• Bleach pastry boards and rolling pins clean by occasionally rubbing
them with half a lemon.
• If you slop paint on the glass when you’re painting windows, let the
paint dry. Then rub gently with hot lemon juice. Leave until almost
dry and wipe off.
• Bring hardened paintbrushes back to life by dipping them in boiling
lemon juice in an enamel or stainless steel saucepan. Lower the heat
immediately and leave the brush in the hot juice for 15 minutes, then
wash in soapy water.
• After washing woodwork, rinse it with the juice of one lemon to a quart
of water to maintain the gloss. (This will also work on any painted or
enameled surface or linoleum.)
• Use lemon juice in the rinse water to remove soap film from the interiors
of ovens and refrigerators.
• Remove spots from kitchen and bathroom faucets by rubbing them with
lemon peel. Then wash and dry with a soft cloth to restore their shine.
• Use full-strength lemon juice on white washable fabrics to remove lipstick
stains; use diluted juice on colors.
• Take wine stains out of washable fabrics with a paste of salt and lemon
juice. Rinse, then wash in soapy water.
• A drop of lemon juice rubbed on insect bites or stings instantly relieves
the irritation.
• Mulch rosebushes with used lemon peel and pulp.
• Gargle with lemon juice and warm water two to three times daily for
fresh, sweet breath. (Lemon is a local antiseptic and internal alkalizer.)
• Add lemon juice to a few teaspoons of alfalfa tea to relieve headaches
from hangovers or other causes.
• To alleviate coughs, roast lemons until they crack open. Mix their juice
with brown sugar and fresh pineapple juice and drink it. The pineapple
juice adds its powerful digestive enzymes to those of the lemon to help
disintegrate mucus in the throat.
• If you want to stop smoking or chewing tobacco, carry a lemon with a
hole in its tip, wrapped in wax paper. When you have the urge to smoke
or chew, suck a mouthful of lemon juice. You may need several lemons
to kick your habit. A
Source: Sunskist Inc. and Sunkist Growers Inc., courtesy of
The Old Farmer’s Almanac Hearth & Home Companion, 1994
