When life gives you lemons, you can make much more than just lemonade. There are endless uses for this tangy treat. It can be used as a safe and natural alternative to many harsh products that contain harmful chemicals as well as a delicious ingredient. If you introduce lemon as an alternative to chemical concoctions into your life, your body, pets, home and wallet will all thank you. You may actually be surprised to discover some of the following uses for lemon.
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Freshen the Air
Add a fresh aroma to the air of your home. This superb scent fills up a room and refreshes the air for an energizing atmosphere. Make a steam scent by boiling water in a pot with lemon juice and rinds or use it as an ambient aromatizer by placing lemon slices in a dish. It can also be used to freshen small spaces such at closets, refrigerators and garbage cans.
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Mouth Wash
Lemon juice can be used to freshen breath while simultaneously killing bacteria that love to live in your mouth. Swish some fresh squeezed organic lemon juice around for thirty seconds and then rinse your mouth with water and brush your teeth. Ahh – Citrusy fresh!
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Sore Throat
A sore throat is never pleasant but you can aid the healing process with lemon. Gargle with fresh squeezed lemon juice for thirty seconds, two times a day. Don’t swallow! Spit out the lemon juice as it may contain traces of toxins extracted from your achy throat.
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Flu Fighter
If you have the flu, chances are you have a sore throat, a fever, phlegm or all of the above. Amazing news – Lemon helps all of those sickly symptoms. Rinse your mouth and gargle as previously mentioned to kill bacteria lurking in your mouth and sooth a sore throat. Lemon also helps break fevers and reduces problematic phlegm.
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Lighten Skin Spots
Lemons are an awesome alternative for those overly-priced, packed-with-chemicals creams and serums. You will get the same results as a skin-lightening agent with an alternative and natural lemon solution. Simply cover a cotton swab with fresh lemon juice and dab it onto the effected areas. Watch your sunspots, age spots or acne scars fade within weeks!
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Zap Zits
Again, using a cotton swab, dab lemon on any blackheads or blemishes. The acid helps draw out blackheads and clear up acne. You can also replace your face wash for a cleanser made of one part lemon juice to one part water. The lemon will act as both an exfoliator and an antibacterial agent.
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Highlight Hair
If you want highlights in your hair, lemon and sunshine can be used instead of bleach or dyes. Apply lemon juice onto your hair and go out into the sun for beautiful blonde highlights and a glorious shine.
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Insect Repellent
Keep insects away with lemon. You can mix one part lemon juice with one part water into a spray bottle and spread the anti-insect scent all around your home. Most insects are absolutely appalled by the smell of lemon and won’t come near it. This is a natural insect repellent that keeps pesky mosquitoes away, which is especially useful in the summer time. Lemons are also a great and humane solution for ant armies in the kitchen. Spray away and coat your door and window frames as well as any gaps with lemon juice to create a barrier that tells bugs and insects, “You shall not pass.”
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Disinfectant
For cuts and scrapes, lemon is a great disinfectant. Yes, it may sting a little, but it’s short-lived. I personally prefer to use lemon because it’s biological, just as my body is.
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Flea Medicine
As previously mentioned, tiny creepy, crawly (and jumpy) creatures despise lemons. This works out great because most cats hate flea medicine (and so do most wallets.) I know fleas aren’t good for animals, but neither are those potent chemicals used in flea medicine. I once dripped a small amount on my finger when trying to apply it onto my cat; the burning sensation was irritating, painful and persisted even after I washed it off. Imagine how our beloved pets feel! This was more than enough reason to search for an alternative method and way to treat the loved little ones in our lives. Simply squeeze fresh lemon juice in between their shoulder blades once a day for three days. If you also spray your home with lemon, the fleas will evacuate completely.
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Hand Sanitizer
If you’ve ever chopped garlic or onion or eaten seafood, you know that they leave an unpleasant scent that seems to stick around on your fingers. Solution: Slice a lemon in half and stick the tips of your fingers inside each slice for 30 seconds. You can also scrub your fingers for more persistent scents.
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Clean Cutting Board
A great way to rinse and rid your cutting board of stains is with a slice of lemon. Use it as a sponge and scrub away the traces of smelly, sticky ingredients from your cutting board.
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Calm Nausea
If you have an upset stomach, grab a lemon. You can cure a stomachache by simply sucking on a slice of lemon.
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Keep Guacamole Green
As mentioned in this Guacamole recipe, you can prevent your avocados from browning by squirting them with lemon or lime. It also happens to be one of the key ingredients in Guacamole – win-win.
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Soften Skin
For dry, unsightly elbows, knees or heels, rub lemon juice onto the effected area. The Lemon acts as an exfoliator, which removes old, dead skin and reveals a smoother-looking layer of skin.
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Remove Stains
It happens – we wear that delicate, dry-clean-only shirt and then spill something on it. No worries – mix one part lemon juice with one part water and then dab it on the stain with a cotton swab. For extra stubborn stains, dab and then leave a slice of lemon over the stain for 30 minutes. Rinse and then hang the item in the sun for extra bleaching power.
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Fight Fatigue
If you’re feeling fatigued, drink fresh squeezed lemon juice. This is especially great after a workout or even a dizzy spell.
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Brain Boost
The scent of lemon is mentally energizing. It improves our cognitive functioning and alertness.
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Cure Constipation
Lemon juice is the perfect cure to constipation. Squeeze one to two lemons into a cup and drink up! For nearly instant constipation relief, make a papaya and lemon smoothie.
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Salad Dressing
For a fresh, delicious and simple salad dressing, use a lemon. It’s the perfect dressing over a spinach salad, which is refreshing as a light lunch.
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Cooking
Add zest to any recipe by adding lemon. It’s great in sauces, stews and soups. I also love to squeeze some onto veggie wraps (and on almost anything else)!
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Lemonade
Last but not least, lemon can be used for the most obvious and well-known reason – to make lemonade.
Living with Lemons
Making the switch to “lemon” has changed my lifestyle and perspective. It’s become my go-to solution for almost anything. I initially tried it by trial and error and found that most issues could be solved with this powerful little lemon. For example, that one night a pesky mosquito was trying to (annoyingly) serenade my ears and play Dracula, I wondered if lemon would work. I squeezed some lemon juice on my shirt, neck and headboard on my bed – Mrs. Mosquito (only the females suck blood) got the hint and finally left me alone. This type of revelation has happened over and over simply by experimenting with it. I encourage you to do the same and explore all of its uses and maybe even discover some of your own. It’s incredible, really. Lemon has been in front of us this whole time! Stock up and enjoy your exploration with your new favorite sidekick!
Silvia Rodrigues is a Yoga Instructor, Graphic Designer and artist who is currently completing her 500-hour Yoga Teacher Certification Course. She is a Portuguese native who was raised in Santa Cruz, California but decided to go back to her roots and is now enjoying life in the beautiful town of Cascais, Portugal. Silvia believes in keeping the body fit by staying active... Read More
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