When Life Gives You Lemons- CLEAN!

With their fresh citrus aroma, acidic properties and affordable price, lemons make the perfect natural cleaning product for your kitchen! Here are a few ways to incorporate lemon freshness into your cleaning routine.

Use lemon peels to make an organic kitchen cleaner. Start collecting peels from lemons, or any other citrus fruits, in a large mason jar. When there are enough peels to fill the jar at least halfway, pour vinegar in until the jar is full, cover with a lid, and set in a dark place for two weeks. When all is said and done, you’ll have an all-natural, effective cleanser that smells great!

 

Clean your microwave. Why bother with scrubbing when you’ve got lemons in your corner? Simply cut a lemon in half, squeeze the juice from both halves into a small microwave-safe measuring cup of water, throw the rinds in there too, and microwave for 3 minutes on high power. Let stand for 5 minutes without opening the microwave door, then wipe clean, starting with the ceiling and sides. Voila!

 

Use lemon and salt to clean your wooden cutting boards. To get rid of grease and grime and freshen your wooden cutting surfaces, sprinkle them with coarse salt, then take half a lemon and scrub the surface, cut side down. Make sure to squeeze out lemon juice as you scrub. Let sit for 5 minutes then scrape all the nasty sludge off with a bench scraper (or other scraping tool, like a spatula), then rinse with a clean sponge. You’ll be amazed how clean they get!

 

No more stinky garbage disposal. Here’s a tip we all know…sort of. Instead of grinding up lemon peels with ice and salt like our moms probably told us, try zesting the lemon into the disposal, letting it sit for at least 5 minutes, then turning on the disposal and flushing with cold water. It’s a new twist on an old classic. (Twist? See what I did there?)

 

Polish your knives. If your knife set is suffering from rust spots as a result of being put back in the block with a little water still on them, try a little lemon juice with a sponge to polish them up and get them looking good as new!

 

BONUS: Use lemons in your kitchen décor. Well, this is all well and good, you’re thinking, but where on Earth shall I store all these lemons I’ll need for all these fabulous tips? The best news of all is that lemons are a great way to add a homey yet elegant touch, not to mention a pop of color, to any kitchen. Lemons can be stored in beautiful bowls or fruit baskets on the countertop, or even on your kitchen table as a beautiful centerpiece. Not only will they make your kitchen smell divine, but they will be right there on hand for any cleaning mission you hope to accomplish.

Chemical-Free Oven Cleaning

It’s getting to be that time of year again. The season of baked goods, family gatherings with large meals and festive parties is upon us, and that means that you will likely be using your oven a lot more than usual! Now is a great time to get your oven ready for cooking and baking, but what is the best way to get it clean? These days, nearly everyone has a self-cleaning oven, of course, but even after running the self-clean cycle, there is still the question of what to do with all that burnt, black gunk that has fallen onto the bottom. Also, there is the fact that the self-cleaning feature isn’t always the most practical method for cleaning out your oven, what with the way it can make a particularly dirty oven smoke, and produces that hideous burning smell. Why not skip it altogether in favor of something natural and, ultimately, easier? That’s right- our old friends baking soda and vinegar are back, and this time they are ready to make this oven-cleaning experience your best one yet!

What You Need:

Oven (obvious, but true)

Baking soda

Water

Dish cloth (preferably not a decorative one you like to display)

Plastic or silicone spatula

Spray bottle

White vinegar

Bathtub (for cleaning oven racks)

Powdered or liquid dish detergent (for cleaning oven racks)

What You Do:

1. Remove the oven racks and set aside
2. Make a paste of ½ cup baking soda and 2-3 tablespoons water. Paste should be spreadable consistency.
3. Spread paste all over inside of oven, avoiding the heating elements. Pay special attention to particularly greasy or dirty areas of the oven.
4. Let sit overnight, or at least 12 hours.
5. Clean oven racks while you’re waiting. This can be accomplished by soaking them in the bathtub overnight with ½ cup dishwasher detergent and then scrubbing with a non-abrasive scrub brush or sponge.
6. Wipe out oven with a damp dish cloth the following day. The spatula will come in handy to scrape off the paste if the damp dish cloth doesn’t get the hard-to-reach spots.
7. Spray with vinegar in a spray bottle to get rid of all the left-behind baking soda residue. The vinegar will make the baking soda foam a bit (hello, science project volcano lesson!)
8. Wipe out remaining vinegar/baking soda foam until all residue is gone.
9. Replace oven racks.

Enjoy the holidays with your shiny, clean oven! Not only will it save you from the embarrassment of pulling a turkey out of an oven filled with stinky black smoke, but it can also make the finished product taste better.