Cleaning hacks: 10 things in the kitchen you can get clean with lemons

If there are cleaning problems in the kitchen you can’t solve with store-bought products then the answer could be in your fruit bowl.

Lemons can work wonders for all sorts of tasks while also leaving your home smelling fresh and citrusy.

While a single lemon can be pricey at around $1.30 at Coles and $1.38 at Woolworths (prices correct at the time of publishing), it’s cheaper than a cleaning product you might only use once.

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Here are 10 things in the kitchen you can clean with lemons:

Ever looked inside your kettle and noticed little spots and discolouration? That’s limescale and you can get rid of it by popping slices from one lemon in with water and boiling it.

After letting it sit for 15 to 30 minutes boil the water again and tip out.

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Cleaning with lemons is most associated with this hack, which requires slicing a lemon and placing those pieces in a microwave-safe bowl with a cup of water.

Then turn the microwave on for five minutes and then leave it for 15 minutes before removing.

The lemony steam will help soften up baked on food and grime so it’s easier to wipe off, which you can do once it’s cooled down using the water in the bowl and a cloth.

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Wooden cutting boards can’t be cleaned in the dishwasher so when you need a deep cleaning hack this is a good option.

Add salt to the chopping board and then rub a cut lemon over the surface, squeezing it a few times to get the lemon juice out. Leave to sit for a few minutes before scraping off into your food waste bin before rinsing the board and drying it thoroughly.

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If your fridge is starting to smell bad try adding popping lemon halves inside to absorb the odour and replace it with a fresh citrus scent. Put the pieces on small dishes and place in different spots. Lemon peels combined with baking soda in a small bowl also works for this.

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Rust stains on knives

Those unsightly orangey-brown spots will soon be gone by rubbing the cut side of a lemon against the mark. You can also try adding salt to the stain first and then squeezing some lemon juice on top and scrubbing with a soft sponge. Rinse afterwards and dry before putting away.

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For stains on your container that just won’t budge with soapy water try rubbing and squeezing the cut side of half a lemon on the grime. Leave for a few minutes for the lemon juice to break down the stain and then scrub gently before rinsing and washing the container as normal.

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Cheese graters

Sticky cheese residue is no match for lemons. Just rub the cut side of half a lemon over the dirty grater, then rinse off.

If you need something with a little more scrubbing power, dip the cut lemon in salt before scrubbing the grater and leave it to sit for a few minutes before washing off.

Lemons can be used to clean the dishwasher two ways.

The first is by placing cut lemon halves in an empty machine on the top rack – just make sure there are no seeds in them and running the machine on its hottest cycle. The second option is to use a cup of lemon juice in a bowl on the top rack of an empty dishwasher before running it on its hottest cycle.

There are a few options for this depending on whether you need to clean the inside or outside of a pot.

For burnt and baked on food and grime inside the pot try boiling water in the pot with either some lemon slices or lemon juice for five to 10 minutes. Pour out the water and then scrub once the pot is cool enough to touch before rinsing and washing as normal.

For stains on the bottom of the pot, sprinkle baking soda (bicarb soda) on the surface and scrub using the cut side of a lemon squeezing it as you go before rinsing off.

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This is similar to the microwave cleaning hack. Pre-heat the oven at 120°C, add two lemon halves to an oven-safe bowl of water and pop that in the oven for 30 minutes. Leave to cool and use a sponge to scrub, dipping it in the lemony water and then wipe dry.

For the oven door, if you want to give it a good scrub add baking soda to the cut half of a lemon and scrub the oven door with that before wiping off using a damp cloth.

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