Saw this on Facebook the other day and think it's worth sharing around.
However the diversity of applications for lemons far exceeds
general knowledge and once you read the following list, you'll likely want to
stock at least a few lemons in your kitchen 24-7.
Most people are familiar with the traditional uses for
lemons to soothe sore throats and add some citrus flavor to our foods.
1. Freshen the Fridge
Remove refrigerator odors with ease. Dab lemon juice on a
cotton ball or sponge and leave it in the fridge for several hours. Make sure
to toss out any malodorous items that might be causing the bad smell.
2. High Blood Pressure
Lemon contains potassium which controls high blood pressure
and reduces the effect of nausea and dizziness.
3. Prevent Cauliflower From Turning Brown
Cauliflower tend to turn brown with even the slightest
cooking. You can make sure the white vegetables stay white by squeezing a
teaspoon of fresh lemon juice on them before heating.
4. Mental Health
Lemon water can also prep up your mood and relieve you from
depression and stress. Long distance walkers and world travelers as well as
explorers look upon the lemon as a Godsend. When fatigue begins, a lemon is
sucked through a hole in the top. Quick acting medicine it is, giving almost
unbelievable refreshments.
5. Refresh Cutting Boards
No wonder your kitchen cutting board smells! After all, you
use it to chop onions, crush garlic, and prepare fish. To get rid of the smell
and help sanitize the cutting board, rub it all over with the cut side of half
a lemon or wash it in undiluted juice straight from the bottle.
6. Respiratory Problems
Lemon water can reduce phlegm; and can also help you breathe
properly and aids a person suffering with asthma.
7. Treating Arthritis and Rheumatism
Lemon is a diuretic - assists in the production of urine
which helps you to reduce inflammation by flushing out toxins and bacteria
while also giving you relief from arthritis and rheumatism.
8. Prevents Kidney Stones
Regular consumption of the refreshing drink -- or even lemon
juice mixed with water -- may increase the production of urinary citrate, a
chemical in the urine that prevents the formation of crystals that may build up
into kidney stones.
9. Keep Insects Out of the Kitchen
You don’t need insecticides or ant traps to ant-proof your
kitchen. Just give it the lemon treatment. First squirt some lemon juice on
door thresholds and windowsills. Then squeeze lemon juice into any holes or
cracks where the ants are getting in. Finally, scatter small slices of lemon peel
around the outdoor entrance. The ants will get the message that they aren’t
welcome. Lemons are also effective against roaches and fleas: Simply mix the
juice of 4 lemons (along with the rinds) with 1/2 gallon (2 liters) water and
wash your floors with it; then watch the fleas and roaches flee. They hate the
smell.
10. Anti-Aging
Lemon water reduces the production of free radicals which
are responsible for aging skin and skin damage. Lemon water is calorie free and
an antioxidant.
11. Fruit and Vegetable Wash
You never know what kind of pesticides or dirt may be
lurking on the skin of your favorite fruits and vegetables. Slice your lemon
and squeeze out one tablespoon of lemon juice into your spray bottle. The lemon
juice is a natural disinfectant and will leave your fruits and vegetables
smelling nice too.
12. Treat Infections
Lemon water can fight throat infections thanks to its
antibacterial property. If salt water does not work for you, try lime and water
for gargling.
13. Deodorize Your Garbage
If your garbage is beginning to smell yucky, here’s an easy
way to deodorize it: Save leftover lemon and orange peels and toss them at the
base under the bag. To keep it smelling fresh, repeat once every couple of
weeks.
14. Keep Guacamole Green
You’ve been making guacamole all day long for the big party,
and you don’t want it to turn brown on top before the guests arrive. The
solution: Sprinkle a liberal amount of fresh lemon juice over it and it will
stay fresh and green. The flavor of the lemon juice is a natural complement to
the avocados in the guacamole. Make the fruit salad hours in advance too. Just
squeeze some lemon juice onto the apple slices, and they’ll stay snowy white.
15. Purges The Blood
We consume a lot of junk food or food with a lot of preservatives
and artificial flavours. This builds up a lot of toxins in the blood and body
but daily consumption of lemon water helps to purify the blood.
16. Make Soggy Lettuce Crisp
Don’t toss that soggy lettuce into the garbage. With the
help of a little lemon juice you can toss it in a salad instead. Add the juice
of half a lemon to a bowl of cold water. Then put the soggy lettuce in it and
refrigerate for 1 hour. Make sure to dry the leaves completely before putting
them into salads or sandwiches.
17. Oral Health
Lemon juice also stops bleeding gums and reduces toothaches
18. Lighten Age Spots
Why buy expensive creams when you’ve got lemon juice? To
lighten liver spots or freckles, try applying lemon juice directly to the area.
Let it sit for 15 minutes and then rinse your skin clean. It’s a safe and
effective skin-lightening agent.
19. Create Blonde Highlights
For salon-worthy highlights, add 1/4 cup lemon juice to 3/4
cup water and rinse your hair with the mixture. Then, sit in the sun until your
hair dries. To maximize the effect, repeat once daily for up to a week.
20. Make a Room Scent/Humidifier
Freshen and moisturize the air in your home on dry winter
days. Make your own room scent that also doubles as a humidifier. If you have a
wood-burning stove, place an enameled cast-iron pot or bowl on top, fill with
water, and add lemon (and/or orange) peels, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and apple
skins. No wood-burning stove? Use your stovetop instead and just simmer the
water periodically.
21. Clean and Whiten Nails
Pamper your hands without a manicurist. Add the juice of 1/2
lemon to 1 cup warm water and soak your fingertips in the mixture for 5
minutes. After pushing back the cuticles, rub some lemon peel back and forth
against the nail.
22. Cleanse Your Face
Zap zits naturally by dabbing lemon juice on blackheads to
draw them out during the day. You can also wash your face with lemon juice for
a natural cleanse and exfoliation. Your skin should improve after several days
of treatment. Lemon water is also a cooling agent, best way to beat the heat.
23. Freshen Your Breath
Make an impromptu mouthwash by rinsing with lemon juice
straight from the bottle. Swallow for longer-lasting fresh breath. The citric
acid in the juice alters the pH level in your mouth, killing bacteria that
causes bad breath. Rinse after a few minutes because long-term exposure to the
acid in lemons can harm tooth enamel.
24. Treat Flaky Dandruff
If itchy, scaly dandruff has you scratching your head,
relief may be no farther away than your refrigerator. Just massage two
tablespoons lemon juice into your scalp and rinse with water. Then stir one
teaspoon lemon juice into one cup water and rinse your hair with it. Repeat
daily until your dandruff disappears.
25. Get Rid of Tough Stains on Marble
You probably think of marble as stone, but it is really
petrified calcium (also known as old seashells). That explains why it is so
porous and easily stained and damaged. Those stains can be hard to remove. If
washing won’t remove a stubborn stain, try this: Cut a lemon in half, dip the
exposed flesh into some table salt, and rub it vigorously on the stain. But do
this only as a last resort; acid can damage marble. Rinse well. Use These
Lemons To Clean - Easy and Effective
26. Remove Berry
Stains
It sure was fun to pick your own berries, but now your
fingers are stained with berry juice that won’t come off no matter how much you
scrub with soap and water. Try washing your hands with undiluted lemon juice,
then wait a few minutes and wash with warm, soapy water. Repeat until your
hands are stain-free.
27. Soften Dry, Scaly Elbows
Itchy elbows are bad enough, but they look terrible too. For
better looking (and feeling) elbows, mix baking soda and lemon juice to make an
abrasive paste, then rub it into your elbows for a soothing, smoothing, and
exfoliating treatment. Rinse your extremities in a mixture of equal parts lemon
juice and water, then massage with olive oil and dab dry with a soft cloth.
28. Headaches
Lemon juice with a few teaspoons of hot tea added is the
treatment of a sophisticated New York
bartender, for those who suffer with hangover headaches--and from headaches due
to many other causes. He converts his customers to this regime, and weans them
away from drug remedies completely.
29. Chills and Fevers
Chills and fevers may be due to a variety of causes; never
the less the lemon is always a helpful remedy. Spanish physicians regard it as
an infallible friend.
30. Diptheria
Skip the vaccine for this disease. Lemon Juice Treatment still
proves as one of the most powerful antiseptics and the strong digestive
qualities of the fruit are admired around the world. With the juice every hour
or two, and at the same time, 1/2 to 1 tsp. should be swallowed. This cuts
loose the false membrane in the throat and permits it to come out.
31. Vaginal Hygiene
Diluted lemon juice makes a safe and sane method of vaginal
hygiene. Though it is a powerful antiseptic it is nevertheless free from
irritating drugs in douches and suppositories.
32. Forget The Moth Balls
A charming French custom to keep closets free from moths is
to take ripe lemons and stick them with cloves all over the skin. The heavily
studded lemons slowly dry with their cloves, leaving a marvelous odor
throughout the closets and rooms.
33. Stomach Health
Digestive problems are the most common ailments but warm
water and lime juice is the solution to most digestive problems. Lemon juice
helps to purify the blood, reduces your chances of indigestion, constipation,
eliminates toxins from the body, adds digestion and reduces phlegm.
34. Disinfect Cuts and Scrapes
Stop bleeding and disinfect minor cuts and scraps by pouring
a few drops of lemon juice directly on the cut. You can also apply the juice
with a cotton ball and hold firmly in place for one minute.
35. Soothe Poison Ivy Rash
You won’t need an ocean of calamine lotion the next time
poison ivy comes a-creeping. Just apply lemon juice directly to the affected
area to soothe itching and alleviate the rash.
36. Remove Warts
You’ve tried countless remedies to banish warts and nothing
seems to work. Next time, apply a dab of lemon juice directly to the wart using
a cotton swab. Repeat for several days until the acids in the lemon juice
dissolve the wart completely.
37. Bleach Delicate Fabrics
Avoid additional bleach stains by swapping ordinary
household chlorine bleach with lemon juice, which is milder but no less
effective. Soak your delicates in a mixture of lemon juice and baking soda for
at least half an hour before washing.
38. Clean Tarnished Brass and Polish Chrome
Say good-bye to tarnish on brass, copper, or stainless
steel. Make a paste of lemon juice and salt (or substitute baking soda or cream
of tartar for the salt) and coat the affected area. Let it stay on for 5
minutes. Then wash in warm water, rinse, and polish dry. Use the same mixture
to clean metal kitchen sinks too. Apply the paste, scrub gently, and rinse. Get
rid of mineral deposits and polish chrome faucets and other tarnished chrome.
Simply rub lemon rind over the chrome and watch it shine! Rinse well and dry
with a soft cloth.
39. Replace Your Dry Cleaner
Ditch the expensive dry-cleaning bills (and harsh chemicals)
with this homegrown trick. Simply scrub the stained area on shirts and blouses
with equal parts lemon juice and water. Your “pits” will be good as new, and
smell nice too.
40. Boost Laundry Detergent
For more powerful cleaning action, pour 1 cup lemon juice
into the washer during the wash cycle. The natural bleaching action of the
juice will zap stains and remove rust and mineral discolorations from cotton
T-shirts and briefs and will leave your clothes smelling fresh. Your clothes
will turn out brighter and also come out smelling lemon-fresh.
41. Rid Clothes of Mildew
Have you ever unpacked clothes you stored all winter and
discovered some are stained with mildew? To get rid of it, make a paste of
lemon juice and salt and rub it on the affected area, then dry the clothes in
sunlight. Repeat the process until the stain is gone.
42. Eliminate Fireplace Odor
There’s nothing cozier on a cold winter night than a warm
fire burning in the fireplace — unless the fire happens to smell horrible.
Next time you have a fire that sends a stench into the room, try throwing a few
lemon peels into the flames. Or simply burn some lemon peels along with your
firewood as a preventive measure.
43. Neutralize Cat-Box Odor
You don’t have to use an aerosol spray to neutralize
foul-smelling cat-box odors or freshen the air in your bathroom. Just cut a
couple of lemons in half. Then place them, cut side up, in a dish in the room,
and the air will soon smell lemon-fresh.
44. Deodorize a Humidifier
When your humidifier starts to smell funky, deodorize it
with ease: Just pour 3 or 4 teaspoons lemon juice into the water. It will not
only remove the off odor but will replace it with a lemon-fresh fragrance.
Repeat every couple of weeks to keep the odor from returning.
45. Reduce Asthma Symptoms
In addition to a general detoxifying diet, 2 tablespoons of
lemon juice before each meal, and before retiring can reduce asthma symptoms.
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