your kettle will be limescale-free.

*Combine 1 part lemon juice with 2 parts olive oil for a nourishing wooden furniture polish. This will add shine and bring out the natural beauty of your furniture.

*Make a paste from fresh lemon juice and bicarbonate of soda (baking soda). Apply this paste to any brass fixtures or fittings in your home, such as door handles and light switches. Rub gently with a soft cloth and buff until it shines.

*Give your copper pans a brilliant shine with lemon. Cut a fresh lemon in half, dip it in some salt and use it like a scouring pad. If you have copper pipes in your bathroom or other copper materials in your home, these will benefit from the same treatment.

*Lemon leaves a fresh, uplifting scent in your home. Either chop up some fresh lemons and boil them in a saucepan of water with the lid off for half an hour, or put half a fresh lemon in the oven after you have finished using it. The residual heat from the oven will release the aroma into your kitchen and get rid of stale cooking smells.

*Fireplace: Place lemon peel in a burning fire to help freshen the room.

These are just a few of the uses I have come across. If you have some that aren’t here please let me know and I will add them to the list. Also, since using a lemon for all this stuff is considered eco-friendly why not check out this site to discover other eco-friendly products - Best Eco Stuff.

So...“When Life Gives You Lemons…Make Lemonade”