Handy tips for the humble lemon

In a quest to find out more ways to be environmentally friendly around the home, I came across a lot of great ideas for using the humble lemon.

For the body...
Exfoliating face & body scrub - Mix into a paste organic raw sugar with lemon juice.

Lemon is great for removing dead skin cells and bleaching darkened and discoloured areas on the skin. It also has antioxidants to help stimulate collagen production in your skin.

Brighten skin - Rub fresh lemon on skin before bed and then rinse in the morning. For an all over body treatment add 1/2 a cup of lemon juice to your bath and then soak.

Spots & blemishes - Apply lemon juice using a cotton tip to treat spots and blackheads for faster healing.

Stings, bites & itches - A few drops of lemon juice onto the wound is said to help stop bleeding and disenfect the area. It's also great for relieving itchy bites.

Hair care - 1 tsp of lemon juice diluted in a cup of water can help condition hair and give a beautiful shine. Do this after shampooing and rinse after a couple of minutes.

Dandruff - Apply a mixture of 2 tbsps and 2 cups of water to hair after shampooing. Massage it into the scalp and then rinse.

Hands - Remove smells and stains by rubbing a wedge of lemon onto the area. The perfect treatment for after you've been handling seafood.

Nails - Rub a wedge of lemon under your nails to brighten and whiten the tips.

Travel sickness - Both sucking on lemon and smelling it can help if you're feeling nauseous.

Laxative - Drink lemon water which is 2 tbsps of lemon juice mixed with warm water.

Body purifier - Start your day with lemon water. This acts as a liver tonic and helps to purify the body and cleanse out toxins.

The effects of this can help relieve digestive problems like nausea, constipation (hence the laxative suggested above), parasites and heart burn. It is also a great diuretic and can relieve a Urinary Tract Infection. Because it flushes out toxins, it can ease headaches, arthritis and rheumatism.

Breath freshner - Drink lemon water throughout the day to freshen your breath. The acidity in lemons helps to kill bacteria in your mouth which is usually the cause of bad breath.

For the kitchen...
Grease - Lemon juice itself is a great degreaser.

Microwave - Add a lemon slices to a small bowl of water and microwave for five minutes. This will help neutralise odours.

Chopping boards - Soak lemon juice on a chopping board and leave for several hours or overnight.

Copper and brass - To remove stains mix three parts salt to one part lemon.

Fridge - 1/2 a lemon left in the fridge can help neutralise odours.

For the bathroom...
Taps - Use half a lemon to help scrub off the build up of lime scale around taps and faucets, then rinse.

Toilets - Mix 1 cup of lemon juice and 1/2 a cup of borax for a fresher, cleaner toilet.

For the laundry...
Whites - Whiten your whites by adding 1/2 a cup of lemon juice to the rinse cycle and then dry clothes on the line. The lemon also helps your clothes to smell fresher.

For the home in general...

All-purpose cleaner - Mix equal parts of lemon juice and water to a spray bottle. Vinegar can also be added.

Air freshner - For a chemical free air freshner mix equal parts of lemon juice and water to an atomizer.

Furniture polish - Mix one part lemon juice and two parts olive oil.

Windows, glass & mirrors - Mix 1 gallon of water with 4 tbsps of lemon juice.

Ants - Pour lemon juice on areas where ants are to repel them.