Using Citrus to Clean Your Home

Citrus fruits are actually quite amazing. Not only are they delicious and refreshing to eat they have many other household uses as well. One of their most powerful side uses is their ability to clean your home.

When you have a tough cleaning job you need to do, you may automatically think you need a heavy duty commercial cleaner to get the job done right. Well, not only are those cleaners laden with chemicals that are not healthy for you and your family they are also very harsh and abrasive. Citrus fruits are a cleaning powerhouse that you should consider instead.

The natural ingredients of a citrus fruit can clean just as effectively as harsh, conventional cleaners without the harmful side effects. They are completely biodegradable and safe for use in your home. You never need to worry about your child's exposure to lemons on a floor you just cleaned. And a big bonus is that they smell great too!

Here are just some of the ways you can use citrus to clean your home:

Clean your garbage disposal and keep it smelling fresh with citrus. Drop a handful of citrus peels (oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit) into your garbage disposal and run it with the cold water turned on. The citric acid will help deodorize your disposal and leave it smelling fresh.

Use citrus as a degreaser wherever you have greasy build-up such as the stove, the outdoor grill, and the garage. Some major cruise ship lines are even using citrus a degreaser for their engine rooms!

Make a citrus and vinegar all purpose cleaner. Just fill a jar with citrus peels and cover in white vinegar. Let is brew for four weeks, giving it an occasional shake. After four weeks, strain out the peels, dilute, and use to clean stovetops, bathroom surfaces, mirrors, and floors. You can even throw some in the laundry to give your whites a boost.

Toss some orange or lemon peels in your wood burning fireplace to give the room a nice, fresh smell.

Remove stains from enamel pots by filling full of water, adding a handful of citrus peels and boiling for 15 minutes.

Put a used lemon half in your dishwasher to cut grease on your dishes.

Use half a lemon to rub stainless steel draining boards and taps. Leave on for a few minutes and then rinse and shine.

Mix some olive oil and lemon juice together and put in a spray bottle. Use the mixture to clean hard wood furniture, rubbing and then drying with a cloth rag.

Use lemon juice to clean and shine brass and copper.

Squeeze a little lemon juice on stained clothing or cloth diapers and set out in the sun to bleach away the stain.

Mix lemon or lime juice with baking soda and vinegar to create a paste that will cut through soap scum and dissolve grime in bathtubs and sinks.

Autor: Tiffany Washko

Tiffany Washko is the editor of Nature Moms, http://www.naturemoms.com and Raw Kids Recipes, http://www.rawkidsrecipes.com After working several years in corporate healthcare marketing and public relations, she took time away to be a mother. This new pursuit lead her to a new passion, natural family living and writing about environmental and political issues. She currently works as a freelance writer and newspaper journalist.

Added: February 8, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/