by Jennifer Metz

Created on: December 23, 2008   Last Updated: April 27, 2011

In a day and age where the effects of harsh cleaning chemicals are becoming known, many people are turning to alternative, or green, cleaning methods. Healthier for us in many ways, we we don't have to inhale any fumes or worry about absorbing the chemicals into our skin.  Lemons are a great way to help us save money by buying less of the expensive name brand cleaners.

Lemons have enough citric acid and pulp that aids in cleaning, and leaves our home smelling lemony-fresh!

Here are a few ideas for using the lemon as an everyday household item.

Going Green with the Lemon: Garbage Disposal.

The garbage disposal is one area that is almost impossible to clean! It is also a great place for hidden odors to lurk. To alleviate this, cut up a lemon peel and put in the garbage disposal. Turn the disposal on and let them grind for about one minute.

The lemon peel works as a cleaning agent in your garbage disposal and helps get rid of stuck on food and grime. It also leaves behind a fragrant and fresh aroma of, what else? Lemons! This is a safe alternative to harsh chemicals that can be used to clean out your garbage disposal and rid your sink of odors.

Going Green with the Lemon: Cleaning the microwave.

The microwave is another area that can harbor germs and odors. Take a lemon, slice it into 4 quarters and place in a bowl of water. Put the bowl of water in the microwave for 2-5 minutes. Once done, remove the bowl of water and simply wipe out the microwave. The leftover dirt particles should wipe right out and you will have a clean and fragrant microwave. Cleaning the microwave with harsh cleaning agents can only leave your food open to absorb these cleaners. Stay safe with using lemons as a great, green alternative!

Going Green with the Lemon: Bathroom decor.

When having company over, a great choice for air fresheners in the bathroom is the lemon! Take a bowl of fresh lemons and put them on the counter or a shelf in the bath. If your lemons are not fragrant enough, take one or two lemons and cut in half, sprinkle with some sugar.

Going Green with the Lemon: Mold stains remover.

For mild mold stain issues, rubbing a lemon over the stain should help alleviate the stain. This works great for bathroom shower curtains for bathroom walls. Remember, this will not necessarily kill the mold, so other measures may need to be taken. If you use bleach to kill the mold, using lemon over top will ease up the harsh chemical odor.

Going Green with the Lemon: Counter tops and tile.

Lemons work great as a counter top and tile cleaner also. What I like to do, is take a lemon half, rub down the area I want to clean and wipe down with a clean towel. The acid in the lemon works great on removing spots. Those harsh spray cleaners are toxic to breath in, and leave harsh chemical residue behind when used.

Create your own all-purpose cleaner, my squeezing fresh lemon juice, add water, and put into a spray bottle. You can use this mixture to clean all throughout your household.

Using the lemon as a household cleaning tool is a wonderful organic choice while cleaning. Because lemons can do so much around the home, it limits the amount of cleaning supplies one needs to buy. For families with children, it also provides a healthier choice to keeping harsh cleaning chemicals around the home. I encourage everyone to try their own experiments around the home with the lemon! It's uses are endless!

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