20 Unique Uses for Lemons

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When most people think about lemons, the first thing that comes to mind is their use in the kitchen. From Lemon Tarragon Skillet Chicken to Lemon Meringue Pie Dessert Cups to Homemade Blueberry Lemonade and adults-only Berry Smash Lemonade,  there are literally thousands of delicious recipes that use lemon. But cooking isn't the only use for this beautiful yellow fruit! In fact, lemons are one of the most versatile fruit in the world! Here are 20 unique and handy uses for lemons:

20 Uses for Lemons You Might Not Know

1. Soothe a sore throat by gargling a mixture of 1 teaspoon lemon juice with ⅛ cup warm water. Frequently drinking cups of hot tea made with a tablespoon of lemon juice and a tablespoon of honey will also work.

2. Use it as a fingernail brightener!  Squeeze some lemon juice in a small bowl, clean your nails then soak them in the juice for one or two minutes.

3. Get rid of dandruff by applying 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to your hair. Shampoo, then rinse with water. Then rinse again with a mixture of 2 tablespoons of lemon juice with 2 cups of water. Repeat every other day until dandruff is gone.

4. Gorgeous highlights! Spray on hair, then go outside and sit in sunlight for natural-looking highlights.  Rinsing hair with lemon juice will make it shiny as the citric acid removes build-up from shampoo and styling products.  Use a quarter cup of lemon juice mixed with 1 cup of water.

5. Exfoliate Rough Skin. Use a paste made from lemon juice and salt to gently exfoliate skin. Lemon juice applied to the face with a cotton ball will act as a natural astringent and will eliminate oil and tighten pores. Eliminate blackheads by applying lemon juice to the blackhead right before you go to bed. When you wake in the morning rinse with cool water. Repeat for several nights, until you see a big improvement.

6. Natural Deodorant. Out of deodorant? No worries! Cut a lemon in half or use a wedge and apply to your underarms. The citric acid will kill the odor-causing bacteria.

7. Ease the Itch. Poison Ivy?  Rash? Unbearably itchy skin?  Apply lemon juice directly to the affected area to soothe and keep the rash from spreading.

8. Prevent Infection. Stop minor cuts from bleeding and prevent infection by applying lemon juice with a cotton ball.

9. Soothe. Sore feet? Rough hands? Apply lemon juice, rinse then massage with olive oil.

10. Keep cut fruit fresh. Squeeze a little bit of lemon juice on cut fruits and vegetables like apples, avocados, pears, and potatoes to keep them from turning brown.

11. Perk up wilted lettuce by soaking it for one hour in a bowl of cold water mixed with the juice of one lemon.

12. Deodorize a cutting board from odors caused by fish, garlic and more by cleaning the board with lemon juice.  Will also sanitize the board when you run a lemon slice over it.  Remove tough stains from light-colored plastic or wooden cutting boards by covering it with lemon juice and leaving it on for 20 minutes then rinsing with cold water.

13. Un-sticky Rice. Adding a few drops of lemon juice to a pot of simmering rice will keep it from sticking to the pot.

14. Grater Cleaner. Remove soft cheese or other sticky foods from a grater by rubbing both sides of it with the pulp side of a cut lemon.

15. Clean brass, copper and stainless steel sinks by making a paste from lemon juice and salt. Scrub the surface gently, then rinse with water.

16. Bug Away! Use as an alternative to toxic insect repellants. Bugs like ants, roaches, spiders and more are very sensitive to smells.  Squirt lemon juice along window sills, baseboards, into cracks, and in the thresholds of doors.  Also, add lemon juice to your floor wash to mop your floors, this will also repel insects.

17. Glass Cleaner. Clean hard water stains, debris, and other marks from glass. Apply straight to a sponge for tough jobs, or dilute a few tablespoons in a cup of water and spray it on for regular jobs.

18. Remove stains caused by sweat, wine, berries, mildew and more by using lemon juice. For durable fabrics make a paste of lemon juice and salt, then rub it on the stain. More delicate materials require a gentler touch, just saturate with lemon juice then wash it out. For ink stains, be sure to apply immediately.

19. Natural whitener. Adding a quarter cup of lemon juice to the wash will act as a natural bleach and brighten your whites.

20. Clean your microwave by using a solution of four tablespoons of lemon juice to 1 cup of water in a microwave-safe bowl. Boil for 5 minutes allowing the steam to condense of the walls of the microwave. Wipe clean.

Final Thoughts

From cooking to cleaning to cold remedies, lemons are definitely one of Mother Nature's most amazing gifts! So next time life hands you lemons, you can make so much more than lemonade!