The lemon and its peel - your chief assistants in the kitchen
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade! But what to do with lemon peel?
The lemon juice has about 5-6% citric acid and its pH levels vary between 2 and 3. That means it is perfect for cleaning safely the kitchen worktops and stains of mineral origin.
Here are some ways of using lemon and lemon peel in the kitchen!
Removing oil stains with lemon
Oily deposits on the cookware? Oily stains on the kitchen worktop? If your kitchen has suffered the effect of everyday cooking, try to remove the oily stains with the help of half a lemon before trying any toxic cleaning products. Pour some salt over half a lemon (for abrasion) and rub into the oily stain. After that wipe the surface with a dry towel. Be careful with marble and other surfaces that can be damaged by acid.
Cleaning the teapot and the coffee machine with lemon
To remove the limestone that forms on your teapot, fill it up with water, add a handful of lemon peel chopped into small pieces and bring to the boil. Once it has come to the boil, take off the hob and let the teapot cool off for an hour with the water and peel inside. After that rinse well with water. To clean your coffee machine, put ice, salt and lemon zest in it, shake well for a minute or two and rinse - it will shine!
Clean the microwave with lemon
Cooking in the microwave, especially when it goes wrong, usually leaves the microwave in a bad state. The stains can resemble dry cement. Before you resort to a chemical cleaning product try this: place a bowl of water with lemon peel in the microwave; heat on full power for 5 minutes; let the water boil and the steam to condense on the walls of the microwave. After that simply remove the bowl and wipe the dirt with a wet towel.
Deodorizing the bin with lemon
You can use lemon peel to deodorize the source of the worst smells - the bin, and bring a fresh aroma into your kitchen. By the way, this is how you can make use of the lemon peel one last time after you have used it in one of the abovementioned ways.
Other uses of the lemon and its peel in the kitchen
Polishing chromium-plated surfaces with lemon
The mineral depositions on chromium taps and other surfaces can be easily removed with lemon. Rub the surface with half a lemon, rinse and gently polish with soft cloth.
Polishing copper surfaces with lemon
Half a lemon dipped in salt and baking soda can be used to clean and freshen up plates made of copper, brass and stainless steel. After rubbing the stained area with half a lemon, leave for five minutes. Then wash the utensil with warm water and dry-polish it.
Cleaning a stainless steel sink
Apply the same method as for cleaning chromium surfaces.
Insect repellent with lemon
Many insects are repelled by citric acid. You can slice up a lemon and place the slices at door steps, window sills, near cracks and holes from where uninvited guests like ants and other pests can sneak into your home.
Preparing lemon-scented air humidifier
If in winter the air in your home is dry, a lemon can come in handy. Fill up some pots with water and add lemon peel in them, then place on the stove. After the water has come to the boil, let it simmer for a few minutes. This will make the air humid and fresh-scented.
Freshen up the chopping board with lemon
Because of its high pH, the lemon has antibacterial properties. That makes it perfectly suitable for cleaning many kitchen surfaces, including chopping boards. To disinfect, rub the board with half a lemon, leave for a few minutes and rinse.