Cleaning hacks: Professional cleaner’s $1 trick for removing yellow stains from white clothes

Nothing ruins the look of a crisp white shirt more than a yellow tinge, which is one of the hardest stains to remove.

The answer to restoring white clothes to their former glory might actually be hiding in your fruit bowl, according to a professional cleaner.

Stain removal expert Nigel Bearman from UK cleaning company Daily Poppins recommends trying a lemon for this common problem.

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Lemons aren’t the cheapest fruit to buy in Australia right now, but you can get one from Woolworths on special for $1.03 or Coles for $1.60 (prices correct at the time of publishing).

However, if a lemon does work on your white clothes, it’s a cheaper option than some stain removal products.

”Lemon juice is a natural cleaner with antibacterial properties, which means it effectively cuts through stains and kills any bacteria”, Bearman said.

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“Not only does it effectively clean your clothes, it will also leave them feeling soft [and] smelling amazing.”

To use lemons for discoloured white clothes, you’ll need to juice the whole lemon and add that juice to a bucket of hot water.

Next, add in your white clothes and leave to soak for one to two hours before washing as normal.

The reason lemon juice works to revive white clothes is because it contains citric acid, which is a natural bleach and stain remover.

For tough stains, Bearman suggests rubbing salt and lemon juice into the affected area.

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Another top tip he shared for white clothes is to dry them in the sun as the UV rays have a bleaching effect.

If you want to try lemon juice to clean more things in the home Bearman shared another hack.

“Try mixing it with water to create an all-purpose cleaner. Its acidity helps to break down grease and grime without the harsh chemicals. Mix equal parts lemon juice and water in a spray bottle and use it on any surface in your home to give it a deep clean,” he said.

How to remove the common stains from clothing and bedding

Lemons and their juice can also be used to clean the shower. Cleaning expert Amy Brookes from Bella Bathrooms is a fan of using a paste made of lemon juice and baking soda to clean shower glass.

“Ideally, when using lemon, you will want to combine it with baking soda as the acid will create a reaction with the baking soda,” she told the Daily Express.

“This reaction will create a foam that is perfect for scrubbing down any part of the bathroom, not just your shower door.”

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To use the lemon juice and baking soda paste, spread it over the shower glass and let it sit for 10 minutes before wiping with a sponge and rinsing with water.

If you don’t want the fuss of making a paste you can always just dip half a lemon in baking soda and scrub the shower glass using that.

For those with particularly heavy buildup on your shower screens you could instead try dipping half a lemon in salt and scrubbing that on the glass.

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