Cleaning your home with natural products isn’t merely a trend that has hit homemakers, but a lifestyle choice that is better for the environment and easier on your pocket, too.
More and more of us are turning to products that can be found in the fresh produce and baking aisles of the grocery store to clean our homes, than harsh chemical based products found in the cleaning aisle. Two of the most popular and cost effective of these items are lemons and baking soda.
What’s so good about lemons?
Lemons can disinfect surfaces naturally, leaving behind no harsh residues that smell toxic or are harmful to our health. The acidic PH levels in lemons can work wonders with dissolving grease and any other baked on stains and grime.
What’s so good about baking soda?
Baking soda is a gentle but highly effective product with an intense scrubbing power, and can be used as a natural exfoliant for tough stains and dirty surfaces.
When used together, lemons and baking soda make a powerful cleaning team.
How do you use the two products together?
Take any surface that you want to clean, sprinkle baking soda liberally onto it, then cut a lemon in half, and use the cut side to scrub the same surface, on top of the baking soda. Not only does this get rid of tough stains, but it helps to freshen up the surface and will leave it smelling sweet and fresh.
What else can be cleaned with lemons and baking soda?
- Chopping/cutting boards
- Kitchen counters (excluding marble and slate, lemons can damage that surface)
- Stovetops and gas burners
- All bathroom surfaces
- The interior of the refrigerator
- Plastic food containers
- Sinks, faucets and all other fixtures
- Solid brass items
For tougher stains and grimier surfaces, here are a few more ways in which this powerful cleaning duo can be used:
- To clean the interior of an oven
If you also use vinegar along with lemon juice and baking soda, you’ve got a powerful cleaning solution for ovens.
Mix two parts white vinegar to one-part lemon juice, and either fill a spray bottle with the solution or sprinkle it on the base of the oven. Leave it for a few minutes before sprinkling a good amount of baking soda on top, and leave that for a further ten minutes. You’ll find that most of the grime and food matter will shift easily, certainly without the need for scrubbing.
- To eliminate soap scum
Cut a lemon in half and mixed with vinegar, spray it onto the affected area. Then add the baking soda as you would when cleaning the oven inside, but you can add some coarse salt should you need it.
- Messy microwaves
Put three tablespoons of lemon juice into a microwaveable container with ¾ cup of water, then heat it up until it boils. Leave the hot mixture in the microwave for ten minutes and watch as the steam works it magic. Then, open the door and wipe down the interior.
- Blocked drains
Simply pour a good amount of baking soda down the drain and squeeze some lemon juice down after it. This should do the trick for minor blockages, you may need something more heavy duty to shift a bigger blockage.
Lemons and baking soda are a cheap and environmentally friendly natural cleaning solution for many areas of the home, and may even be sitting waiting in your store cupboard!