Tuesday's Too Clean Tip--Lemons

With the huge movement towards all things green, I wanted to share my favorite natural cleaner--lemons!

• Lemon juice dissolves soap scum and hard water deposits. 
• Lemon juice cleans and shines brass, silver, and copper.  
• Lemons can scrub dishes and hard surfaces. 
• Lemon juice can eliminate the garlic or onion smell.
• Lemon juice mixed with baking soda creates a wonderful paste to clean tile grout.
• Lemon juice cleans and sanitizes your dishwasher (run 1/4 c. lemon juice through an empty dishwasher).
• 1/4 c. of lemon juice in the washing cycle will brighten loads that can't be bleached.
• When lemon juice is mixed with olive oil it can even polish wood furniture and cupboards (1/4c. lemon juice to 1/2 c. olive oil).
• When you are done cleaning with a lemon, you can chuck it into the garbage disposal and release a heavenly citrus smell in your kitchen.

See, lemons are miracle workers!  Now you don't have to wonder why grocery stores sell them in 5 pound bags--Nuts like me buy them to clean!

I've posted this before but here is how to get the most juice out of your lemon (and other citrus fruits!):

1. Put the fruit on the counter and put your hand over it.  
2. Roll the fruit around pressing with your hand.
3. Now pop the fruit in the microwave for 20-30 seconds.
4. Cut and juice! (If you want to squeeze the juice into a bowl, don't cut it in half.  Just cut a small slit and squeeze).